The questions that Michael Parkinson was never allowed to ask his guests

The questions that Michael Parkinson was never allowed to ask his guests

Last updated at 11:58am on 10th September 2007 Comments (1)

Michael Parkinson is retiring after 40 years as a chat show host

He has quizzed everyone from Muhammad Ali to Madonna.

Now Michael Parkinson has revealed the questions his famous guests told him they would prefer not to be asked.

The chat-show host, who retires this year after 40 years on TV, told Radio Times: "If its something incredibly private that has no bearing on their career, no resonance other than one person shagging another person, then I'm not that bothered.

"If, on the other hand, they've done something that has had an effect on their popularity or their career, then thats fair game.

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Woody Allen would not talk about his relationship with his stepdaughter when he appeared on the show

"Woody Allen said he didn't want to talk about the relationship he was having with his stepdaughter, so I had to point out that it had affected his career in a major way, that Middle America just would not buy him after that, so I was going to have to ask him about it.

"He agreed to talk about it in that context, though he was still pretty reluctant.

"Rex Harrison told me he wouldn't talk about his ex-wives and I said, Rex, you've been married eight times, that's going to leave a pretty big gap.

"He said, "Yes, I suppose you're right, dear boy.""

Parky, 72, recalled how Meg Ryan famously gave one-word answers to his questions while glaring at him.

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Rude: Parky famously interviews a very rude Meg Ryan who only gave one word answers

He said: "She was just rude. She came on after Trinny and Susannah, who were talking about power dressing, so I asked her what she thought and she said, "Oh, did you do a piece about fashion?"

"Of course she knew, she'd been watching it backstage before she came on. I thought, You cow. I mean, what can you do with someone like that?"

Parkinson said he would find it difficult to meet Ali, a four-times guest, now because of the effect Parkinsons disease has had on the boxing legend.

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The chat show host described Muhammad Ali as the most glorious athlete he had ever seen

"I couldn't bear the idea of having to look into those dead eyes, not after meeting him when he was the most glorious athlete I'd ever seen. He was quite simply the most extraordinary human being I've met."

Parkinson, whose first BBC chat show was in 1971, will sign off with a series on ITV1 this autumn and clearly believes the format is past its best.

He said: "Mine is the last of the classic interview-based chat shows, the rest of them now are just comedy shows."