Series Description

The Parkinson Show was a 50 minute British talk show on BBC1 through April of 2004 and then moved to ITV1 for the rest of the series. Each week Michael Parkinson would sit down with a celebrity and ask probing questions.

Parkinson Show Cast

Michael Parkinson .... Host

Parkinson Show Trivia

The reason why so many of the guests are shown as unknown for the first season in the episodes list below is because a BBC committee decided to discard all recordings of that season. Only the episode with Shirley MacLaine survives to this day and that only in black and white. Especially missed are interviews with John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Orson Welles!

The Parkinson show ended in 1982 and then returned to the air in 1998 after a nearly sixteen year long hiatus! Fans of Michael Parkinson were delighted when he brought his unique interviewing skills back to the telly!

Series producer John Fisher and Michael Parkinson wanted to replace the series, "Tonight (1975)" which was floundering in the ratings with the Parkinson show in a five night per week format in 1978 and they had a lot of support from BBC1 officials but the BBC's Board of Governors turned down the proposal. They felt that replacing the newsworthy current events program with a talk show was a "trivialisation of the airwaves". Of course, audiences would have much preferred the "trivial" but entertaining Michael Parkinson and his celebrity guests to the dry news program.

In yet another example of the "nose up in the air" attitude of BBC executives, BBC controller Paul Fox threatened to fire Parkinson if he ever failed to wear a tie on the program again after he did so on the November 23, 1974 episode with Richard Burton! Can you believe that? You're the star of a hit show but you better wear a tie or you're fired! Unbelievable!

Another interesting tidbit about that episode with Richard Burton is that they filmed it in the early afternoon because it was feared that if Burton showed up for filming too late in the day he might be drunk.

When Michael Parkinson asked Muhammad Ali about his religious beliefs on the October 17, 1971 episode, Ali flew into a rage and left poor Parkinson speechless. Michael said later that he never thought that the question was offensive in any way and the response from Ali was shocking!

That wasn't the only time that Parkinson had an irate guest. On the April 2, 1999 episode he questioned Woody Allen about his custody battle over his three children with Mia Farrow. The battle involved a scandal that we won't go into here and Allen was visibly upset about being repeatedly quizzed on the subject. Allen asked Parkinson, "Why are you asking this?" and Michael could see that the interview was in danger of being terminated so he apologized and moved on to other subjects.

On the February 6, 1998 episode of the Parkinson Show, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was so interested in chatting with fellow guest Phil Collins that Michael Parkinson couldn't get into the conversation adequately in order to conduct a proper interview. He finally turned to Prescott and said, "May I have my guest back, please?"

When Parkinson was asked whether there was anyone he regretted not interviewing he said, "[Frank] Sinatra was the one that got away. Otherwise, I've met everyone I have ever wanted to meet."

Episodes List With Original Air Dates

Season 1

1. Arthur Ashe, Marian Montgomery, Terry-Thomas, Pentangle (6/19/1971)
2. Guests Unknown (6/26/1971)
3. Guests Unknown (7/3/1971)
4. Guests Unknown (7/10/1971)
5. John Lennon, Yoko Ono (7/17/1971)
6. Guests Unknown (7/31/1971)
7. Guests Unknown (8/7/1971)
8. Guests Unknown (8/14/1971)
9. Guests Unknown (8/21/1971)
10. Guests Unknown (8/28/1971)
11. Shirley Maclaine (9/4/1971)
12. Dirk Bogarde, George Axelrod (10/10/1971)
13. Muhammad Ali (10/17/1971)
14. Robert Morley, Marian Montgomery, Arthur Mullard (10/24/1971)
15. Guests Unknown (10/31/1971)
16. Guests Unknown (11/7/1971)
17. Jacques Tati (11/14/1971)
18. Guests Unknown (11/21/1971)
19. Guests Unknown (11/28/1971)
20. Guests Unknown (12/5/1971)
21. Charlton Heston (12/12/1971)
22. Guests Unknown (12/19/1971)

