Sir Michael Parkinson’s five most memorable interviews

Published

1 year ago

August 17, 2023

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Sir Michael Parkinson’s interviews are among the most memorable in British broadcasting.

Interviewing high-profile celebrities from both sides of the Atlantic, he sat down with the likes of Madonna, Sir Elton John and Tom Cruise – as well as Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson.

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But out of more than 800 episodes of his chat show, he will be remembered for just a select few – and not all of them for the right reasons.

Dame Helen Mirren (1975)

Parkinson was often accused of being sexist during an interview in the 1970s with actress Dame Helen Mirren.

Perhaps reflective of attitudes at the time, he chose to focus on her portrayal as a “sex queen”, quizzing her on whether her “physical attributes… hindered her career” or “detracted from her performance”.

The then 30-year-old appeared uncomfortable and grilled him on what he meant, accusing him of claiming “serious actresses can’t have big bosoms”.

Reflecting on the exchange years later, he “pleads guilty to being sexist by today’s standards”.

“I was my most pompous self,” he said, adding that it revealed “an unattractive side” of himself.

Rod Hull and Emu (1976)

One of Parky’s most famous encounters was with entertainer Rod Hull and his famous puppet Emu.

In later years he joked that there were far better exchanges he’d rather be known for.

“I’ll probably be remembered for that bloody bird,” he said.

Over the course of several minutes, the pretend bird relentlessly attacked him, damaging the on-set furniture and eventually wrestling him off his chair to the floor.

He managed to keep his composure and good humour throughout, before eventually kicking him away and getting to his feet.

Muhammad Ali (1971-81)

Parkinson interviewed the legendary boxer on four occasions between 1971 and 1981, flying once to the US in 1974 to co-interview him with American talk show host Dick Cavett.

Looking back, he compared their encounters to boxing matches, claiming he “lost on every occasion”.

“He was confrontational, he was dictatorial, all those things… and he had that physical presence,” he recalled in 2016.

Their first tete-a-tete saw the athlete talk movingly about his upbringing, racism and conversion to Islam.

But as the years went on their conversations got spikier.

Their 1974 chat saw Ali declare: “You and this little TV show are nothing to Muhammad Ali.”

Then in 1981, he challenged Parkinson again, saying: “I’m not just a boxer. I can talk all week on millions of subjects. You do not have enough wisdom to corner me on television. You are too small mentally to tackle me on nothing I represent.”

Although he said Ali would present a different version of himself each time, he said he revelled in each chance to sit opposite him.

“What a figure, what a personality,” Parkinson said.

“I’ve seen some beautiful men in my time but he was gorgeous. Beautiful – but the gibberish he talked was extraordinary.”

David and Victoria Beckham (2001)

Parkinson credited his later interviews with being his best, having gained confidence and learned from earlier mistakes.

In 2001 he sat down with David and Victoria Beckham to ask them about their relationship, public image and accusations of affairs.

Quizzing former Spice Girl Victoria on how the public’s perception of her had changed – she suggested her husband’s image had overtaken hers.

“I think they think I’m a miserable cow in high heels and I just go down Bond Street all the time,” she told him.

“You can get down and think ‘why don’t people understand me, why are they saying this and that’.

“But what better person than my own husband to see how you can turn all of that around.”

After a short pause, she made the revelation that she “calls him Goldenballs now”, to fits of laughter from the audience, before adding: “That’s one of those things I shouldn’t have said.”

Meg Ryan (2003)

A few years after the re-launch of his BBC show in 1998, Parkinson interviewed Hollywood actress Meg Ryan.

The frosty exchange saw Parkinson grill the When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle star on why she wanted to be an actress if she didn’t enjoy being in the spotlight.

He accused her of being “wary” of journalists like him and asked what she would do if she was in his position.

Clearly exasperated, Ryan advised she would tell him to “wrap it up”.

She later accused him of behaving like a “disappointed dad” when discussing nudity in her films.

In a Radio Times interview, Parkinson admitted he wished he’d “dealt with it in a more courteous manner”.

