A British broadcaster and television presenter, who is perhaps best known for hosting the eponymous Parkinson chat show on the BBC from 1971 to 1982 and then again from 1998 to 2007. Michael Parkinson’s conversational style was quite groundbreaking at the time, and led to revealing interviews with some of the most famous names of the 20th century, including Muhammad Ali, David Attenborough, the Beckhams, Ingrid Bergman, George Best, Tony Blair, David Bowie, Billy Connolly, Paul McCartney, Peter Sellers, and thousands more. The show earned him a BAFTA for Light Entertainment Performance in 1999, followed by three further nominations in consecutive years from 2000 to 2002. He started out in print journalism, working for his local papers in Barnsley, before working on the Manchester Guardian and then Daily Express. He joined Granada Television in the 1960s as a current affairs reporter, before moving to the BBC in 1971 for his own titular series. He also hosted many radio programmes during this time, including Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs (1986) and Parkinson’s Sunday Supplement on Radio 2 (1996-2007). He was knighted in 2008.
Read Sir Michael Parkinson's Guardian obituary
Read Sir Michael Parkinson's Telegraph obituary
Read Sir Michael Parkinson's BFI obituary