23. Guests Unknown (6/3/1972)
24. Bernard Manning, Fanny Cradock, A.J.P. Taylor (6/10/1972)
25. Guests Unknown (6/17/1972)
26. Peter O'Toole (6/24/1972)
27. Tony Curtis, Patrick Moore, Vivian Neves (7/1/1972)
28. Dick Cavett (7/8/1972)
29. Guests Unknown (7/15/1972)
30. Shirley Temple (7/22/1972)
31. David Niven (10/14/1972)
32. Guests Unknown (10/21/1972)
33. Ray Ellington, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers (10/28/1972)
34. Morecambe & Wise, Raquel Welch (11/11/1972)
35. Dudley Moore (11/18/1972)
36. Jack Lemmon (11/25/1972)
37. Patrick Campbell, Frank Muir, Kenneth Williams (12/2/1972)
38. Alistair Cooke, Peter Ustinov (12/16/1972)
39. Bing Crosby (12/23/1972)
40. George Best, John Betjeman, Maggie Smith, Kenneth Williams (2/17/1973)
41. Duke Ellington (2/24/1973)
42. John Reid, Kenneth Williams (3/10/1973)
43. James Stewart (3/17/1973)

44. Emlyn Williams (9/29/1973)
45. Jacob Bronowski (11/3/1973)
46. Orson Welles (11/17/1973)
47. Phil Silvers (12/8/1973)
48. Andy Williams (12/15/1973)
49. Jack Benny (12/29/1973)
50. Jack Benny(II)(1/18/1974)
51. Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier (1/25/1974)
52. Robert Morley (2/22/1974)

53. Richard Burton (11/23/1974)
54. Andy Williams (12/21/1974)
55. A Christmas Look at Morecambe and Wise (Special) (12/25/1974)

56. Bing Crosby (8/30/1975)
57. David Niven (9/20/1975)
58. Gene Kelly (10/4/1975)
59. Bette Davis, Ron Moody (10/18/1975)
60. Henry Fonda (11/1/1975)
61. Edith Evans, Edward Heath (11/15/1975)
62. Christmas Special (12/25/1975)
63. Jacob Bronowski (1/24/1976)
64. Elton John, Marti Caine (2/7/1976)
65. Fred Astaire (2/14/1976)

66. Joyce Grenfell (9/11/1976)
67. Peter O'Toole, Roger Vadim (9/18/1976)
68. Michael Crawford, Burl Ives (10/16/1976)
69. Christmas Special (12/25/1976)
70. Alex Haley, Rod Hull (4/7/1977)

71. Diana Dors, Desmond Morris, Kenneth Williams (10/8/1977)
72. John Betjeman, Gracie Fields (11/5/1977)
73. Perry Como (11/26/1977)
74. Alec Guinness (12/17/1977)
75. Billy Connolly (1/2/1978)

76. Shelley Winters (9/30/1978)
77. Dame Edna Everage, Olivia Newton-John, Gloria Swanson (12/2/1978)

78. Tommy Steele (9/22/1979)
79. Lorraine Chase, Kevin Keegan, Kenneth Williams (10/13/1979)
80. Henry Kissinger (11/21/1979)
81. Brian Inglis (12/29/1979)
82. Ken Dodd (3/15/1980)

83. Tom Lehrer, Robin Ray, Kenneth Williams (10/4/1980)
84. New Year's Special (1/1/1981)
85. Muhammad Ali, Freddie Starr (1/17/1981)
86. Adelaide Hall (2/28/1981)
87. Shelley Winters (3/7/1981)

88. David Niven (10/3/1981)
89. Douglas Bader, Windsor Davies, Vera Lynn, Kenneth Williams (10/17/1981)
90. Harry Secombe, Mel Torme (10/24/1981)
91. Lord Carnarvon, Joanna Lumley, John Romer (11/7/1981)
92. Bobby Ball and Tommy Cannon (11/14/1981)
93. John Arlott (11/21/1981)
94. Ken Dodd (12/5/1981)
95. Jacqueline Bisset, Placido Domingo (1/9/1982)
96. Dame Edna Everage, Sir Les Patterson (1/30/1982)
97. Ben Vereen, James Stewart (2/13/1982)
98. Chesney Allen, Roy Hudd, Christopher Timothy (2/20/1982)
99. Roy Castle, Buddy Rich and his Orchestra (3/6/1982)
100. Alan Whicker (3/13/1982)
101. Series Finale (4/3/1982)
102. 10 Years of Parkinson (Special) (4/10/1982)