“I was quite obviously angry with her and it’s not my business to be angry towards guests,” he told the magazine in 2021.

He said he would apologise if he saw her again – a change in tune from previously labelling her a “bore” and “unhappy woman”.

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Manchester United legend Denis Law dies aged 84

Published

9 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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Manchester United legend Denis Law dies aged 84

Former Manchester United and Scotland footballer Denis Law has died, at the age of 84.

In a statement, his family said: “It is with a heavy heart that we tell you our father Denis Law has sadly passed away. He fought a tough battle, but finally, he is now at peace.

“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to his wellbeing and care, past and much more recently.

“We know how much people supported and loved him and that love was always appreciated and made the difference.”

The Aberdeen-born footballer previously announced in August 2021 that he had been diagnosed with dementia.

A prolific striker, Law scored 237 goals in 404 appearances for Manchester United, for whom he signed for a then-British record transfer fee in 1962.

He is the only man to have two statues dedicated to him at Old Trafford – one on the Stretford End concourse, the other as part of the United Trinity statue overlooking the stadium’s forecourt beside fellow great George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton.

The only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d’Or award, in 1964, he was also part of United’s triumphant campaign in the 1968 European Cup – in which they became the first English club to ever win the competition.

In a statement, the club said: “Everyone at Manchester United is mourning the loss of Denis Law, the King of the Stretford End, who has passed away, aged 84.

“He will always be celebrated as one of the club’s greatest and most beloved players.

“The ultimate goalscorer, his flair, spirit and love for the game made him the hero of a generation. Our deepest condolences go out to Denis’s family and many friends. His memory will live on forever more.”

Wayne Rooney, former United captain and the club’s all-time record goalscorer, described Law as a “legend”.

“Thoughts with all Denis’s family and friends,” he said in an online post.

Another former United captain, Gary Neville, said: “A great footballer and a great man. It’s a privilege and an honour to have spent time in your company. The King of the Stretford End.”

A tribute from the Scotland national team said Law was “a true great”.

“We will not see his likes again,” it said.

Law also played for Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, and Italian club Torino during his club career, and made 55 appearances for Scotland, scoring 30 goals for his country.

Manchester City said in a post on X: “The whole of Manchester, including everyone at City, is mourning with you. Rest in peace, Denis.”

UK

FTSE 100 closes at record high

Published

10 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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The UK’s benchmark stock index has reached another record high.

The FTSE 100 index of most valuable companies on the London Stock Exchange closed at 8,505.69, breaking the record set last May.

It had already broken its intraday high at 8532.58 on Friday afternoon, meaning it reached a high not seen before during trading hours.

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The weakened pound has boosted many of the 100 companies forming the top-flight index.

Why is this happening?

Most are not based in the UK, so a less valuable pound means their sterling-priced shares are cheaper to buy for people using other currencies, typically US dollars.

This makes the shares better value, prompting more to be bought. This greater demand has brought up the prices and the FTSE 100.

The pound has been hovering below $1.22 for much of Friday. It’s steadily fallen from being worth $1.34 in late September.

Also spurring the new record are market expectations for more interest rate cuts in 2025, something which would make borrowing cheaper and likely kickstart spending.

What is the FTSE 100?

The index is made up of many mining and international oil and gas companies, as well as household name UK banks and supermarkets.

Familiar to a UK audience are lenders such as Barclays, Natwest, HSBC and Lloyds and supermarket chains Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s.

Other well-known names include Rolls-Royce, Unilever, easyJet, BT Group and Next.

FTSE stands for Financial Times Stock Exchange.

If a company’s share price drops significantly it can slip outside of the FTSE 100 and into the larger and more UK-based FTSE 250 index.

The inverse works for the FTSE 250 companies, the 101st to 250th most valuable firms on the London Stock Exchange. If their share price rises significantly they could move into the FTSE 100.

A good close for markets

It’s a good end of the week for markets, entirely reversing the rise in borrowing costs that plagued Chancellor Rachel Reeves for the past ten days.

Fears of long-lasting high borrowing costs drove speculation she would have to cut spending to meet self-imposed fiscal rules to balance the budget and bring down debt by 2030.

