Sir Michael Parkinson has confessed he doesn’t ‘recognise’ his former self as he reveals talk show persona was a ‘disguise.’
The broadcasting legend hosted Parkinson from 1971 to 1982, before it was revived again in 1998 until 2007.
In the long-running programme, the 87-year-old would sit down for candid interviews with some of the most culturally influential people of the late 20th Century.
Stars who chatted to Parky over the years included director Orson Welles, boxer Muhammed Ali, legendary actor Sir Anthony Hopkins and national treasure Sir David Attenborough.
The veteran presenter appeared on Thursday’s BBC Breakfast, where he was asked about his iconic career by host Naga Munchetty.
‘How do you feel? Do you get sick of seeing the TV clips?’ Naga asked before Sir Michael replied: ‘Do I get sick of it? Absolutely.’
The 87-year-old continued: ‘I don’t recognise the person. It is a disguise. This is a disguise, all of it.
‘You’re not yourself at all, it changes you. No matter how considered you might be of the problems of being famous. It changes you.’
After Naga asked ‘how’, Sir Michael explained: ‘People’s reactions to [you]. It sometimes makes the worst person than you are.’
Last year, the BBC made a special looking back at Sir Michael’s most memorable moments to mark the 50th anniversary of Parkinson.
Viewers were treated to clips from Parkinson’s career, including chats with Billy Connolly and Lauren Bacall as he looked back on all of the famous names he had interviewed through the years.
Despite the occasional gaffe, viewers were largely loving seeing Parky back on screens and called for him to once again have his own show.
They tweeted: ‘Watching ‘Parkinson at 50’ – 50 years of celebrity interviews. He’s the best talk show host in the business. Many of those twinkling movie stars he’s interviewed over the years have sadly faded with time.’
Others added: ‘#ParkinsonAt50 easily one of the best interviewers ever. Proved by the quality & quantity of the Guests he interviewed’ and ‘Watching Parkinson at 50, what a lovely program to watch. The consummate professional as always. Clips of the old stars of stage, screen and sport he interviewed, and I mean REAL stars. It’s like being reunited with a long lost friend. Lovely.’
BBC Breakfast airs weekdays from 6am on BBC One.
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