Frank Skinner slams Sir Michael Parkinson after BBC legend ‘wasn’t nice to me’ during tense encounter
Frank Skinner has claimed that the late Sir Michael Parkinson “wasn’t that nice” to him during a 2004 interview.
The comedian made the revelation on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain, recalling a specific incident from their encounter.
Skinner told hosts Ed Balls and Charlotte Hawkins that Parkinson had reprimanded him for speaking to fellow guest Matthew Pinsent.
“Parkinson was talking to me and I turned to Matthew and said ‘Matthew, you must have this in your career’. Parkinson said ‘Are you talking to him or are you doing an interview?’,” Skinner recounted.
The 67-year-old concluded his anecdote by quipping: “You wouldn’t get that from AI, they’ve got manners.”
This comment came in response to discussions about a new AI-powered Parkinson podcast.
When asked about his thoughts on the project, Skinner expressed enthusiasm and said: “I think it would be great to be interviewed by it. I did the real Michael Parkinson and he wasn’t that nice to me, so I think I’d prefer the AI.”
The comedian’s willingness to participate in the AI podcast suggests he sees it as an opportunity for a potentially more pleasant experience than his actual encounter with Parkinson.
The 2004 interview between Skinner and Parkinson left some viewers feeling uncomfortable.
On a Digital Spy forum, one user wrote: “Maybe I am reading too much into things, but was that all quite awkward?”
Another suggested: “Didn’t look like there was any flow to the show. Parkinson didn’t seem to like any of Frank’s jokes.”
At the time, there was a scheduling conflict between their respective shows – The Frank Skinner Show and Parkinson – airing in similar time slots, with Skinner’s programme attracting around eight million viewers, while Parkinson’s show led with nine million.
Skinner is currently involved in several projects following his departure from Absolute Radio earlier this year.
He recently launched a new podcast titled Frank Skinner Off The Radio, which began in October.
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The comedian described it as “me trying to be funny with the two people I did the radio show with, Emily and Pierre.”
Additionally, Skinner has appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside long-time friend David Baddiel.
However, he expressed some frustration with the experience, saying: “It’s telly, so you’ve got the producer botting in and saying, ‘Can you talk about this and that?’ so it was like an annoying neighbour turned up at his house and interrupted a lot.”
