A flickering signal from his family’s TV was Richard Wilkins‘ first introduction to an iconic Englishman with the ability to charm the biggest celebrities in the world.
It was the 1970s and a teenage Wilkins was sitting with his mum and dad at home in Wellington when he first witnessed Sir Michael Parkinson at work.
Parkinson, the broadcast journalist and author who died on Wednesday after a short illness, interviewed more than 2000 people during his career hosting his talk-show Parkinson.
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For Wilkins, he was fascinated by the individuals Parkinson was speaking to, and also by the man himself.
He admitted that “in a weird way” watching the media icon propelled him to want to get up close and personal with some of those people as well. Fifteen years later, Wilkins forged his own path as a broadcast journalist.
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It is this same legendary Yorkshireman that tops Wilkins’ list of memorable interviews from his own journalistic career, particularly an interview where things just “clicked”.
”I guess the older type people, who I’ve grown up appreciating what they do, I think they get a sense that you’re not necessarily a fawning fan, but you certainly know what you’re talking about and are up for a chat,” Wilkins told 9Honey Celebrity.
Watch the video above.
Wilkins sat down to interview Parkinson about his life and career in his hometown of Bray, on the outskirts of London, in 2019.
It was during that chat that the New Zealand-Australian journalist posed a question that impressed the media icon.
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“I’ve never been asked that before,” the then 85-year-old said.
As for the question Wilkins asked, it centered on the critical first interview ask.
“I said, ‘So, how important is that first question when you’re sitting down opposite someone and you’re trying to break the ice and get into their heads?’ Wilkins recalled.
“He said ‘Well, it’s very important, and I always think very long and hard about the first question.’
“And I said, ‘So, how was that one?’ He said, ‘It was very good’. So we got on very well.”
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As well as sharing that memorable moment, Parkinson also imparted his thoughts on the importance of interviewing.
“I think the most important thing about interviewing is to actually establish a relationship with the person sitting opposite because after all, it’s a totally phony operation.
“All this nonsense, around, this palava, walking down the stairs, the band playing, all that sort of stuff. And I don’t care who you are, when you reach the bottom of the stairs, you see this stranger opposite you, me, and you think ‘what the hell am I doing here”.
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