By Adam Bloodworth
Parkinson was the first podcast, really, wasn’t he?
Parkinson, the long-running chat show hosted by Michael Parkinson, who has died aged 88, was the simplest of ideas. A few chairs, a couple of guests, and an in-depth conversation. The last part of this sweet formula Spotify and Apple have cashed in on over the past decade or so with the explosion of podcasts.
It turns out listening to two people get really deep, often on one or two subjects, like – wait for it – we all do with friends over dinner, is a winning formula. Parkinson aired from June 1971 to April 1982 and from January 1998 to April 2004 before switching to ITV for its final years where its average audience hovered around 6 million.
But when the Parkinson show came off air for good in 2007, after two successful runs and an estimated 2,000 guests, British TV was left with a huge void. No one, certainly no brave producers, would commission another show where guests sit and chat, properly, with no bells and whistles.
Graham Norton is singular in his ability to be an entertainer, a gregarious chat show host whose eye for a quick gag and ability to make guests feel instantly at home cannot be bettered. But he, by his own admission, doesn’t question celebrities journalistically; he gives them an easy ride. On they walk, quick story about something from their past, a line or two about their latest project, then off they go, safely in the knowledge they’ve netted an average of 3.4 million viewers. Jonathan Ross is cut from the same cloth.
But Parky was different. He gave guests a hard time, got the proper stories, and pushed for answers that would make history. His infamous Meg Ryan interview hasn’t aged well; Parky comes across as arrogant and bullish with his questioning and Ryan, understandably, found his style uncomfortable, but it’s an example of how Parkinson was willing to ask tough questions to people who typically had smoke blown up their backsides by TV presenters.
I’m 34, which must be about the youngest age possible to be a Parky fan. I was a teenager and wannabe journalist when I watched, enthralled, at Parkinson when I should probably have been studying for my A Levels. Many younger readers won’t be acquainted, but plenty of his best interviews are on YouTube, from Mohammed Ali to Stephen Fry and Sir Elton John and Madonna, so hunker down and have a night in with Parky.
It’s ironic that we have to turn to ‘new’ media to enjoy Parkinson today. All those producers sitting in board rooms discussing the next idea for TV, I’ve got an idea for you: go back to basics. Buy a couple of swivel chairs and rip up the script. Proper conversation sells. Let’s get it back on TV.