103. Paul Merton, Barry Manilow, Anthony Hopkins (1/9/1998)
104. Stephen Tomkinson, Elton John, Michael Palin (1/16/1998)
105. Billy Connolly (1/23/1998)
106. Gary Lineker (1/30/1998)
107. Phil Collins, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott (2/6/1998)
108. Ewan McGregor, Rory Bremner (2/13/1998)
109. Liam Neeson, Cilla Black (2/20/1998)
110. Kiri TeKanawa, Dame Edna Everage (2/27/1998)
111. Joan Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Bryan Adams (3/6/1998)
112. Bob Hoskins, Eric Clapton, Brian Conley (3/13/1998)
113. George Michael (12/5/1998)

114. Geri Halliwell, Dawn French, Carol Vorderman (1/8/1999)
115. Robert Lindsay, Stephen Fry, Lee Evans (1/15/1999)
116. Caroline Aherne, Naseem Hamed, Gary Barlow (1/22/1999)
117. Mo Mowlam, Warren Beatty, Alan Davies (1/29/1999)
118. Michael Caine, Harry Enfield (2/5/1999)
119. Oprah Winfrey (2/19/1999)
120. Diana Rigg, Eddie Izzard, Robbie Coltrane (2/26/1999)
121. Lenny Henry, Rolf Harris (3/5/1999)
122. Jack Dee (3/19/1999)
123. Joanna Lumley, Neil Morrissey, Ian McKellen (3/26/1999)
124. Woody Allen (4/2/1999)
125. Paul McCartney (12/3/1999)
126. Michael Crawford (12/10/1999)
127. Billy Connolly, Sting (12/17/1999)

128. Mick Hucknall, Mel Smith, Ralph Fiennes (1/21/2000)
129. Victoria Beckham, Clarissa Dickson Wright, Paul Merton (1/28/2000)
130. David Blunkett, Alexei Sayle, Martin Kemp (2/4/2000)
131. Lesley Garrett, Richard E. Grant, Alistair McGowan (2/18/2000)
132. Minnie Driver, Griff Rhys Jones, Robert Winston (2/25/2000)
133. Lulu, Vanessa Feltz (3/3/2000)
134. Kate Winslet, Jimmy Tarbuck, Harry Connick Jr. (3/10/2000)
135. Kenneth Branagh, Bob Monkhouse, Esther Williams (3/17/2000)
136. Victoria Wood (3/24/2000)
137. Ronan Keating, Cindy Crawford, Alan Titchmarsh (3/31/2000)
138. Shirley Bassey, Stephen Fry (4/7/2000)
139. French & Saunders, Mike Reid, Tom Jones (9/8/2000)
140. Ben Elton, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, David Ginola (9/15/2000)
141. Frankie Dettori, Julie Walters, Mark Knopfler (9/22/2000)
142. Robson Green, Hugh Laurie, Chris Moon (9/29/2000)
143. Nigel Hawthorne, Jane Horrocks, Patrick Kielty (10/6/2000)
144. Trevor McDonald, Tom Courtenay, Meera Syal, Barry White (10/13/2000)
145. Richard Attenborough, Ian Botham, Richard Wilson, k.d. lang (10/21/2000)
146. Sacha Distel, David Beckham, Rory Bremner (10/28/2000)
147. Harry Enfield, Paul Simon, Terry Wogan (11/4/2000)
148. Elton John, Ronan Keating, Kiki Dee, Robbie Williams (11/12/2000)

