Sir Michael Parkinson I REMEMBER…

Possibly Britain’s greatest ever chat-show host, Michael Parkinson has interviewed thousands of the world’s most famous and fascinating public figures. His new book, Like Father, Like Son, is an affectionate memoir about his dad, John William, co-written with his own son, Mike

- Simon Hemelryk

…BAWLING MY EYES OUT AT BUTLIN’S, FILEY. I was only about four and had gotten separated from my parents. Some beautiful female redcoats tried to comfort me by stroking my head. But I was distraught. My upset might have also been down to having eaten about three gallons of ice cream.

My dad came running over to get me, after about half an hour. I stayed very close to my family, after that— for my entire life.

…A DAD WHO TAUGHT ME TO BE KIND. He was a hard-working miner and we lived in the working-class village of Cudworth, near Barnsley. But he never really shouted at me and certainly never raised his fist.

My mum, Freda Rose, was stricter, but it was a very happy household. Mining communities have been seen as dreadful places to grow up in. Not for me. There were woods to be played in and football matches in the street.

Occasionally, I’d go into a friend’s house and see the other side of things. A father who was drunk all the time and a woman with a black eye. But, in general, the community wrapped itself around me and made me feel safe.

…THE MOST IMPORTANT THING MUM DID WAS LEAD ME TO BOOKS. She loved reading, frequently coming back from the library with three or four novels by people like AJ Cronin and Daphne du Maurier. I read from a very early age and got into John Steinbeck, Hemingway and crime novels by Raymond Chandler. I learned a lot from reading and it gave me the ambition to be a journalist.