Parky: My Autobiography - Michael Parkinson

PARKY is the autobiography of the famous television presenter Michael Parkinson. In the autobiography Parky talks warmly about his upbringing in Yorkshire. He appears to love his hometown and his family with a real passion which you can see in his writing. Parky explains how he first got in to television which is intruiging and much different to how television works these days. The most interesting part of the book is when he talks about his chatshow and the guests he has interviewed. Of most interest is his chats with Muhammed Ali that were legendary. Amongst his other favourites were Billy Connelly and George Best, and he speaks warmly about these ...  Read the complete review

Michael Parkinson was born in 1935 or Melbourne Parkinson if his father had been allowed to have his way. Melbourne as England had just won the Cricket test match there! He was born in a pit village in Cudworth in South Yorkshire to a father who worked down the mines and a doting mother. Michael tells us some great details of how his family came to be living in Yorkshire when his Grandmother had originally been born in Oxford. Michael talks about how he grew up on Chaplain, Albert and Costello and a love for the theatre. He says that every year for a birthday treat for his mother they would go to the theatre in Barnsley and sit in He grew up with ...  Read the complete review

I know that he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I have always enjoyed watching Michael Parkinson interview his guests on his talk show over the years. I particularly enjoyed his last series on ITV and was sad to discover that he was hanging up his microphone and there were to be no more. When I spotted his autobiography on Amazon it went straight on my wish list and luckily, Santa very kindly delivered it on Christmas Day! I always prefer autobiographies to biographies because I am much more interested in what a person has to say about themselves, even if it is with the aid of a ghost writer. I should be very surprised if Michael Parkinson needde to use one of ...  Read the complete review

I bought this book as I got it very cheaply when Woolies was closing down. I do like Michael Parkinson and very much enjoy him as an interviewer. I also enjoy a good autobiography. I have to say however I found this a little disappointing - perhaps as I had not long finished Paul O'Grady's book. This does cover Parky's early years in journalism very well and this is a part of him that is not so well known. However I felt that considering the amount of people he has interviewed over the years a lot of this was glossed over and he chose instead to concentrate on just a few individuals that have made lasting (good or bad) impressions on him. Perhaps when you ...  Read the complete review

Michael Parkinson born in 1935 in a small pit village in south Yorkshire tells his life story from his humble beginnings as a son of a coal miner to hob knobbing with the stars from film, stage and sport. Parky is famous for his late night chat show that used to be on every Saturday night. In the book he does touch on some of the big name stars he has interviewed over the years, and tells what affect they had on him. I found the early years of his life to be interesting and Parkys tongue in cheek humour does shine through at certain times. His father was obviously someone that had a great meaning in his life and its no surprise that Parky grew up ...  Read the complete review