Parky - My Autobiography: A Full and Funny Life

'A joyous, breezy read ... It is also beautifully written' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Funny and self-deprecating and just as laid-back as he is on camera' INDEPENDENT 'Just like an extended edition of a brilliant Parkinson on television - engrossing and entertaining' IRISH TIMES 'I recommend it heavily. It's a wonderful book' MELVYN BRAGG * * * * * * * * * All Michael Parkinson really wanted to do was play cricket for Yorkshire and England. However, he soon realised that to be paid to watch films, football and cricket would be the best way to spend life, and he became a journalist. Television beckoned and for three decades Parkinson interviewed the movers and shakers of the late twentieth century, making his television programme the must-see event of the week. In singing with Bing Crosby, dancing with Billy Connolly, flirting with Miss Piggy and sparring with Muhammad Ali, Parkinson proved himself one of the most engaging and durable hosts in both Britain and Australia. In Parky he recalls a full life with honesty, insight and humour. "Michael Parkinson was born in a pit village in Yorkshire where he lived on the back row of the local cinema and dreamed of marrying Lauren Bacall, Vera Hruba Ralston and Veronica Lake, or anyone else who would have him." "Pretending to be Humphrey Bogart, he became a journalist and a familial sight around Barnsley and district, riding his bike while wearing a military style raincoat, snap-brimmed trilby with elastic chinstrap and green cycle clips. Thus disguised, he bluffed his way on to the Manchester Guardian, and later the Daily Express in Eleet Street before being found out and sent back to Manchester, when he worked for Granada Television. He eventually ended up at the BBC with a talk show that ran for many years and made him an instantly recognisable face, mainly among people who thought he was Michael Aspel." "Parkinson's memoir is an inspiring story, particularly for anyone who hated school and left with two O levels, because it proves that dreams do come true."--Jacket BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY: FILM, TELEVISION, MUSIC, THEATRE. From prize-winning journalist to chat show king on a show voted one of the top ten British TV programmes of all time, Michael Parkinson's starry career spans over four decades. Now an international celebrity himself, the man from a humble but colourful Yorkshire mining family who can tease out the secrets of even the most reticent star guest, at last reveals his own story, with the easy manner and insight that has kept his audiences fascinated. His distinguished career has involved working on highly acclaimed current affairs and film programmes. His wide interests and expertise include jazz, film, football and cricket. Witty, humorous and blessed with exceptional intellectual clarity, Michael Parkinson's memoir is a joy to read. From prize-winning journalist to chat show king on a show voted one of the top10 British TV programs of all time, Michael Parkinson's starry career spans over four decades. Now an international celebrity himself, the man from a humble but colorful Yorkshire mining family who can tease out the secrets of even the most reticent star guest, at last reveals his own story, with the easy manner and insight that has kept his audiences fascinated. His distinguished career has involved working on highly acclaimed current affairs and film programs. His wide interests and expertise include jazz, film, soccer, and cricket. Witty, humorous, and blessed with exceptional intellectual clarity, Michael Parkinson's memoir is a joy to read. For three decades Michael Parkinson interviewed the great stars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, making his television programme the must-see event of the week. He proved himself one of the most engaging and durable hosts in both Great Britain and Australia. He recalls a full life with honesty, insight and humour. The long-awaited autobiography of one of Britain's national icons.