17 August 2023 , 10:59
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The BBC have announced a schedule shake-up this evening following the sad death of Sir Michael Parkinson.
The chat show king passed away at the age of 88, and the BBC are planning a tribute to him this evening. In a statement today, Michael's family confirmed he had died after a short illness. The statement read: "After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family. The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve."
Tonight, the BBC will re-air a special celebration programme about Sir Michael Parkinson and his life. Taking to Twitter, they wrote: "n a change to scheduled programming, Parkinson At 50 will air on @BBCOne tonight from 9pm. You can also watch the documentary on @BBCiPlayer now, along with some of Sir Michael Parkinson’s classic interviews."
The BBC's director-general Tim Davie was one of the first people to pay tribute to Michael. Dubbing him "the king of the chat show” and an "incredible broadcaster and journalist", he said: "Michael was the king of the chat show and he defined the format for all the presenters and shows that followed. He interviewed the biggest stars of the 20th century and did so in a way that enthralled the public. Michael was not only brilliant at asking questions, he was also a wonderful listener. Michael was truly one of a kind, an incredible broadcaster and journalist who will be hugely missed."
Parkinson made his last TV appearance on BBC Breakfast back in November 2022 where some viewers shared their concern as they felt he looked 'frail'. He was there to discuss his book, My Sporting Life: Memories, Moments, and Declarations. He had penned the book alongside his son. Aside from his BBC appearance, Michael had kept a very low profile after stepping down from his chat show.t
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His iconic chat show had only been meant to run for 10 weeks as a 'filler' programme, but at the end of the run, it had amassed 650 episodes, where he had interviewed over 2000 guests. His show was voted by BFI one of the top 10 UK television programmes of all time. The talk show Parkinson ran from 1971 to 1983 before being revived in 1998 and running until his retirement in 2007.
Sharing what he had thought following the first episode, Michael had said in 2021: "I was just happy to get through the first show without falling down the stairs or forgetting the name of the guest sitting opposite. I had no idea how it had gone. I knew there was something in it that I wanted to pursue but I had no idea how it would turn out."
Seen as a temporary 10-week filler programme, it recorded over 650 episodes featuring interviews with over 2,000 guests and was voted by the BFI one of the top 10 UK television programmes of all time.
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