Michael Parkinson Biography

On himself:

“I have the best job in the world, and once you have a show named after yourself, where else do you go?”

“There comes a time when you have been around for so long that you become like a well-worn, well-loved object on the mantelpiece.”

“I’ve always wanted to have my own pub. I have spent so much time in pubs over the years that I thought it might be cheaper to buy one.”

His career:

“My show’s a very old-fashioned show. It’s about interviews - it’s not about being smart.”

“I’ve dried up many times. The worst was when I couldn’t remember John Wayne’s name. After that, I put the guest’s name on the crib sheet. Isn’t that terrible?”

Others:

“Journalism is not meant to exist beyond the moment it endeavours to explain. Its only other purposes is to provide the wrapping for fish and chips.”

“I don’t like the way celebrity has invaded every area of TV. I’m disappointed by the way celebrities do the jobs that were once done by people like Alan Whicker and David Attenborough. Perhaps my views are a bit old-fashioned, but there you go, that’s how I feel.”

“If you can’t do your job, television shows you up terribly.”

“Women have it much tougher than men in this game. A 65-year old woman with as many lines on her face as I have would not be considered for anything except a doormat - and that’s sad.”

(On the state of British sport) “We are a nation of losers.”