If you’re not from the uk you might not know who Parkinson is, hes is a chat-show host in the uk for those who are interested.
This concerns a curious debate between myself and some of my friends. Has Michael Parkinson ever engaged in any so-called racist behaviour? Certain people claim he was once involved in a campaign against a coloured cricket player, I dont know if this is true, but I would dearly love to find out.
I’m not trying to slander the guy, because if it didnt happen then fine, but if it did then some older members must know (I believe this happened quite some time ago).
I can’t find anything relating to this event on the internet and you would assume that if such a stalwart of British broadcasting had been involved in such events it would be well recorded. I find it hard to believe personally based on what happened to Kilroy and Ron Atkinson (being sacked for one-off offences) that Parkinson would still be so loved by the public.
I have myself always been a little ambivalent about Parky. Brilliant interviewer in his prime, the best of his type, but the “I’m a poor lad from Barnsley” bit used to grate. However, I was almost totally converted to the Barnsley Bomber when I read an article online in an Australian newspaper, in which he talks d\candidly and with humility about his battle with the bottle, with stardom, and above all his deep love for Mary. I’ll try and find it.
As for the charge of racism, well, I’m not actually convinced that calling someone a fucking lazy black cunt (or whatever big Ron said in the heat of the moment after a football match in which an English side had lost unnecessarily to a French one, when he thought the microphones were off) is racist. Anyone who comes straight out and says that is immediately less of a racist in my book than someone who thinks it and is scheming enough to have built a protective shield round his mouth that censors his heart’s true thoughts coming through. That’s not to say that Ron ought not to have exercised more self discipline, though.
Back to Parky, just a look at his heroes shows that he must be a good man! Keith Miller (the colourful Australian cricket all-rounder), Geoffrey Boycott (the less colourful English batsman) and Gene Kelly, who could dance a bit. Then there’s Muhammed Ali, whose interview with Parky I have yet to see.
BTW, you should ask a Mod to put this in Cafe Society (entertainment) or IMHO (questions to which therer is no factual answer).
I think you may have the wrong end of the stick here. I suspect that what you’re talking about is the Basil D’oliveira controversy, where Parky was very much on the side of the angels.
(Short summary - Dolly (who is black) wasn’t picked for an England tour to South Africa - despite being a better player than the white players chosen instead - one of the white players was injured and Dolly was called up and the Sith fickin effrikans refused to allow him in - which led to the sports boycott of Sith fickin effrika.). It was a huge cause and rumpus at the time.
I think there was more than one, but I happened to see a repeat of one of them a couple of years ago. It was absolutely remarkable TV. An interviewer actually being challenging, and entertaining, and not pandering to the superstar. Ali was an incredible character and the interview was fireworks without being acrimonious.
Yes, IMHO (although this will fuel the fires of those who have me marked down as an Americophobe), the Brits are much better interviewers than the Yanks. Same with natural history documentaries (actually most documentaries, for that matter, viz. The Nazis: A Warning from History from the BBC). I cringe when I watch the 60 Minutes segments that involve famous people: a) it’s rubbish b) I always get the impression that the interviewer fancies him- or herself in the same league as the subject!
