Michael Parkinson's most iconic guests - and his most awkward moments
From a wrestling match with a puppet (he lost) – to a kiss with his favourite Hollywood starlet, Sir Michael Parkinson left us with a wealth of memorable TV moments. His best interviews are sure to be hotly debated – see if you agree with our eleven favourite chats...
Muhammad Ali
Sir Michael sparred with the iconic boxer on four occasions. But it was perhaps the first that was the best, with a hard hitting back and forth that saw Ali speak on the campaign for African-American rights. “I’m involved in a freedom struggle,” he said. “Not a power struggle.. We’re not trying to take power away or rule anybody – we’re just trying to get up from under the rulers.” Parkinson later said: “When people ask me who I most enjoyed interviewing, I’m unable to give them an answer. If they ask me who was the most remarkable man I met, I answer without hesitation: Muhammad Ali.”
Ingrid Bergman
Parky admitted falling in love with the actress when he used to go to films with his mum. “I used to imagine myself, maybe, one day, meeting Ingrid Bergman and inviting her to come and live with me in Barnsley,” he said. “Then came the day: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest is Ingrid Bergman’. And down the stairs came this gorgeous, mythical woman, who was as nice as she was beautiful.” Parkinson quizzed the Swedish star about Hollywood’s Golden Age when she was one of the box office’s biggest draws, appearing in movies like Casablanca and Joan of Arc.
Billy Connolly
Connolly was a little known Glasgow comic when a taxi driver recommended him to Parky as a guest, giving him a cassette tape of his show. And the comedian made the most of his unexpected 1975 booking, leaving the chat show host and his audience in stitches with a rude joke about parking a bike.
Interviewing Billy Connolly (Daily Record)By the end of his appearance he’d become an overnight star, with people clapping when he exited arrivals in Glasgow Airport. Parky said he was the funniest guy he’d ever interviewed and Connolly was the guest who made the most appearances on his chat show, totalling 15.
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Rod Hull & Emu
Parkinson interviewed many of the world’s most famous names but no round-up of his best chats would be complete without his chaotic 1976 interview with the eccentric British entertainer who could never control his puppet. When he introduced the pair, Emu grabbed Parky by the nose using his beak before snapping at him when he petted his head. The bird went on to rub Parkinson’s head, peck at him and rip up his notes. Emu’s pecking became so ferocious that Parky toppled off his chair. The presenter later lamented his encounter with “that bloody bird”, joking it threatened to overshadow the rest of his career.
Sir Paul McCartney
Sir Michael had agreed to be pictured on the cover of 1974 Wings album Band on the Run if the Beatles legend returned the favour by appearing as a guest on his chat show. Landing the interview a quarter of a century later was a coup, as it was the first since Sir Paul had lost wife Linda the year before.
With Paul McCartney (ITV)The result was pure gold: the chat delved into his life, career and music, touching on John Lennon, his childhood and his love for painting. The musician also performed several songs live – even playing some unreleased tracks that he had written for his beloved Linda.
George Michael
Singer George opened up to Parky in 1998 following his arrest for lewd behaviour in Los Angeles which revealed his sexuality to the world. In a candid hour-long chat featuring magical music performances, George told how he had been “humiliated as hell” by the arrest. He also revealed himself as a big fan of the talk show host, telling how his mum would let him stay up late to watch as a child. “She probably wouldn’t have been quite as thrilled that I had to take my willy out to be on here”, he quipped. George, who died in 2016 aged 53, would appear on Parkinson three more times.
Lauren Bacall
Many cinematic greats from the silver screen made an appearance in the early days of Parkinson, which started its run back in 1971. One of the chat show host’s biggest thrills was interviewing Bacall, star of films including The Big Sleep and Key Largo. Parky, a huge 50s film fan who went to the movies four times a week as a youngster, talked confidence, marriage and Humphrey Bogart with the iconic actress in 1979. He got a flirty kiss on the lips when she was on again in 2005. “I was in love with her,” he said. “I told her that when we met on the show, and she gave me a kiss. I almost passed out.”
Posh & Becks
The Spice Girl and Manchester United footballer made an unforgettable appearance in 2001. Asked what he thought of Victoria’s autobiography, David admitted he was struggling to get through it but the singer got her own back in spectacular style. Of public image, Victoria said: “What better person to look at than my own husband to see how somebody can turn that all around? I call him Golden Balls now.” She then gasped: “That’s one of those things I shouldn’t have said!”
The Beckhams chat with Parky (BBC)Fred Astaire
Dancer, singer, actor and choreographer Astaire is one of the all time greats, changing the face of the American movie musical. His best known partner was Ginger Rogers but while they were electric onscreen the duo, who appeared in Top Hat, Swing Time and Flying Down to Rio were plagued by rumours of a feud. Astaire set the record straight in a 1976 interview on Parkinson. When asked about rumours they were fighting he said: “Listen that was the biggest nonsense I read. Ginger was certainly the most effective partner I had, everybody knows. Believe me, she was great.”
Madonna
He called the singer “absolutely brilliant” following a 2005 one-woman special that he had waited decades for her to agree to. Parky later told of a “marvellous moment which defined the entire business of interviewing stars”. It came during a technical break when a mystery girl from Madge’s team came up to her clutching a long, thin stick. “At one point, Madonna turned towards her, stood still and the girl put the cotton bud up Madonna’s nose to look for bogeys,” he said. “And I thought, ‘That’s the job I want when I return. To be Madonna’s bogey finder!’”
James Cagney
A special in 1981 looked at the Hollywood veteran’s career in vaudeville and cinema. The show featured clips from his memorable films including Public Enemy, The Roaring Twenties and Angels with Dirty Faces, and a guest appearance from friend and sometime co-star Pat O’Brien. Parky said: “When I was growing up, I always wanted to be either a journalist or a film star. One was possible, the other was not. I loved movies and I loved Cagney. It was a great moment when he came on. I thought, ‘What a job this is!’”
Awkward moments and the one that got away
When Harry Met Sally star Meg Ryan appeared on Parkinson in 2003 her interview became memorable for the wrong reasons. The chat show king famously failed to get more than frosty, one-word responses from the actress who was promoting badly received film In the Cut.
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When he called Meg (right) out for her demeanour and asked her what he should do, she suggested he “wrap it up”. “I came across as kind of pompous and I could have done better,” Parky later admitted. The telly host always maintained there was “nothing to apologise for” after he was branded sexist following an interview with Helen Mirren in 1975. Parky introduced the young star as a “sex queen” and asked if her “equipment” got in the way of her aspirations to become a serious actress.
Sir Michael Parkinson was unable to secure his “holy grail” interviewee Frank Sinatra. He was introduced once by the singer Sammy Carr. “I said: ‘It was nice to have met you and hopefully I’ll see you in London’. He said: ‘Sure thing, David!’ I thought: ‘I’ve really made a mark here’.”
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