Post by Teddy Bear on Oct 22, 2008 18:29:19 GMT
Another aged presenter that has finally hung up their need for media companies comes out of the closet and tells us how crappy these companies are. They were quite happy to take money off of them while they were employed though. It would be of far greater impact if they actually spoke out about it while they were still involved in these companies.
Some might say better late than never - you decide! If he thinks this gives himself any kind of integrity I'd say he's 20 years too late.
Some might say better late than never - you decide! If he thinks this gives himself any kind of integrity I'd say he's 20 years too late.
Michael Parkinson attacks 'c--p television'
Sir Michael Parkinson, the veteran chat show presenter, has accused broadcasters of cramming the schedules with "c--p television" that feeds the nation's obsession with celebrity.
By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor
Last Updated: 6:33PM BST 22 Oct 2008
The 73-year-old retired as a chat show host last November after 26 years Photo: PA
In what could be viewed as a thinly veiled attack on BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing and its ITV rival, X Factor, Sir Michael criticised the current state of British programming.
"You've always had c--p television. The problem now is it's regarded as the staple diet of television. That kind of celebrity programme, whether it be people dancing, people singing or people, I don't know, having each other's husbands and wives - it doesn't interest me," he said.
"Celebrity now is cheap but fame is even more precious than it was before. Fame is somebody who has achieved something worthwhile. A celebrity is somebody who appears in a glossy magazine. They're not the same thing."
The 73-year-old retired as a chat show host last November after 26 years, first on the BBC and latterly for ITV, defecting in 2004 in a £1.5 million deal. Over the years, he interviewed some of the world's biggest names, from Hollywood greats such as Richard Burton to sporting legend Muhammad Ali. In 2006, Tony Blair became the first serving British Prime Minister to appear on the show.
Speaking in Manchester during a promotional tour for his autobiography, he lamented the passing of the traditional talk show format.
"ITV don't want a conversational kind of talk show. Their idea of a talk show is one done by Al Murray - a comedy show, basically. And that's the way that talk is going in Britain. When I started, there was David Frost, Michael Aspel, Gloria Hunniford, Russell Harty and three or four others, and we were all doing more or less the same thing - a conversation-based talk show. Now there's not a single one."
He also spoke of his sadness at the demise of regional news, which ITV is planning to reduce in a bid to cut costs. Sir Michael, who began his career in current affairs for former ITV franchise Granada, said: "ITV don't care about regional news and they don't care about regional broadcasting. They're in a fight for their lives. You can see what the problem is. They're financially in deep water and now struggling to find a format which does not include that which they would regard as being unprofitable. So, out goes local broadcasting."
Sir Michael Parkinson, the veteran chat show presenter, has accused broadcasters of cramming the schedules with "c--p television" that feeds the nation's obsession with celebrity.
By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor
Last Updated: 6:33PM BST 22 Oct 2008
The 73-year-old retired as a chat show host last November after 26 years Photo: PA
In what could be viewed as a thinly veiled attack on BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing and its ITV rival, X Factor, Sir Michael criticised the current state of British programming.
"You've always had c--p television. The problem now is it's regarded as the staple diet of television. That kind of celebrity programme, whether it be people dancing, people singing or people, I don't know, having each other's husbands and wives - it doesn't interest me," he said.
"Celebrity now is cheap but fame is even more precious than it was before. Fame is somebody who has achieved something worthwhile. A celebrity is somebody who appears in a glossy magazine. They're not the same thing."
The 73-year-old retired as a chat show host last November after 26 years, first on the BBC and latterly for ITV, defecting in 2004 in a £1.5 million deal. Over the years, he interviewed some of the world's biggest names, from Hollywood greats such as Richard Burton to sporting legend Muhammad Ali. In 2006, Tony Blair became the first serving British Prime Minister to appear on the show.
Speaking in Manchester during a promotional tour for his autobiography, he lamented the passing of the traditional talk show format.
"ITV don't want a conversational kind of talk show. Their idea of a talk show is one done by Al Murray - a comedy show, basically. And that's the way that talk is going in Britain. When I started, there was David Frost, Michael Aspel, Gloria Hunniford, Russell Harty and three or four others, and we were all doing more or less the same thing - a conversation-based talk show. Now there's not a single one."
He also spoke of his sadness at the demise of regional news, which ITV is planning to reduce in a bid to cut costs. Sir Michael, who began his career in current affairs for former ITV franchise Granada, said: "ITV don't care about regional news and they don't care about regional broadcasting. They're in a fight for their lives. You can see what the problem is. They're financially in deep water and now struggling to find a format which does not include that which they would regard as being unprofitable. So, out goes local broadcasting."