It’s about to get Parky
The TV chat show came of age 50 years ago with the launch of Parkinson
IT was described in the Radio Times as “conversation, guests, good music and the occasional surprise”. Parkinson launched on the BBC 50 years ago with a signature tune performed by the Harry Stoneham Five and jazz singer Marion Montgomery as the first guest.
The first series in 1971 also featured interviews with Spike Milligan, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, film director and actor Orson Welles and Peter Ustinov, but the only recording that has survived from 1971 is an interview with Hollywood star Shirley MacLaine.
Sir Michael Parkinson’s success as a talk show host derived from a combination of his avuncular Yorkshire style and a solid journalistic background. It saw him interviewing more than 2,000 of the world’s most famous people from rising young comedian Billy Connolly and Carry On star Kenneth Williams to David Niven and Muhammad Ali.
He even survived an encounter with Rod Hull and Emu and happily flirted with Muppet star Miss Piggy. Affectionately known as Parky, the BBC is to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of his much-loved chat show with a programme looking back at some of his memorable interviews. Parkinson at 50 has been made to coincide with the 86th birthday of the veteran broadcaster and will see Sir Michael delve into the archives. He says: “When you reach my age, birthdays are greeted with more of a sense of relief than celebration but this year will be different because 50 years ago a much younger Michael Parkinson was celebrating his 36th birthday and looking forward to starting a new show for the BBC.
“Little would he have known then that he would end up hosting over 650 shows and interviewing over 2,000 of the good and great.” Parkinson ran on the BBC until 2004 when the programme switched to ITV, where it was broadcast until his retirement in 2007.
■ A date for the TV special on BBC1 is yet to be announced