Sir Michael Parkinson: Dickie Bird breaks down as he recalls final words with friend the day before he died

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2023

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Former cricket umpire Dickie Bird has described saying “goodbye” to Sir Michael Parkinson the day before he died – with the friends having an unspoken feeling it would be their final chat.

Bird was emotional as he recalled his final words with his friend of 74 years – who died on Wednesday night after a short illness.

“I was completely shocked because I only spoke to him yesterday. We had a long chat yesterday,” he told Sky News.

“I know he hasn’t been well, he hasn’t been well at all, and his voice yesterday – it didn’t sound as if it was strong. It was a weak voice. I knew then there was something wrong with him.”

The 90-year-old broke down as he remembered his parting conversation with the TV presenter.

“We cracked a few jokes together, we had a few tears in our eyes, and we said goodbye – goodbye to each other at the end of the phone call – as if we had this feeling we wouldn’t see…

“I had this feeling we wouldn’t see each other again and we said goodbye, and that was it.”

Sir Michael died aged 88 after a career that made him one of Britain’s best-loved TV personalities, with his interview style and warmth attracting the world’s biggest names.

His show first ran from 1971 to 1982, before relaunching in 1998 until he retired in 2007.

Dickie Bird told Sky News he was a “very, very special friend” and they had known each other since they were teenagers in Barnsley.

They were both sons of coal miners and played on the same cricket team in their youth – with Bird saying ‘Parky’ kept future England cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott out the team.

“I was so sad when I heard the news this morning – I slumped in my chair and shed a few tears,” said the 90-year-old.

He recalled how they would regularly chat on the phone and that Sir Michael travelled from Berkshire to say a few words at this birthday in April – despite being unwell.

Bird said he told him “he would have walked” to get there such was their friendship.

‘He made it effortless’

Comedian Rory Bremner told Sky News that Sir Michael was “the greatest interviewer there’s been” and remembered fondly the “twinkle in his eye”.

He said his success was based around being “genuine and authentic” and rooted in his Yorkshire upbringing.

“He made it effortless, but it wasn’t effortless at all,” said Bremner.

“It was a lot of work. It was the instincts of a journalist, the warmth and wit of an intelligent and warm and funny human being. He was a lovely man.”

Bremner said the calibre of guests Sir Michael attracted spoke for itself.

He said: “You look at those shows he had in the 70s, the people he had – Charlton Heston, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Kenneth Williams, Bob Hope, Dirk Bogarte.”

Actors, comedians and TV stars have been lining up to pay tribute to Sir Michael in the hours since his death was announced.

Stephen Fry described being interviewed by him as “impossibly thrilling”.

“The genius of Parky was that (unlike most people… and most of his guests, me included) he was always 100% himself,” he wrote on Instagram.

“On camera and off. ‘Authentic’ is the word I suppose.”

Comedian Eddie Izzard remembered him as the “king of the intelligent interview”, while British singer and actress Elaine Paige described him as “legendary”.

‘The ideal interviewer’

Sir David Attenborough said he was an “ideal interviewer who asked interesting and often important questions because he genuinely wanted to know the answer”.

“He also had a great sense of humour and didn’t take himself too seriously,” said the famous naturalist.

Sir Michael Caine, who appeared on the interviewer’s final show, tweeted: “Michael Parkinson was irreplaceable, he was charming, always wanted to have a good laugh. He brought the best of everyone he met.”

The television legend grew up as an only child in a council house near Barnsley and despite being a promising cricketer he left school at 16 and went into journalism.

He worked on a local paper before moving on to jobs at The Guardian in Manchester and the Daily Express.

He got his break in TV as a producer at Granada, moving to Thames TV before landing his chat show Parkinson at the BBC.

He also had a short-lived term at TV-AM as part of the original line-up alongside the likes of Angela Rippon and David Frost.

A knighthood for his decades of work followed in 2008, with Sir Michael giving the modest reply: “I never expected to be knighted – I thought there was more chance of me turning into a Martian really.”

In 2013, he revealed he was being treated for prostate cancer but said he had no intention of stopping working.

Sir Michael was married to his wife Mary for more than 60 years and the couple had three sons.

UK

Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

3 mins ago

July 23, 2025

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Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Two children and a woman have died in a shooting in County Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in hospital in the afternoon.

A fourth person, a man, was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, district commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

Police have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched, with enquiries being at an early stage.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests being made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday following a report raised from the property, Supt McGowan said.

Two people were found dead at the scene, and two others seriously injured.

One patient was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and the other to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance. Supt McGowan said the third person died at the South West Acute Hospital.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area”.

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.

UK

Five ‘dangerous’ gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Published

3 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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Five 'dangerous' gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Five “violent” and “dangerous” gang members have been found guilty of murdering a boy and a young man at a music video shoot in a north London estate.

The men had gone to the Elthorne Estate in Archway “with the intention of killing anyone they could”, the Metropolitan Police said.

And the group mistook those they attacked for rival gang members.

Lorik Lupqi, 21; Jason Furtado, 28; Abel Chunda, 29; Xavier Poponne, 22; and Eden Clark, 31, were convicted of murdering 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj and attempting to murder 28-year-old Abdullah Abdullahi.

Leonardo and Mr Shekaj were fatally stabbed and Mr Abdullahi was badly hurt when knifemen descended on the event on the night of 29 June 2023.

Leonardo and his brother had been watching a music video being filmed with friends.

Police said Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, saw the gathering at around 8.30pm and took it as an opportunity to hurt those he thought were gang opponents.

He messaged his girlfriend stating that “opps were outside”. She advised him to remain inside, but Lupqi decided to contact his close friend and gang associate Jason Furtado.

They formed a plan and recruited gang members Chunda, Clark and Poponne to travel to the estate.

Lupqi had booked a taxi to pick up the three men from the area of Furtado’s home address in Canonbury, north London, telling the cab firm: “I’m in a little bit of a rush,” the jury heard.

They had worn masks and were armed as they went to the Elthorne Estate where they met Lupqi, the court was told.

By the time they arrived, the filming had ended, and most people had left, but some local children and teenagers remained in the area.

The group then carried out their deadly attack.

The alarm was raised as a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava was spotted crouching down and moving towards Leonardo, his brother and others, with a large knife.

Three more males in black stood up from where they had been hiding behind cars as they edged towards the group, the court was told.

Leonardo was stabbed in the chest, with the wound cutting through his left lung and one of the major blood vessels in his body, causing fatal blood loss.

Leonardo’s brother had run away from the scene but later looped back and saw his sibling lying motionless on the ground, the court heard.

Mr Shekaj was stabbed in the back, with the wound cutting through his left lung and deep into his body.

He was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but he died on arrival.

Detective Inspector Jim Barry said: “These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members.

“This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones.

“This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer.”

The five killers will appear at the same court on 25 and 26 September for sentencing.

UK

Third person dies after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

3 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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A third person has died in a shooting in Co Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in the afternoon.

A fourth person was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, District Commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

They have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests to be made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the shooting in the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said.

They confirmed that two people had been injured.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at scene, one patient has been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and another to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance,” the spokesperson added.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area.”

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.