149. Tracey Ullman, Denise Lewis, Dolly Parton (2/17/2001)
150. Kirk Douglas, Goldie Hawn, Clive James, Sade (2/24/2001)
151. Ardal O'Hanlon, Esther Rantzen, Amanda Donohoe, Lionel Richie (3/3/2001)
152. John Cleese (3/10/2001)
153. Martin Clunes, Kevin Costner, Lee Evans, Texas (3/17/2001)
154. The Bee Gees, John Mills (3/24/2001)
155. Maureen Lipman, Tamzin Outhwaite (3/31/2001)
156. Amanda Burton, Hugh Grant, Robbie Williams (4/7/2001)
157. John Hurt, Ulrika Jonsson, Alistair McGowan (4/13/2001)
158. Jack Dee, David Jason, Ronan Keating (4/21/2001)
159. David and Victoria Beckham, George Best, Elton John (9/22/2001)
160. Ann Widdecombe, Victoria Wood (9/29/2001)
161. Bob Geldof, Jim Davidson (10/6/2001)
162. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Anne Robinson (10/13/2001)
163. Billy Connolly, Pamela Stephenson, Ricky Tomlinson and band (10/20/2001)
164. Cher, Stephen Fry, Gabrielle, Larry Hagman (10/27/2001)
165. Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Samuel L. Jackson, Diana Krall (11/17/2001)
166. Jennifer Lopez, Martine McCutcheon, Terry Wogan (11/24/2001)
167. Cilla Black, Michael Crawford, Liza Tarbuck (12/1/2001)
168. Robbie Williams, Lenny Henry, Dame Edna, Geri Halliwell, Charlotte Church (12/24/2001)

169. Bob Monkhouse, Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe, Kylie Minogue (2/23/2002)
170. Mel Gibson (3/2/2002)
171. Rory Bremner, Judi Dench, Kevin Spacey, The Lighthouse Family (3/9/2002)
172. Celine Dion, Nigel Havers, Ian Hislop (3/23/2002)
173. Sue Johnston (4/6/2002)
174. Michael Ball, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sacha Baron Cohen (4/13/2002)
175. Tony Bennett, Jeff Bridges, James Nesbitt (4/20/2002)
176. Rob Brydon, Timothy Spall, Chris Tarrant (4/27/2002)
177. Martin Clunes, Michelle Collins, Jimmy Tarbuck (5/4/2002)
178. Ben Elton, Queen, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Barry Manilow (5/18/2002)
179. Tom Hanks (9/21/2002)
180. Michael Palin, Norah Jones, Kate Adie, Ricky Gervais (9/28/2002)
181. Paul Whitehouse, Gillian Anderson (10/12/2002)
182. Peter Kay, Bob Monkhouse, Lulu (10/19/2002)
183. Nigella Lawson, Eddie Izzard, David Attenborough (10/26/2002)
184. Steve Coogan, Diana Krall, Jeremy Paxman, Elaine Stritch (11/9/2002)
185. Halle Berry, Pierce Brosnan, Natalie Cole (11/16/2002)
186. Charlotte Church, Michael Aspel, Lionel Richie (11/23/2002)
187. Michael Caine (11/30/2002)
188. Tom Jones (12/24/2002)

189. Heather Mills, Simply Red, Dawn French, George Clooney (2/22/2003)
190. Jack Dee, Jools Holland, Beverley Knight, Damian Lewis, Jamie Oliver (3/1/2003)
191. Robbie Coltrane, Ardal O'Hanlon, Anne Robinson, Dionne Warwick (3/15/2003)
192. Rory Bremner, Rowan Atkinson, David Gray, Pierce Brosnan (3/29/2003)
193. Jeremy Clarkson, Neil Morrissey, Denise Van Outen (4/5/2003)
194. Jerome Flynn, Gloria Gaynor, Ian McKellen, Paul Merton (4/12/2003)
195. David Dickinson, Badly Drawn Boy, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Martin Clunes (4/19/2003)
196. Des O'Connor, Hugh Jackman, Matthew Perry, Heather Small (4/26/2003)
197. Shirley Bassey, Ronnie Corbett, Amanda Holden, Hugh Laurie (5/3/2003)
198. Helen Mirren, Cilla Black, Annie Lennox, Jo Brand (9/20/2003)
199. Ewan McGregor, Stephen Fry, Ronni Ancona, Dido (9/27/2003)
200. Sean Connery, Ricky Tomlinson, Boris Johnson, Michael Buble (10/4/2003)
201. Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Saunders, Ben Elton, Sheryl Crow (10/11/2003)
202. Michael Caine, Billy Connolly, Pamela Stephenson, R.E.M. (10/18/2003)
203. Shane Richie, Trinny and Susannah, Meg Ryan, Jamie Cullum (10/25/2003)
204. Emma Thompson, Michael Palin, Rod Stewart, Luciano Pavarotti (11/1/2003)
205. Judi Dench, Peter Kay, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Will Young (11/15/2003)
206. Sarah Ferguson, Eddie Izzard, Sting, Gwyneth Paltrow (11/22/2003)
207. Victoria Beckham, Clive James, David Bowie (11/29/2003)

