Former chat show king, Michael Parkinson has admitted that he lost a slot on BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are because his ancestors are too boring.

Parkinson revealed that he was approached by the BBC about appearing on the show but then dropped after they failed to dig any dirt on his family.

Speaking to the Radio Times, he explained: “I’m addicted to Who Do You Think You Are?. It’s the fascination we all have for our roots – the intriguing story of our lives.”

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Sir Michael Parkinson has claimed that there is a serious lack of chatshows on TV currently.

Yahoo! News report that the iconic chatshow host said:

“I think it’s sad that there isn’t the kind of chat show I used to do on air at the moment,” he said. “I don’t want to do it, but something different to the comedy chatshow, which has it’s place.”

He added: “As a viewer I like to watch that kind of conversational chatshow. It’s missing now. Maybe it will come back. I don’t know.”

Michael Parkinson says there are no good TV shows for the older generation and that programme bosses focus too heavily on the youngsters.

The 74-year-old tv chat show host says many pensioners feel “disassociated” from cookery programmes and shows for youngsters.

He tells Channel 4’s Paul O’Grady today: “Television is full of chefs rissoling the language, people pretending a well-cooked pork chop is a work of art like the Sistine Chapel. It’s silly.”

TV veteran, Michael Parkinson has spoken out on Jonathan Ross and Russell Brands recent prank calls scandal branding them “indefensible!”

Speaking on Radio 5 Live he branded the calls “obscene, tasteless and unfunny”.

Talking about Jonathan Ross Parkinson said: “He’s very good at his job but he’s given to fits of madness now and again.”

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Michael Parkinson has claimed that he was dropped by ITV because he was too expensive, a claim which he strongly denies.

Parkinson told the Radio Times: “Michael Grade told me with a straight face that I was too expensive. Shortly after, we were talking about guests for the final show and someone at ITV mentioned Liz Taylor. They said they would go up to £250,000. Barmy idea – and I was too expensive? Read more & comment »

Ex chat show host, Michael Parkinson has claimed that he is the last of a dying breed. Parkinson, who has just retired from ITV, claims that his was the last proper chat show, and that hosts like Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton concentrate more on their comedy than on their guests.

“This is the end of polite conversation,” Parkinson told The Mirror. “No one else does what I do. It’s gone forever.” Read more & comment »

In the final of three specials that celebrate and conclude the final ever series of Parkinson, this show will be the last to be filmed after four decades of truly mesmerising chat.

Michael Parkinson will be in the studio taking a fond and poignant look back at all the truly great guests he’s had on his show over the years. Personally picking all the clips himself, they’ll show us why his chat show is littered with golden TV moments. The guests read like a who’s who of popular culture of the last thirty years, and many of the encounters have attained legendary status: Muhammad Ali, Fred Astaire, Richard Burton and Orson Welles, to name but a few. Read more & comment »

Michael Parkinson has hit out at claims made that he blubbed and cried during the filming of his last ever ITV chat show.

“I’m a very happy bunny, I cannot wait to jack it all in,” he commented. “It’s not with any sense of despair or longing that I look at my future. I look at the next two years, I’m totally booked up.

“I’ve got to do the book and it will take a year to promote it and I’ve also got 650 shows to fillet and produce and sell. That will keep me fully occupied for at least a year after I’ve done my autobiography. And then I shall be 75 and I should be thinking about lying down somewhere.”"All this b******t about me being tearful, it was b******s Read more & comment »

Michael Parkinson has revealed the lineup for his final chat show before he heads into retirement.

In the show which will mark the end of his 36 years as a host, Parkinson will be interviewing David Beckham, Dame Judi Dench, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Michael Caine, Peter Kay and Dame Edna Everage. He claims that all the guests are personal friends who he has chosen himself for the show.

It doesn’t seem possible that Michael will soon be off our screens…it just doesn’t seem right does it?

Michael Parkinson preparing an all star line up for the final series of his legendary chat show, and he prepares to go out with a bang by getting a rare interview with football legend, David Beckham.

Michael has taken an interest in David’s footie career from his early days and has had him as a guest on a number of occasions.

A source told The Sun: “Parky has taken a keen interest in David’s career. He has been on the show a couple of times and Michael has kept an eye on him.”

Michael Parkinson is said to be considering recreating one of his most famous TV interviews. In 1976 he was interviewing Rod Hull and Emu, when the violent bird accosted him.

Michael plans to retire after this final series of his ITV chat show, but apparently he wants to go out with a bang!

A source told The Sun: “The Parky-Emu encounter has gone down in TV history so it is only fitting to have another visit on the last show. Will Emu have mellowed with old age?”