The Michael Parkinson Collection on DVD

From 1971 until 2007 there was only one chat show host worthy of the name and during that time Michael Parkinson met and interviewed the people that had been his own idols as a schoolboy and those that became his heroes through the four decades that the show ran.

Actors and actresses from the silver screen like James Cagney, James Stewart, Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Orson Welles. Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall graced his early shows while modern day stars such as Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Susan Sarandon and Nicole Kidman were among the many real stars that were interviewed by Parky, who himself was to become a living legend of TV.

It was the Parkinson show that launched the career of Billy Connolly and the comedian appeared on the show an incredible fifteen times over the years.

There are clips from all the great comedians from Frankie Howard and Les Dawson to Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Paul Merton, Ben Elton and Peter Kay and everyone in between.

The Michael Parkinson Collection presents two whole discs worth of clips from the many shows from over the years in which Parkinson met not only his screen idols and favourite comedians but a whole stack of beautiful women and many of the most famous sports stars of his generation.

The most remarkable man he ever interviewed, he says, was Muhammad Ali and he met the great man four times on the show. With clips from each of the four interviews included, they tell the story of the greatest boxer of all time at the top of his game and the deterioration that his chosen sport brought upon him.

If that is the highlight of Parky’s career then surely meeting the irritating Rod Hull and Emu was the most embarrassing, as cringe worthy to watch now as it was when it was first broadcast, but none the less it had to be included.

The Michael Parkinson Collection presents 158 minutes of non stop entertainment from the King of  chat shows and in his own words, “A reminder that for over 40 years I had the best job in the world.”

The Michael Parkinson Collection is a two disc compilation from the BBC and is available to buy now.

There is an opportunity to win one of three twin DVD box sets of The Michael Parkinson Collection in the simple Buzzin TV competition here.

Robbie Williams

The former ‘Take That’ singer Robbie Williams is to make an appearance on the daytime ITV programme ‘Loose Women’ it has been confirmed.

Robbie will appear in front of the panelists Kate Thornton, Sherrie Hewston, Denise Welch and Carol McGriffin on the 9th November before sitting down with them for a chat.

The 35-year-old, will be singing his new upcoming single ‘You Know Me’, which is due to be released on the 7th December and admitted to being a huge fan of the chat show who have promised to be gentle with him!

seve ballesteros

The BBC 1 programme Inside Sport tonight features an interview with one of Golf’s most colourful and charismatic characters, the one time World number one player Seve Ballesteros.

Another golf legend, commentator Peter Allis will be interviewing Ballesteros just twelve months after the Spaniard was first diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Ballesteros underwent four operations to remove the tumour leaving him so ill that at the time it seemed inevitable that he would die. But in the programme he says the last thing he wants is sympathy following his ‘miracle’ cure.

In what promises to be a moving yet uplifting programme Ballesteros says:

“Some people will feel sorry for me or maybe cry when they see this programme but I feel very happy and a very lucky person because throughout my life I have had so many great moments and feel I have lived two or three more lives than the average person.

This thing that happened to me is a very little thing compared to other people who have tougher times, they didn’t have the opportunity to live life so intensely. I’ve had a very good life.”

Don’t miss Inside Sport tonight at 22.45 on BBC1