it wasn t about michael. he saw his role really as a journalist, to get the best interview he could out of his subjects. and, boy, his cannon of work, his library of parkinson interviews is a popular history of the 20th century, pretty much. do you have a favourite interview? i think i do, i think it was when he was at the rough edge of muhammad ali on one programme, which i suspect that ali thought parky was trying to trap him into reading something. i ve read in places that ali was illiterate, and in order to get himself out of the predicament, ali just turned on parky, who was completely surprised, and i bet your life that he never knew that ali couldn t read. i think he himself said that was one of his favourite interviews as well. but can you take us back to when you first met him and how you spotted his talent? yes, i was a talent agent
done a levels, what were your subjects and did you get the results politics, history and soakology and i -ot politics, history and soakology and i got what sociology and i got what i got what sociology and i got what i i got what sociology and i got what i wanted. hello, i m lucy hockings, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast moving news, interviews and reaction. we start here in the uk, where tributes have been paid to the tv talk show host and journalist sir michael parkinson. in a statement, his family said he died peacefully at home. he was 88. sir michael interviewed hundreds of the world s top stars of entertainment and sport including muhamed ali, orson wells and james cagney. david sillito looks back at his life. don t you get fed up of each other? oh, yes, yes. i call him golden- balls, you know, now. did you ever say, you dirty rat?
never. jimmy cagney. orson welles. jimmy stewart. these were distant, mysterious screen gods until parkinson brought them into your living room. the fact is that you re a crowd puller and frazier s not, is he? why is that? number one, he s ugly. his interviews with muhammad ali were unmissable. he has no rhythm, no footwork, no class. he cannot talk. and who told him he could sing? but of all those 2000 or so guests, one always haunted him. i interviewed everybody from henry kissinger to billy connolly to james cagney to dame edith evans, to all those people. and i m only remembered for one thing, i was attacked by a sodding emu. it s not a question. rod hull and emu rather punctured
thought parkey was trapping him to read something and he had read he was illiterate and ali turned on parky and he was surprised and i bet your life he never knew ali couldn t read. he your life he never knew ali couldn t read. . . , ., ., your life he never knew ali couldn t read. . ., ., , read. he said that was one of his favourite interviews. read. he said that was one of his favourite interviews. can - read. he said that was one of his favourite interviews. can you - read. he said that was one of his| favourite interviews. can you take us back to when you first met him and how you spotted his talent? yes. and how you spotted his talent? yes, i was a talent and how you spotted his talent? yes, i was a talent agent and how you spotted his talent? yes, i was a talent agent in and how you spotted his talent? 123 i was a talent agent in 1900 and and how you spotted his talent? 12: i was a talent agent in 1900 and i knew him as a sports journalist and i read him avidly. isaw kne
such a respect for their great talent and their stardom, although he remained a good journalist, he gave them a chance to speak, to be at their best and he loved interviewing his heroes. mas at their best and he loved interviewing his heroes. was that one of his most interviewing his heroes. was that one of his most unique interviewing his heroes. was that one of his most unique qualities, | one of his most unique qualities, when we look at the platform today, he gave the stars the platform. the show wasn t he gave the stars the platform. the show wasn t about michael, he gave the stars the platform. t t2 show wasn t about michael, he he gave the stars the platform. tt2 show wasn t about michael, he saw his role as a journalist to get the best interview he could out of his subject and, boy his library of parkinson interviews, is a popular history of the 20th century. [30 parkinson interviews, is a popular history of the 20th century. do you have a favourite history of the 20th