Michael Parkinson criticises celebrities who are given chat-shows

Michael Parkinson has criticised the rise in the number of celebrities who have been handed their own chat-show by television executives. 

Sir Michael Parkinson has criticised celebrities who are handed their own chat-shows but are unable to cope with the format. In recent years ITV especially – but the BBC also – have given chat-shows to high profile celebrities such as Peter Andre, Lilly Allen and Davina McCall all of which have failed to take off. Earlier this year David Dickinson’s chat-show on ITV was cancelled because of low ratings while Sharon Osbourne and Anthony Cotton’s shows were also cancelled by ITV for similar reasons. 

“The trouble with the talk show is everyone fancies their chances. They are encouraged in their foolish ambition by television executives who really ought to know better than to entrust the job to people who, more often than not, neither know how to ask a question nor listen to the answer. For some, like Russell Harty, Clive James, Michael Aspel, Terry Wogan, Clive Anderson, Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton and Piers Morgan, it proved the perfect showcase for their disparate talent. For others it became the Bermuda Triangle of television” – Michael Parkinson in the Radio Times 

The number of flop chat-shows in recent years far out-weigh the ones which have been successful. While ITV have found success at 5pm with Alan Titchmarsh it took them flops from Sharon Osbourne and Anthony Cotton to get there. The BBC meanwhile has unsuccessfully handed shows to Davina McCall and Lilly Allen while Channel Four gave Charlotte Church her own series which met a lukewarm reception.