Why Sir Michael Parkinson believes men are funnier than women
Veteran broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson has spoken to the most famous people in the world, and in a lively chat with his son, he reflects on the memorable highs and notorious lows.
Stellar
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The only person the most famous talk show host in the world will take orders from is his TV producer son.
In a lively chat with Stellar, Sir Michael Parkinson, 85, and his youngest son Michael “Mike” Jr, 53, talk about fame, cancel culture, penning a book together – and the celebrity slight that Parkinson’s wife still hasn’t forgiven him for.
Stellar: You’ve worked together for years on TV. Do you ever have bust-ups?
Mike: Yes, massive ones. The good thing is that we separate the professional from the personal, so we could have bust-ups that people think are earth-shattering, but then the next day it’s forgotten.
Michael: I’m not a temperamental performer, but if things go wrong I want to know why.
Mike: Working with someone like my father, with such a level of success, it’s hard for a producer to say, “You’re wrong.” It’s been easier for me because I’m his son and I’ve grown up with the show – it’s in my blood.
Michael, you’ve interviewed more than your fair share of high-profile celebrities. Have you ever been star-struck?
Mike: My father has never been fascinated by people because they’re famous, but because they have talent. This is how un-star-struck he is: He once told my mother that Clint Eastwood had asked him to go to dinner after a show and he didn’t because he was tired.
Michael: She didn’t talk to me for, oh, two days. She still hasn’t forgiven me – she brings it up with increasing disbelief. I must have been really knackered.
You’ve written a family memoir, Like Father, Like Son: A Family Story together. Did the process bring you closer?
Michael: It’s been an interesting exercise after all these years, finding out what my son thinks of me. It would have been a worse book had I not allowed him to get involved.
Mike: When you examine someone as a parent, you have to take it from the point of view of where they came from and what they were going through. Every family has its sharp edges – that we still work together and are close is testament to the fact that whatever sharp edges we had didn’t cut us that deep.
Your book is essentially a love-letter to fathers. Why do you think men find it hard to express their emotions?
Michael: Most men I know are the opposite, they’re very sensitive and also very funny. That’s the thing I like most about men. It’s a very contentious statement, but they’re much better than women in their sense of humour. There you are, that will get me – if I were on [any social media channels], I would be in trouble right now.
What do you make of the cancel culture on social media?
Michael: I ignore it, I’ve never participated in it, I don’t belong to any of it. If more people took my advice [on that front] we would be a lot happier. It seems to be out of control and people are getting hurt by it – young people, too. God knows we all have enough problems without this additional nonsense.
Michael, after your 1975 interview with Helen Mirren, she called you a “sexist old fart”. What do you make of her comment all these years later?
Michael: Oh, that’s just Helen. Things were different then. It didn’t do any of us any harm. It was just part of what society was like in those days.
Who have been your favourite guests?
Michael: How long have you got? One of my favourite interviews was Orson Welles [in 1974]. It was a touchstone of my career.
Mike: Sir David Attenborough – I could listen to him forever. It was a privilege to even come near him. Noel Gallagher was interesting. For my dad, music stops with Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, so I had to persuade him to do it.
To his credit, all he ever asked was, is there a story and can they tell it? It was on your head if they turned out to be idiots, but fortunately Noel didn’t.
And the worst? Would that be Meg Ryan? [Ryan made headlines after coming across as bored and irritated in a 2003 interview with Parkinson for her film ‘In The Cut’.]
Michael: Oh, beautiful Meg. She misbehaved – she was rude to my guests and gave the impression of not being very happy. There was very good reason; she was in a film that didn’t do very well and was at the end of a long tour and couldn’t wait to get home, so there you are. We don’t send each other Christmas cards, but we don’t send each other hate mail, either.
Who were your favourite Aussie guests?
Michael: Paul Hogan and Barry Humphries. I adore Dame Edna, I would have run away with her if I hadn’t been married.
Mike: What about Kerry Packer [who Parkinson interviewed in 1979]?
Michael: Oh, quite right. Kerry Packer was extraordinary. He looked great and powerful and spoke well. Australia is overwhelmingly one of the most comfortable and happy countries I’ve been to. Aussies are warm, friendly, spontaneous people. It reminds me of Yorkshire – I just feel at home.
Like Father, Like Son: A Family Story by Michael Parkinson with Mike Parkinson (Hachette Australia, $32.99) is out Tuesday.
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