Parky RIP

Offset · August 2023

Breaking news. 88.

Jaycee · August 2023

He was a great interviewer, had a good connection with many of those he talked to, Bill Connolly, Ali ........Ohh and Rod Hull and Emu ... will be missed

richardhomer · August 2023

A giant of television. Astonishing things happened on his show, such as Itzhak Perlman playing Summertime with Larry Adler. I doubt we will see his like again.

RIP Sir Michael.

merlin · August 2023

He was brilliant, and found a really kind and friendly way to allow his interviewees to shine....Like a great rhythm player to a soloist. RIP Parky.

scrumhalf · August 2023

The best. The biggest stars appeared on his chat shows even when they had nothing to plug, and when they wouldn't appear on other chat shows.

He was also a fine journalist. I enjoyed his sports column in the Telegraph and his books as well.

His journalism training meant that his interviews were always well-conducted and he knew when to let his guests talk. It wasn't all about him.

We will not see his like again.

guitars4you · August 2023

I remember Sat night with MOTD and Parky was set in stone back in the 70's - Mum and Dad watched it every week

Great band with him ran by Laurie Holloway - IMO the best interviewer by a huge margin - These days most interviewers just have crap smary jokes and they want to tell you all about themselves - Parky made sure the interview was for you, the audience

So many great memories and far to many to list but the one I liked the most was Sammy Davis Jnr and Buddy Rich - How could you beat that (pun not intended) - Then the follow up with Sammy, Buddy, Roy Castle and interchanging drum licks and tap dancing - Made Kenny Everett look talentless and pointless (which is a good thing IMO)

A great guy - big cricket fan and a big Barnsley fan

Many great memories Parky - I dare say we'll see a best of on TV again soon - IMO they can re-run many shows again

guitars4you · August 2023

merlin said:

He was brilliant, and found a really kind and friendly way to allow his interviewees to shine....Like a great rhythm player to a soloist. RIP Parky.

What a great way to tell us what a great man he was

mudslide73 · August 2023

He was the standard that all chat show hosts should be judged by imo. My favourite interviews (that immediately spring to mind) are the Ali, Michael Caine and Clough ones. He could talk to anyone, though. RIP.

EricTheWeary · August 2023

His show attracted names like Rex Harrison and Lauren Bacall who otherwise simply didn’t speak to journalists, people who were huge stars when appearing in TV chat shows hadn’t been a thing. Presumably he didn’t do the calling around but his style created a safe space for these people to talk at length. I remember seeing interviews with people like Peter Ustinov who otherwise I’d have known nothing about. It was old school and deferential but it did produce some fine moments and was part of British family life for many; sitting around in a suit, maybe having a smoke, listening to jazz and telling witty anecdotes was the kind of adulthood it made me aspire to (still waiting).

RIP.

hollywoodrox · August 2023

Very sad RIP

Philly_Q · August 2023

I saw a photo of him recently and was quite taken aback by how old he looked - I suppose it's been a number of years since he was in the public eye. He looked OK, but frail, so I'm not exactly surprised by this news.

I enjoyed his shows back in the '70s and '80s. Very much of their time, though, I can't imagine that kind of show on TV now. The celebrities have changed...

RIP

Reverend · August 2023

rlw · August 2023

One of Yorkshire's finest.

RIP Parky - see if you can get an interview with the Big Man....

stickyfiddle · August 2023

I'll be honest and say I thought he'd died a few years back, but either way a massive loss in showbiz. Absolutely the template for a great TV interviewe

axisus · August 2023

He was certainly the 'Rolls Royce' of interviewing

Chat shows were never my thing, but the Rod Hull and Emu one is Iconic TV even though Parky hated it!

Shrews · August 2023

In his heyday I thought this type of show was boring. Russell Harty, Terry Wogan, This Is Your Life, snore, bored me to tears.

But I liked Parky. He just had a way that just seemed to get the best out of his guests. Ali, Freddie Starr and later Peter Kay were brilliant and all the time he seemed to enjoy himself too.

But the best, a ventriloquist with a bloody dummy called Emu! Comedy gold.

What happened to comedy? In the 70's and 80's I just remember laughing all the time. TV was legendary back then and arguably Parkinson was right at the the top of the list. RIP.

axisus · August 2023

Shrews said:

But the best, a ventriloquist with a bloody dummy called Emu! Comedy gold.

Rod was never a ventriloquist! He just got an insane amount of mileage out of a glove puppet!

Kilgore · August 2023

axisus said:

Shrews said:

But the best, a ventriloquist with a bloody dummy called Emu! Comedy gold.

Rod was never a ventriloquist! He just got an insane amount of mileage out of a glove puppet!

Hull supposedly fell off his roof. I think Emu pushed him, he hasn't been seen since.

Chalky · August 2023

The main differences with Parky compared to today's equivalent shows are:
1- It was Parky's show but his tone and language almost always made the interviewee the star of that episode. Today's interviewers want to appear as important as their guests, and they will often use language that says "hey this is MY show". Some of them see their guests as fodder for their own amusement.
2- Parky's interview topic areas were agreed in advance with the interviewee or their agents so that the interviewee came prepared with suitable responses, anecdotes and jokes to ensure all were comfortable and no-one felt wrong-footed or risked drying up. Of course the guest might wander off topic but Parky would bring them back in his gentle manner, "I'd like, if I may, to return to...". Today's interviews are scripted to ridiculous detail. If you interview Tom Cruise he is going to know exactly the questions you are going to ask and you are not going to ask any other questions. The little interjections by the others on the panel are also scripted in outline, to ensure that everyone maintains engagement and presents their best image to the audience. No agent wants their star to have nothing to say, the interviewer doesn't want the lesser start to keep interrupting, and the audience doesn't like folks talking over each other.
3- Parky could interview anyone. He was a chameleon, at ease with interviewing the very serious and the very silly and adapting his style to suit. He listened to their answers and could instinctively spot where to push a bit further to get more out of his guest. Today's interviewers don't listen to most answers from their guests and are too concerned with maintaining pace and their own image.

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Parky RIP

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