PARKY DOCUMENTARY REVEALS THE SHY, SECRET SIDE OF TV'S GREATEST TALK SHOW HOST
A new Parky documentary is giving fans a surprisingly tender look at the man who sat opposite the biggest names in show business.
And it turns out the confident, unflappable Michael Parkinson many of us grew up watching was a far shyer, more uncertain soul than he ever let on.
The film, simply called Parky, is made by two Australian filmmakers, Luke Mazzaferro and Luke Cornish, and it is screening now at the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival.
Speaking to the ABC on November 6, the directors explained how they used Parkinson's own interviews as a window into his life.
What the Parky documentary reveals
On screen, Parkinson always seemed perfectly at ease, whether he was chatting with Hollywood royalty or sporting legends.
But the film paints a picture of a working-class boy from South Yorkshire who never quite shook off his insecurities.
He was a miner's son who did National Service and worked as a newspaper journalist before television made him a household name.
According to the ABC, the documentary also explores how he leaned on alcohol after the death of his father, and how he could be short-tempered with his sons.
Mazzaferro said a moment from a Tony Curtis interview, when the actor turned the tables and asked Parkinson what he thought of himself, showed a flash of real nerves.
He described that discovery as a real lightbulb moment, and it ended up shaping the whole structure of the film.
The filmmakers then traced the questions Parkinson kept returning to across his interviews, about fathers, marriage, addiction and fame, and found they told his own story too.
Why Australia was so special to Parky
For Australian viewers of a certain age, this is where the film really tugs at the heartstrings.
Parkinson's show aired on the ABC from 1979 to 1982, and audiences here embraced him warmly.
The documentary suggests that grief over his father's death helped draw him to Australia, and that he seemed noticeably more relaxed and open in his Australian interviews.
His father, John, had a great admiration for Australians, and passed that on to his son, who was a big fan of cricketer Keith Miller.
The film features his conversations with Bob Hawke and other well-known Australian figures from the era.
His son Mike summed it up simply, telling the ABC his father "felt safe in Australia".
The family returned to the UK in 1983, after which Parkinson's wife, Mary, enjoyed a rising television career of her own.
How to see the Parky documentary
Parky is one of 36 films in this year's Russell Hobbs British Film Festival, which runs from October 28 to December 6 at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace cinemas around the country.
Flicks describes the film as a portrait of a career spent playing host to more than 2000 guests.
Session times vary from city to city, so it is worth checking the British Film Festival website for screenings near you before you book.
More festival picks for your watchlist
If you are planning a girls' night or a cosy afternoon at the cinema, there is plenty more on the programme to tempt you.
Helen Mirren plays author Patricia Highsmith in A Talent for Murder, while Olivia Colman stars opposite Alexander Skarsgård in the cheeky romantic comedy Wicker.
Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care stars Kate O'Flynn as a social worker whose father begins showing early signs of dementia, a storyline many families will recognise.
Saoirse Ronan leads the black comedy Bad Apples, playing a teacher who makes a very rash decision about a disruptive student.
For anyone who grew up with Parkinson on the telly, though, his film is likely to be the one that lingers longest.
It is a gentle reminder that even the people who seem most at ease in the spotlight can carry quiet doubts, and that a place, a country or a warm welcome can make all the difference.
Pack the tissues, just in case.
