An Evening with Sir Michael Parkinson, Kings Theatre, Southsea, review: ‘An absolute must-see for fans of Parkinson’

The moment the theme tune blasted out in the Kings Theatre, Southsea, it took me back to my living room as a teenager.

An Evening with Sir Michael Parkinson sees his son Mike interviewing him – for a change. It’s just the two of them in chairs centre-stage with a huge screen to show highlights of his work.

After impressing with his Pompey football knowledge, the first half offered huge insight into Parky’s early life. From his mining village roots to his foray into Yorkshire cricket, including his friendship with Dickie Bird, the 83 year old talk show host was articulate, amusing and engaging throughout.

The first video clip of the evening was from an early interview with Mick Jagger in 1964 had the audience laughing immediately. From then on, we’re graced with countless anecdotes from his illustrious career accompanied by the best bits of the Parkinson archive.

He admitted ‘I could hardly get my words out sometimes’, star-struck by some of names. James Cagney, Muhammed Ali, Racquel Welch, Will Smith and even Miss Piggy were amongst those to feature.

Billy Connolly’s montage from his 15 appearances on the show was my personal highlight. Whilst host Mike mentioned it, I was surprised the clips didn’t include the infamous Meg Ryan interview. An absolute must-see for fans of Parkinson.

                                                  KAYLEIGH MILLEN