208. Ian McKellen, Johnny Vegas, Rhona Cameron, Katie Melua, Alicia Keys (2/21/2004)
209. Kylie Minogue (2/28/2004)
210. Patrick Stewart, Lionel Richie, Harry Connick Jr. (3/6/2004)
211. George Michael, Jon Culshaw, Bill Nighy (3/13/2004)
212. Alastair Campbell, Jimmy Carr, Norah Jones, Ross Kemp (3/27/2004)
213. Rory Bremner, Nigel Harman, Pet Shop Boys, John McCarthy, Joss Stone (4/3/2004)
214. Jeremy Clarkson, Diana Krall, Sharon Osbourne, Michael Portillo, Jonny Wilkinson (4/10/2004)
215. Anne Robinson, James Nesbitt, Mick Hucknall, Travis (4/17/2004)
216. Gordon Ramsay, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Davina McCall, Ronan Keating, LeAnn Rimes, Sarah McLachlan (4/24/2004)
217. Tom Cruise, Billy Connolly, Kelly Holmes, Razorlight (9/4/2004)
218. Simon Cowell, Naomi Campbell, Denzel Washington, Ronan Keating (9/11/2004)
219. Matthew Pinsent, Lenny Henry, Frank Skinner, REM, Il Divo (9/18/2004)
220. Julie Andrews, Michael Palin, Ant & Dec, Tom Jones, Jools Holland (9/25/2004)
221. Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley, Kevin Kline, Beverley Knight (10/2/2004)
222. Joan Rivers, Jamie Oliver, Cliff Richard (10/9/2004)
223. Jeremy Clarkson, Eddie Izzard, Clare Teal, Donny Osmond (10/16/2004)
224. Lauren Bacall, Nigella Lawson, Paul O'Grady, Tina Turner (10/23/2004)
225. Judi Dench, Dame Edna Everage, Sharon Osbourne, Scissor Sisters (10/30/2004)
226. Renee Zellweger, Kevin Spacey, Mel Brooks (11/6/2004)
227. Barbara Windsor, Joe Pasquale, Rod Stewart, Lily Savage (12/25/2004)

228. Bruce Willis, Bob Geldof (2/12/2005)
229. Samuel L. Jackson, Dara O'Briain, Lucie Silvas, Twiggy (2/19/2005)
230. Will Smith, Julie Walters, Michael Buble (2/26/2005)
231. Ray Winstone, Patsy Kensit, Jerry Springer, Madeleine Peyroux (3/5/2005)
232. Peter Kay, Sandra Bullock, Nicholas Lyndhurst (3/12/2005)
233. Ewan McGregor, Billie Piper, Jamie Oliver, Peter Cincotti (3/19/2005)
234. John Travolta, John Sergeant, Goldie Hawn, John Legend (3/26/2005)
235. Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, Martin Clunes, Stephen Fry, Anastacia (4/2/2005)
236. Lauren Bacall, Olivia Newton-John, Meera Syal (4/9/2005)
237. Antonio Banderas, Robert Lindsay, Ricky Gervais, James Blunt (10/8/2005)
238. Matt Lucas and David Walliams, Will Young, Gloria Hunniford (10/15/2005)
239. Susan Sarandon, Chris Tarrant, David Attenborough, Jamie Cullum (10/22/2005)
240. Gordon Ramsay, Rod Stewart, Ben Elton (10/29/2005)
241. Trinny & Susannah, Charlotte Church, Bradley Walsh, Eurythmics (11/5/2005)
242. Madonna (11/12/2005)
243. Dawn French, Chris Evans, Ian Hislop, David Gray (11/19/2005)
244. Stevie Wonder, Matthew Kelly, Thierry Henry, Sarah Lancashire (11/26/2005)
245. Robbie Williams (12/10/2005)
246. Paul McCartney, Rachel Weisz, Dave Spikey, Katie Melua (12/17/2005)
247. Cilla Black, Joan Rivers, Martine McCutcheon, Bryn Terfel (12/24/2005)

