Parkinson (1971)

With highlights from Morecambe and Wise's award-winning shows . Starring Shirley Bassey Peter Cushing Glenda Jackson Tom Jones and Andre Previn.

One of the biggest television audiences ever was drawn to Roots, the saga of an American slave family: The impact on American life was immense. The book, by black ex-US coastguard ALEX HALEY , on which it was based, promises to join the all-time best-sellers. What has the phenomenon meant to Haley, who spent 12 years of his life tracing his family history back to its African origins, and has the impact of Roots survived its first shockwaves?

Arthur Askey, Les Dawson, Lauri Lupino Lane, Little & Large, Pat Kirkwood, Roy Barraclough, George Truzzi

Michael Parkinson presents a selection of highlights from his recent series featuring, in order of appearance: Fozzie Bear, Spike Milligan, Roy Hudd, Dick Emery, Kenneth More, Brian Johnston, Frankie Howerd, Sir Ralph Richardson, Barry Sheene, Sammy Davis Jr, Buddy Rich, Commissioner Catherine Bramwell-Booth, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, John Conteh, Lauren Bacall, Cyril Fletcher, Dolly Parton, Bricktop, Ray Reardon, Val Doonican, Chesney Allen, Richard Stilgoe, Kirk Douglas, Mickey Rooney, Dame Edna Everage, Olivia Newton-John, Gloria Swanson, Jim Henson, Kermit, Frank Oz, Miss Piggy, Rolf Harris

Tommy Steele talks about the main aspects of his career as an entertainer from rock 'n' roll idol to song and dance superstar. Included are excerpts from his highly acclaimed one-man-show.

Michael Parkinson introduces a selection of the funniest moments from his programme in recent years, featuring among others: Dave Allen, Rowan Atkinson, Cannon and Ball Michael Bentine, Billy Connolly, Ken Dodd, Bob Hope, Frankie Howerd, Tom Lehrer, Arthur Marshall, Spike Milligan, Sir Harry Secombe, Jimmy Tarbuck, Tommy Trinder, Kenneth Williams

Eleven years, 361 shows-374 hours of television, 1,047 guests. Michael Parkinson presents a special programme which looks back at more than a decade of Britain's longest-running talk show. Among the many featured guests are: Larry Adler, Muhammad Ali, Fred Astaire, Jack Benny, Dr Jacob Bronowski, George Burns, James Cagney. Bing Crosby Dame Edith Evans Stephane Grappelli Jim Henson's Muppets, Bob Hope, Rod Hull and Emu, Shirley Maclaine, Bette Midler, Yehudi Menuhin, David Niven, Pat O'Brien, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Sellers, Sir Harold Wilson, Mike Yarwood and many others with a special musical contribution from Harry Stoneham.

Parkinson remembers George Best

Michael Parkinson searches the archives and revisits four outstanding interviews with the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

Michael Parkinson looks back at his 1972 interview with comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, which sees the pair speaking about their pasts, their heroes and their friendship.

Michael Parkinson looks back at his meetings with Hollywood's leading ladies, including Bette Davis, Raquel Welch, Bette Midler, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman and Miss Piggy.

Michael Parkinson introduces a recut of two interviews he did with Frankie Howerd during the Parkinson show series and a Christmas interview with Tommy Cooper. Frankie Howerd wanted everything scripted, resulting in an unprompted and unrehearsed interview whilst Tommy Cooper managed to run rings around a delighted Parkinson. Includes clips from Up Pompeii, The Main Attraction and The Bob Monkhouse Show.

On 16 June 1971, Michael Parkinson walked down those famous stairs for the first time and introduced the first ever Parkinson show. The guests were celebrity snapper Ray Bellasario and comedy actor Terry-Thomas. Seen as a temporary ten-week filler programme, it went on to record over 650 episodes featuring interviews with over 2,000 guests and was voted by the BFI one of the top ten UK television programmes of all time. This programme tells the full story of the humble beginnings of the show and how it rose to become an award-winning Saturday night staple, a source of water-cooler moments before that phrase had even been thought of. It tells the story of how Michael left Fleet Street and stumbled into television at Granada, where he made his first attempt at celebrity interviewing in an encounter with Mick Jagger. Poached by the BBC, he then found himself hosting the show that would make his name, and he recounts how the success of the show was secured by convincing Orson Welles to appear, as well as how the first series was wiped, losing interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono amongst others. It was a time when the likes of Jimmy Cagney, Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman could be interviewed in depth for the first time, though the show developed into something more than just a celebrity gabfest. Michael reveals some tricks of the interview trade and remembers some of his favourite moments, including his encounters with Muhammad Ali and Billy Connolly, as well as some less successful meetings with Meg Ryan and Helen Mirren. He also explains his decision to leave the interview game in 2008