Sally: 'How I met and worked with Michael Parkinson'

Tributes have flowed from across the globe after the death of the legendary broadcaster and chat show at the age of 88 last week.
Sally, one of the Torbay Weekly's most popular columnists, spent years working in the marketing and PR industry and got to know and work with the rich and famous from the world of entertainment, showbiz and especially sport.
It was here that she first met 'Parky' as he was about to set out on the road to fame and fortune.
Sally, best known locally and most recently for her retail and on-line Wizard Jeans clothes under the fashion brand of Glamour 2 Go, has a wealth of experience in sponsorship, publicity and international event origination and management for blue chip organisations and a huge contact list of famous people and organisations.
After years in Barbados running her own boat and leisure business, she returned to the UK in 1983 to become Financial Controller of the National Cricket Association at Lords - the first female executive cricket. Sally was responsible for raising the sponsorship money for the building of the NatWest Media Centre at Lord's Cricket Ground and, with the likes of David Frost was was responsible for bringing former US President Bill Clinton to London to speak at a charity event in aid of The Lady Taverners cricket charity.
Sally's first encounter with Parky came through Sir Bill Cotton, the man at the forefront of the BBC's 'glory days' and whose father was the legendary band leader, Bill Cotton.
She revealed: "Bill took over as Head of Light Entertainment at the Beeb in 1970, and so began the production of the most enduring and popular TV shows in history. He had the uncanny ability to spot talent, nurture it and allow it to flourish. Morecambe and Wise owed much of their success to him, as did Monty Python and Bruce Forsyth with the Generation Game and from 1971 to 1982 he gave 36-year-old Parky his first opportunity as a chat show host.
"What made Parky different was that he was from Yorkshire. He been a local broadcaster on Granada TV but, most importantly he was a journalist, and a very good one. So, he knew the importance of research, which was to be a key element of his huge success.
"I first met Michael through Bill Cotton. Bill and I used to lunch frequently, and I was always coming up with ideas for various programmes which I would pitch to him. One idea I had was for finding a new 'raconteur' for an event through a national search. At this point Parky was between jobs, and Bill suggested that he might be just the person to host such an event. So, we met up.
"In those days I was very much involved in all sport, but particularly cricket so Parky and I immediately found common ground especially as there were lots of sportsmen, particularly cricketers, that he wanted to meet, and which I could easily facilitate. At that time, I was managing the PR for the West Indies cricket team who were on tour in the UK, and of course, one of their most famous legends was at all the matches, Sir Garfield Sobers.
"Garry had become one of my great friends and so the starstruck Parky was over the moon to spend time with the great man. I subsequently found out that his other great hero was, of course, George Best.
"By this time, I had a sponsor for my raconteur concept, Daewoo Cars, who were launching their brand in the UK. Parky came on-board and we ended up having numerous meetings in The Ivy in West Street. All great fun and always joined by whomever else was dining there. All the celebrities used to table hop in those days."
She added: "Scarborough Cricket Festivals were also one of his favoured pastimes and where he fielded a World X1 between 1988 and 1990. Theses events were always well supported by his local cricketing friends. Parky had played club cricket in Barnsley with Dickie Bird and also had a trial for Yorkshire alongside Geoff Boycott. They were all prickly, proud, gruff and short-tempered Yorkshire men with short fuses. Parky wasn’t easy at times and on occasion clashed big-time with both the BBC (twice) and ITV.
"This character combination always seemed to be at odds to me with his ability to listen and conduct his interviews in his unique way that has guaranteed his place in chat show history. The two interviews he totally mishandled are of course legendary; Meg Ryan and Helen Mirren. Both were embarrassing to watch. However, he didn’t fare quite as well with his first interview clash with Mohamed Ali. What an incredible piece of broadcasting gold that was and still is. Another gem, was of course Parky’s meeting with Rod Hull and Emu. How he kept his cool and kept smiling (just) through that assault was spectacular TV. "
Sally gives a 'little anecdote'. She says: "In October 2000, I was asked to launch and promote a remarkable new film, featuring Sir John Mills. One of the things I arranged to promote the release of the movie, was for Sir John to be interviewed on Michael Parkinson’s show. Sadly, just as he was walking on stage his trousers fell down around his ankles. It brought the house down. Luckily with Sir John being such an old pro, he just pulled them up and carried on with a wink to the audience. Parky of course thoroughly enjoyed this addition to his show and handled it all with great professionalism and humour. "
Sally adds: "It was so sad to hear of his passing but over the last year or so he has looked increasingly frail and was a shadow of his former self. He was a wonderful broadcaster and a master of interviewing. His background in journalism and masses of research into every one of his guests, plus a lot of hard work, made him the great interviewer of his age and the creator of some of TV’s most golden moments."