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Michael Parkinson CBE (born March 28 1935 ) is a British Journalist and Television Presenter . He is most famous for presenting his eponymous interview programme, ''Parkinson''. BACKGROUND Parkinson, or "Parky" as he is familiarly known, was born in Cudworth near Barnsley , Yorkshire . The son of a miner, he was educated at Barnsley Grammar School. He began as a journalist on local newspapers, and his Yorkshire background and accent remain an important part of his appeal. He also worked as a reporter on the '' Manchester Guardian '' and later on the '' Daily Express '' in London. During the 1960s, he moved into Television , working on current affairs programmes for both the BBC and Manchester -based Granada Television . From 1969, he introduced a film review programme, before moving on to become a chat show host and a household name in the UK. Parkinson was made a CBE in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours List. He is married to Mary, who herself briefly presented ''Parkinson'' in the 1970s. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, ''Parkinson'' was placed 8th. ''PARKINSON'' ''Parkinson'', previously shown on between 1979 and 1982. In 1982 he left the BBC to be co-founder and presenter on the ITV breakfast television station TV-am , where after many schedule upheavals he ended up presenting the Sunday morning programme with his wife, Mary Parkinson. He returned to the BBC in 1995 to present a series of retrospective shows, ''Parkinson: The Interviews'', featuring memorable excerpts, eventually presenting a new, revived version of his chat show on BBC One three years later. However, in April 2004, ITV announced that it had "poached" the interviewer from the BBC from the autumn of that year. Parkinson said that he was sad to be leaving the BBC but that he and the channel controller, Lorraine Heggessey , could not agree on a suitable slot for his show following the return of Premiership Football highlights to the BBC One Saturday evening schedule. The ITV version of the programme, produced by Granada, debuted in September 2004, with an identical set, theme tune and format to the BBC edition. Its audience is around 6m viewers. MediaGuardian: BBC1 makes all the right moves A typical programme will include three interviews, each lasting around 15 minutes. It is customary for the first two guests to remain after their own chats to observe and occasionally participate in those that follow. Such contributions are usually made respectfully, and when invited. However, this policy has backfired on occasion: see "Trivia" below. In addition, it has been known for some Hollywood stars to request a solo spot, Russell Crowe being one example. Furthermore, a show may feature a single guest for its duration, if the subject is deemed to be sufficiently deserving. There is usually a musical interlude at some point, featuring a current recording star. If a solo singer, he/she is accompanied by the show's musicians, who also provide the walk-on music for each guest. In the 1970s, the group was led by Harry Stoneham. The role was undertaken by Laurie Holloway in the relaunched show. Technical enthusiasts note that the most recent ''Parkinson'' run on the BBC (1998–2004) was one of the few recent British TV programmes that was not made in Widescreen . However, his ITV show is recorded in the format with very tight close-ups. INTERVIEWING STYLE Parkinson has always sought guests who, besides being well known, had some sort of story to relate. He then saw his job as allowing them to tell it. He does this by being open, relaxed and attentive. (He learnt very early on that in order to be an adept interviewer, he had to be a good listener.) He researches his subjects thoroughly, and, in the early shows, always had his list of questions to hand. Having guided them to an area of discussion, he will rarely interrupt his guests — except to provide the occasional prompt — instead letting them expand on a particular topic. Sometimes, a person will warm to this style with unpredictable results. For example, he regards his chat with Shirley MacLaine as bordering on flirtatious. GUESTS Parkinson has interviewed over 1,000 of the world's most famous people, including: Muhammad Ali , Bing Crosby , Bob Hope , Peter Ustinov , Robert Redford , Dustin Hoffman , Jack Nicholson , Orson Welles , Ingrid Bergman , Bette Midler , Racquel Welch , Peter Cook , Dudley Moore , Kenneth Williams , Billy Connolly , Dave Allen , John Lennon , Miss Piggy , Jacob Bronowski , Tom Cruise , Edith Evans , Luciano Pavarotti , Madonna , Rod Stewart , Richard Attenborough , David Attenborough , George Michael , K.d. Lang , Sarah, Duchess Of York , Peter Sellers , Paul McCartney , Anthony Hopkins and Tony Blair . During the 1970s, he was able to attract former big-name Hollywood stars, such as James Stewart , John Wayne , Mickey Rooney , David Niven , Gene Kelly , James Cagney and Robert Mitchum , not on the basis that they had a film to promote, but simply because they wanted a chat. The record for most guest appearances is jointly held by the late Kenneth Williams and Billy Connolly, with eight shows each. Rod Hull and Emu Much to his chagrin, the most repeated clip is of Parkinson's interview with entertainer Rod Hull in 1976 . While the pair were chatting, Hull's glove puppet, Emu, continually and (apparently) uncontrollably attacked the interviewer, eventually causing him to fall off his chair. Fellow guest Billy Connolly threatened, "If that bird comes anywhere near me, I'll break its neck and your bloody arm!" Perhaps mindful of what this would mean for his professional future, Hull swiftly got his "pet" back on best behaviour. Parkinson had always lamented the fact that despite all the star guests he had interviewed over the years, he would probably be remembered for "that bloody bird". However, in an appearance on the TV show '' Room 101 '', he got his chance of revenge when the host, Paul Merton , unexpectedly brought Emu locked in a Guillotine on stage and Parkinson took his chance by beheading the puppet, saying, "Goodbye, you foul beast." OTHER WORK Parkinson also presents a Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2 , which features a newspaper and entertainment round-up (with the help of various journalists) and a lengthy interview with a media personality. These are interpersed with music that demonstrates his penchant for jazz and big-band arrangements. In the past he has presented a mid-morning programme on London's LBC Newstalk 97.3FM. He was responsible for "discovering" jazz pianist Jamie Cullum , among others. In the 1980s, Parkinson wrote a series of Children's Books called ''The Woofits'' about a family of Anthromorphic dog-like creatures who lived in the fictional Yorkshire coal-mining village of Grimeworth. The books led to a TV series, which he narrated. The presenter took over BBC Radio 4 's '' Desert Island Discs '' in 1985, after the death of its creator, Roy Plomley . He stayed for three years, handing over to Sue Lawley . In 1992, Parkinson appeared as himself in the television drama '' Ghostwatch ''. He was the studio link during a fictional, apparently live, Paranormal investigation. However, the '' Cinéma Vérité '' style in which it was shot led to many complaints from BBC viewers, who believed it had depicted real events. From 1995 to 1999, he hosted the popular BBC One daytime programme ''Going for a Song''. He again plays himself in Richard Curtis ' 2003 romantic comedy, '' Love Actually '', interviewing the character Billy Mack, who is played by Bill Nighy . TRIVIA
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