Michael Parkinson, 87, reveals chat show secrets
Prince Harry ‘would be a good interview if he told the truth’, how Prince Philip was his toughest guest and why James Corden ‘hasn’t a clue’: Michael Parkinson, 87, reveals his chat show secrets
- Veteran star revealed chat with late Duke of Edinburgh was ‘not a success at all’
- Also said fellow chat show host James Corden was ‘a comic, not an interviewer’
- Broadcaster has just published, My Life In Sport, looking back at TV career
He was once attacked on stage by a puppet emu and uncomfortably blanked by a Hollywood actress, but legendary broadcast journalist Sir Michael Parkinson has now delivered a few swipes of his own as his latest book is published.
Parkinson, 86, who spoke to every major name from the world of entertainment, sport and politics during an illustrious 45-year career, said that of all his guests, the late Prince Philip was actually his toughest to interview.
He also took aim at the late Duke of Edinburgh’s grandson, Prince Harry, saying he ‘would be a good interview if he told the truth’, while fellow chat show host James Corden ‘hasn’t a clue’ about interviewing celebrities, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The beloved broadcaster has just published My Life in Sport: Memories, Moments and Declarations, his ninth book overall and sixth focused on sport.
Not holding back: Sir Michael Parkinson, pictured at Wimbledon in July, has spoken candidly about the late Prince Philip, Prince Harry and James Corden, as he releases a new book
Between 1971 to 2007, he hosted his own eponymously-named chat show, Parkinson, which regularly drew audiences of over eight million people.
He also hosted two seasons of Parkinson: Masterclass on Sky Arts in 2012 and 2013.
All in all, Parkinson has racked up an eye-popping 2,000 interviews over the years with some of the best-known names from all walks of life, including royalty.
His most formidable guest, he says, was the Duke of Edinburgh, who he suspects took a dislike to the broadcaster right from the start.
‘I did have to chat to him once, for a charity, and it was not a success – at all,’ he confesses.
Likewise, Parkinson hints that if he still had his chat show, Prince Harry – who is due to publish his memoir, Spare, in January – might prove a challenge.
Parkinson has said of Prince Harry – who is due to publish his memoir, Spare, in January – that he ‘would have made for an interesting interview, if he had told the truth’
Parkinson said his most formidable guest was the Duke of Edinburgh, who he suspects took a dislike to the broadcaster right from the start
‘I do think he would have made for an interesting interview, if he had told the truth,’ he said.
Neither are there any reservations when he is asked about fellow chat show host, James Corden.
The 44-year-old, who hosts The Late Late Show, is ‘a comic, not an interviewer,’ and lacks the skill on how to ask questions, said Parkinson.
Parkinson said James Corden, who hosts The Late Late Show, is a ‘comic, not an interviewer’
He added: ‘A lot of people now are just shoved there because they’re a face on TV.’
The TV star, who lives in Berkshire with his wife Mary, has previously spoken about his long-running chat show.
Of his heyday – which saw him sit down one-on-one, often for a whole hour, with the likes of Orson Welles, Madonna and David and Victoria Beckham – he said: ‘I had the best of it, in terms of the guests I could choose from…
‘The older ones and the newer ones, and also the kind of television that was being shown in those days. It was bliss.’
On the chin: Parkinson with boxer Muhammed Ali, who became enraged during one interview
Of his favourites, Parkinson still counts iconic footballer George Best, with whom he developed a deep friendship before his premature death aged 59, following a liver transplant.
He also counts Sir Billy Connolly among his favourite interviews, and praised the comedian as ‘a natural funny man’.
‘Billy is a genius. He is the funniest man I ever met. He’s a natural funny man, and an intelligent man,’ he gushed. ‘I tried very hard to get it out of him about the abuse he’d had as a child. In the end he wrote a book about it.
‘There was a mystery about Billy, which I could only sense and then grew to understand. It made him even more interesting as a human being. He is a fascinating man.
Parkinson with iconic footballer George Best, with whom he developed a deep friendship
‘I’ve interviewed some wonderful comedians, some of the best, and he was the best by far.’
Last year, he touched upon his legendary interview with actress Meg Ryan, who appeared on Parkinson in 2003.
Eighteen years on, he apologised for their car crash encounter and confessed to being ‘angry and pompous’ with her at the time.
The broadcaster clashed with the Hollywood star when talking about her poorly reviewed film In The Cut.
Meg, now 61, replied to his questions with one-word answers and ended up telling him to ‘wrap it up’.
While Parkinson has always claimed the actress was ‘rude and difficult’, he has admitted he did not react in the right way.
During an infamous 1975 interview, actress Helen Mirren called Parkinson ‘a sexist old fart’
‘I wish I hadn’t lost my temper with Meg Ryan. I wish I’d dealt with it in a more courteous manner,’ he told Radio Times in a recent chat. ‘I was obviously angry with her and it’s not my business to be angry towards the guests.
‘I came across as kind of pompous and I could have done better.’
Asked what he would say to her now, he replied: ‘I’m sorry. But you played a part in it too. Neither of us were on top form.’
He was also confronted by champion boxer Muhammed Ali, who became enraged when Parkinson asked him about his relationships with white people.
The broadcaster was equally subjected to an attack, albeit more playful, by Rod Hull and Emu.
Parkinson was also called a ‘sexist old fart’ by Helen Mirren after a 1975 interview.
He introduced the actress, then 30, as the ‘sex queen’ of the Royal Shakespeare Company and asked if her ‘equipment’ distracted audiences.
Parkinson has since said that the interview was ‘of its time’.
My Life in Sport: Memories, Moments and Declarations, by Michael Parkinson, is out now (Hodder & Stoughton, priced £20)
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