Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that legendary broadcaster Michael Parkinson has passed away at the age of 88. A statement from his family reads, “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.”
Dubbed “the king of the intelligent interview” in a tribute tweet from Eddie Izzard today, Michael Parkinson was best known as the host of “Parkinson,” a long-running British talk show for BBC One (and later ITV) that began in 1971. The show featured conversational interviews with various celebrities, with guests over the decades including the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Bing Crosby, Cher, Clint Eastwood, David Bowie, Denzel Washington, Elton John, Gene Wilder, John Lennon, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Robin Williams, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks.
The series ran on BBC One from 1971-1982 and 1998-2004, and on ITV from 1987-1988 and 2004-2007. The final episode of “Parkinson” aired on December 22, 2007.
Horror fans will know Michael Parkinson best as the presenter of BBC’s TV movie Ghostwatch, a controversial mockumentary that shocked and terrified audiences back in 1992.
Brendan Morrow explained here on BD in 2017, “Years before The Blair Witch Project became a cultural phenomenon, Stephen Volk’s Ghostwatch perfected the art of duping audiences by presenting itself as genuine. Ghostwatch aired on BBC1 and took on the appearance of a news broadcast, being introduced as a “unique live investigation” during which a reporter would be sent into a haunted house in an attempt to discover the supernatural. The film goes out of its way to mimic the look and feel of modern television, and there are even (fake) calls taken during the show with an actual phone number being placed on screen.”
“Adding to the realism was the fact that the host is Michael Parkinson, a journalist who at the time had his own talk show that aired on BBC1, and the other presenters were also prominent BBC personalities,” Brendan’s article continued, hailing Ghostwatch as a horror classic.
Parkinson also appeared in the 1974 horror movie Madhouse, starring Vincent Price.
He is survived by wife Mary and their three children, Andrew, Nicholas and Michael Jr.
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