The Sunday Times Magazine • 7STRANGE HABITS
Michael on Mike
He should have been
James Bond instead
of Daniel Craig.
I once saw them
in a play together
and Mike was
loads better!Mike on Michael
When he was a
kid apparently he
used to sleep with a
plaster on his chin to
try to get a cleft like
Robert MitchumWITH THANKS TO THE OAKLEY COURT HOTEL, WINDSOR
my sons and it’s been wonderful. Not only did I get to
know them, but they also taught me a lot about myself.Mike
Obviously I knew Dad was on telly, but he never made
a big deal about it, so neither did I. He wasn’t the kind
of bloke who was impressed by Hollywood. He was
more interested in the cricket scores.
My mates at school didn’t give a damn about who
my dad was. Life was very ordinary. In fact, the only
time I really got excited about Dad’s job was when the
Muppets were in the studio. I met Kermit the Frog!
I’m the only card-carrying southerner — born and
raised in Berkshire — but it’s impossible for anyone in
the Parkinson family to escape their Yorkshire mining
roots. Dad asked me to research my grandfather’s story
for this book and it ended up being a polemic about the
appalling conditions the miners had to deal with. As
many as five deaths and 1,000 serious injuries every day.
No wonder he didn’t want my dad going down the pit.
Dad’s work did take him away from us. And even
when he was there he was a rather foreboding
presence. He didn’t mean to be, but he could be cruel
at times. Yes, he could have been more affectionate,
but that doesn’t make him a bad father. He was never
violent towards us and he worked his nuts off to give us
a better life. He was an only child, brought up in a tough
environment by a mother who doted over him — my
poor old grandfather never got a look-in. As a result Dad
has not always been very good in the intimate spaces of
life. It’s not that he didn’t “love” us. He just wasn’t goodat expressing it. Knowing that about my dad has allowed
us to bridge the gap that appeared in those early years.
Sadly Dad never got the chance to bridge the gap
between him and his dad because we lost my
grandfather at a relatively young age. That’s where his
pain comes from, and that may have been the reason for
his drinking. We all knew what was happening, even as
kids. It was horrible for us to watch, but Mum’s a strong
woman. She took him to one side and said: “Pull
yourself together.” Thankfully Dad has that capacity.
He looked at the situation, realised it wasn’t making
him happy and knocked it on the head.
I can’t deny that Dad’s life and his success have cast
a long shadow over my life. And, just to make things
worse, my name is Michael Parkinson. After I left
university and tried my hand at acting, it had a seriously
negative effect on me. I was trying to find my own place
in the world, but everything seemed to be shaped by his
fame. It made me feel like I didn’t have a purpose.
Things started to change when I moved into the
technical side of telly and became a producer on
Dad’s ITV show. People would still see my name and
ask if I was any relation, but now I could say: “Yes, I’m
his son and I’m also his boss. I give the orders around
here. Dad, sit there and do as you’re told!” nInterviews by Danny Scott
Photograph by Jon Attenborough
Like Father, Like Son: A Family Story by Michael
Parkinson, co-written with his son Mike, is out now
(Hodder & Stoughton £20)