Parky had a God-given ability to make people talk – me included

Endlessly curious, fascinated by others and an irredeemable gossip: Michael Parkinson was exactly the same off screen as he was on it, recalls Jim White, who worked with him on Radio 2. He’s never forgotten their good-natured rivalry – or what made him laugh...

Michael Parkinson’s classic BBC interview with David and Victoria Beckham (Parkinson, BBC)

Way back in the 1970s, my sister was training to be a social worker. And her personal tutor gave her a bit of advice she has never forgotten. “If you want to know how to talk to people, it’s simple,” she was told. “Watch Michael Parkinson. That’s the way to ask a question.”

Her tutor was right. Nobody talked to people like Parky. Endlessly curious, fascinated by others, he had the God-given facility to make anyone and everyone open up. When they sat opposite him on the television set, he would lock eyes with his guest, listen to what they were saying and let things flow. He was certain everyone had a story to tell and was determined to get them to tell it. And the thing is, he was never sure what that story was until he began. He might spend all week ahead of one of his chat shows doing his research, but he never went in a pre-prepared direction. This was always a conversation not an interview.