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Parky’s Irish chat show memories
 By
Trevor O’Sullivan
When veteran television presenter Michael Parkinson announced his retirement
last week for many it signalled the end of a golden age of entertainment.
The Yorkshire man was probably most famous for presenting his interview
programme Parkinson.
And after 36 years on our television screens the 72-year-old has interviewed
thousands of the good and the great.
He said: “After three enjoyable and productive years at ITV and
after 25 years of doing my talk show I have decided that this forthcoming
series will be my last.”
And so this week The Irish Post looks back at some of the Irish highlights
from Parkinson’s eponymous show.
The Irish charm and our undeniable sense of craic have always proved popular
to the presenter and audiences alike.
Parkinson has an enviable aptitude for spotting comedic talent it was
he who gave Billy Connolly his big break.
And he has been a habitual booker of Irish comedic talent from Dave
Allen in the ’70s to the recent appearance of rising star Dara O’Briain.
Parky told the Mock The Week star that he was a firm believer that the
Irish lilt and our turn of comedic phrase enhances humour with O’Briain
answering in the affirmative.
He said: “There are some accents that just seem to work for comedy
and this seems to be this story spinning kind of thing. There are harsher
voices than this. We talk sh*te essentially at a rate of knots and in
a way that you find surprisingly charming so as long as you keep paying
us to do it we’ll keep selling you the same sh*te thank-you very
much.”
As well as giving Irish stars an outlet to make us laugh he has also
interviewed those with poignant tales to tell.
His encounter with Gloria Hunniford after the death of her daughter Caron
from cancer was a perfect embodiment of Parkinson’s all round skill
as an interviewer.
Gloria movingly told the presenter the reason behind her decision to write
about Caron’s life in the moving book Next To You: Caron’s
Courage Remembered By Her Mother.
Caron had already written quite a bit about her experiences and when Gloria
saw her thoughts she felt they needed completion.
She said: “In a sense I feel as if I’m finishing off what
Caron started because there’s a lot of her writing in this book.
I also wanted to have a tribute to her because she was very much loved
and of course very good at what she did and very well known.
“And the other reason was that down the line this is not a book
for her little boys at the moment but I feel and all research shows that
no matter what age you are eventually you want to know about your parent,
or parents, whom you’ve lost.”
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