Long-term government borrowing had reached a high not seen since 1998 while the benchmark 10-year cost of government borrowing, as measured by 10-year gilt yields, was at levels last seen around the 2008 financial crisis.

The gilt yield is effectively the interest rate investors demand to lend money to the UK government.

Only the pound has yet to recover the losses incurred during the market turbulence. Without that dropped price, however, the FTSE 100 record may not have happened.

Also acting to reduce sterling value is the chance of more interest rates. Currencies tend to weaken when interest rates are cut.

UK

Nazi-obsessed terrorist Callum Parslow jailed after trying to murder asylum seeker at Worcestershire hotel

Published

10 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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Nazi-obsessed terrorist Callum Parslow jailed after trying to murder asylum seeker at Worcestershire hotel

A Nazi-obsessed man has been jailed for attempted murder after he stabbed an asylum seeker in a terrorist attack.

Callum Parslow was handed a life sentence and will serve a minimum of 22 years and eight months in prison after he knifed the man at a Worcestershire hotel on 2 April last year, as a “protest” against small boat crossings.

The victim, Nahom Hagos, from Eritrea, said it was a “miracle” he survived after being stabbed in the chest and hand.

Parslow, 32, has Hitler’s signature tattooed on his arm and used a £770 knife he had bought online to attack Mr Hagos when he was eating in the conservatory of the Pear Tree Inn at Hindlip.

During sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice Dove, told Parslow: “You committed a vicious and unprovoked assault on a complete stranger Nahom Hagos who suffered devastating injuries as a result of your violence.”

The judge also said Parslow, from Worcester, was “motivated by your adoption of a far-right neo-Nazi mindset which fuelled your warped, violent and racist views”, and added: “This was undoubtedly a terrorist attack.”

He was found guilty of attempted murder in October last year.

Leicester Crown Court heard at the time that Mr Hagos, who used to live at the hotel, was visiting a friend and was stabbed after Parslow asked him for directions to the toilet.

CCTV from the scene showed Mr Hagos fleeing to a car park and being chased by Parslow. He was able to run back into the main reception area, where the hotel manager locked the front door.

Parslow later re-entered through another door apparently searching for further victims, the court heard.

The hotel manager and a builder used a van to take Mr Hagos to hospital in Worcester, as they felt he was losing too much blood, where he was found to have an 8cm-long wound which had not penetrated any of his vital organs.

After trying to kill Mr Hagos, Parslow ran towards a canal and was spotted with what appeared to be blood on his hands.

Officers found blood containing a DNA profile matching that of the victim on the blade of the knife abandoned by Parslow.

Failed manifesto post

After the stabbing and as police closed in, Parslow tried to post a “terrorist manifesto” on X, tagging Tommy Robinson and politicians including Nigel Farage, Suella Braverman and Sir Keir Starmer.

He wrote that he “just did my duty to England” and had tried to “exterminate” Mr Hagos. However, it failed to send as he copied in too many people.

Others on his list included Laurence Fox, Lee Anderson, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and various news organisations.

Nazi memorabilia at bedsit

During the trial last October, the court heard an axe, metal baseball bat and a second knife were found at Parslow’s bedsit in Bromyard Terrace in Worcester.

Police also discovered a swastika armband, a Nazi-era medallion and copies of Hitler’s book Mein Kampf.

Jurors were also told Parslow had Hitler’s signature tattooed on his arm “in order to demonstrate his affiliation to the ideals of the leader of the German Nazi party”.

He also pleaded guilty to an unconnected sexual offence and two charges of sending electronic communications with intent to cause distress and anxiety at the time.

‘The pain feels unbearable’

Mr Hagos told the court in an impact statement he continues to feel “excruciating pain” in his hand after the attack by Parslow.

Read out by the prosecution on Friday, he said: “The pain is unbearable and keeps me awake all night long.

“The pain feels like an electric shock going through my hand and I now have insomnia.”

He then said he had been “living and pursuing a happy life before the incident,” but added: “I feel lonely and don’t feel safe on the street.

“My life has been turned upside down.”