THE UNDISPUTED KING OF TV TALK SHOWS

MICHAEL PARKINSON'S CELEBRITY CHATS GAVE US SOME OF THE SMALL SCREEN'S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS

- MATT ROPER

Sir Michael Parkinson, who died last week at the age of 88, was surely the greatest talk show host of all time.

Before Parky, TV audiences had never seen his style of intimate, comfy chats with stars of stage and screen.

Where he led, the rest followed, trying, but ultimately never quite succeeding, to emulate that relaxed, warm and sympathetic style that would make every celebrity want to share their secrets - with a few notable exceptions.

Sir Michael described the job of an interviewer as "to bring out the best in his guests, and not to treat them like a receptive audience for the display of his own wit and opinions".

In more than 600 shows, the Yorkshireman interviewed some 2,000 stars, including Muhammad Ali, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Fred Astaire.

From crying with laughter at Billy Connolly to listening intently as George Michael gave his first interview after he came out, his interviews were TV gold.

His ability to make his guests feel at ease produced some of TV's most memorable moments, including when Rod Hull's Emu attacked him in 1976.

His 2003 interview with a frosty Meg Ryan was one of the most awkward ever as she gave one-word answers after taking offence over his questioning.

Meanwhile Sir Michael always regretted the fact he never got to interview Frank Sinatra, describing him as "the one that got away".

An only child, Michael Parkinson was born on 28 March 1935 on a council estate at Cudworth, near Barnsley, in South Yorkshire. When he was 12, his cricket-mad dad took him down the local pit to put him off ever becoming a miner like him and his grandfather.