Different generations will have different memories of Sir Michael Parkinson, who has died aged 88. If you’re a little older, you’ll remember that Parkinson led a golden age of chat shows when they were about the guests rather than the host. He was a master of the art and, though famous, never came across as a celebrity interviewing other celebrities. And never for the sake of a pre-prepared one-liner to get a cheap laugh.
He would ask a question then sit back and let the interviewee answer, at length if need be
He would ask a question then sit back and let the interviewee answer, at length if need be. As a result, he got the best out of everyone from Richard Burton to Robert de Niro, David Attenborough to, perhaps most famously of all, Muhammad Ali, who became a regular on his Saturday night BBC show.
Some tributes have talked about him setting a gold standard for the television interview genre yet, noticeably, few now follow his gimmick-free method.
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