248. Kevin Spacey, Tony Blair (3/4/2006)
249. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Dara O'Briain, Kathy Burke (3/11/2006)
250. Sharon Stone, Bette Midler, Stephen Fry, Barry Manilow (3/18/2006)
251. Daniel Day-Lewis, Jane Fonda, Jo Brand, Van Morrison (3/25/2006)
252. Noel Edmonds, Timothy Spall, Thandie Newton, Neil Diamond (4/1/2006)
253. David Jason, Ardal O'Hanlon, Paul Anka (4/8/2006)
254. Martin Freeman, Melvyn Bragg, Kathleen Turner (4/15/2006)
255. Alan Alda, Jamie Foxx, George Michael (4/22/2006)
256. The Best of Parkinson (Special) (6/17/2006)
257. Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Matt Lucas, David Walliams (9/16/2006)
258. Helen Mirren, Trinny & Susannah, Dame Edna Everage, Razorlight (9/23/2006)
259. Liza Minnelli, Lionel Richie, Sharon Osbourne (9/30/2006)
260. Shane Richie, Sheila Hancock, Jeremy Paxman, Corinne Bailey Rae (10/7/2006)
261. Eric Idle, Ray Winstone, Lemar Obika, Joan Bakewell (10/21/2006)
262. Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Roger Daltrey (10/28/2006)
263. Michael Caine, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon (11/4/2006)
264. Ian McKellen, Peter Kay, Take That (11/11/2006)
265. Michael Palin, Wendy Richard, Patrick Kielty, Paolo Nutini (11/18/2006)
266. Dustin Hoffman, Rod Stewart, Noel Gallagher (11/25/2006)
267. Robin Williams, Daniel Craig, James Morrison, Ben Elton (12/2/2006)
268. Cameron Diaz, John McEnroe, Rory Bremner, Chris Rea (12/16/2006)
269. Judi Dench, Lenny Henry, Katherine Jenkins (Christmas Special) (12/23/2006)

270. David Tennant, David Mitchell, Amanda Holden, Michael Buble (5/5/2007)
271. Gene Wilder, Ian Hislop, Patrick Stewart, Joe Cocker (5/12/2007)
272. Stephen Fry, George Michael, Joan Rivers, Scissor Sisters (5/19/2007)
273. Dara O'Briain, David Dimbleby, Russell Watson (6/2/2007)
274. Keith Allen, James Nesbitt, Orlando Blom, Alfie Boe (6/9/2007)
275. David Attenborough, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Piers Morgan, Amy Winehouse (6/16/2007)
276. Jonathan Miller, Ken Dodd, Meera Syal, Travis (6/23/2007)
277. Annie Lennox, Michael Palin, Sir David Frost, Dame Diana Rigg (9/15/2007)
278. James McAvoy, Billie Piper, Jennifer Lopez (9/22/2007)
279. Colin Firth, Harry Connick Jr, Martin Clunes (9/29/2007)
280. Ricky Hatton, Paul Anka, Michael Winner (10/13/2007)
281. Sharon Osbourne, Joan Rivers, Sophie Dahl, Diana Krall (10/20/2007)
282. Sir Richard Attenborough, Sir Bobby Charlton, Peter Cincotti (10/27/2007)
283. Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ray Winstone, Daniel Radcliffe (11/3/2007)
284. Lewis Hamilton, Sir Ian McKellen, James Blunt (11/10/2007)
285. Ewan McGregor, Kenneth Branagh, Paul Merton, K.D. Lang (11/17/2007)
286. Rod Stewart, Michael Buble, Annie Lennox, Joe Cocker (11/24/2007)
287. David Beckham, Peter Kay, Billy Connolly, Sir Michael Caine, Sir David Attenborough, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Edna Everage, Jamie Cullen (12/16/2007)
288. The Best Bits (12/22/2007)