How Richard Wilkins impressed Michael Parkinson
Richard Wilkins has opened up on his memorable interview with media legend Michael Parkinson, and how he managed to impress the interview king with one simple question.
From a young age, Wilkins was in awe of Parkinson's interviewing ability, watching his every show with his parents during his childhood.
Over the course of his astonishing career, Parkinson, a broadcast journalist and author, had interviewed more than 2,000 people.
An inspiration to Dickie, the Nine journalist admitted that "in a weird way" watching the media icon propelled him to want to get up close and personal with some of those people as well.
When Wilkins got the chance to sit down with Parkinson in 2019, he said the two just "clicked", making it one of his most memorable interviews.
"I guess the older type people, who I've grown up appreciating what they do, I think they get a sense that you're not necessarily a fawning fan, but you certainly know what you're talking about and are up for a chat," Wilkins told 9Honey Celebrity.
During their conversation, Wilkins impressed Parkinson with a question he had never been asked before.
"I said, 'So, how important is that first question when you're sitting down opposite someone and you're trying to break the ice and get into their heads?' Wilkins recalled.
"I've never been asked that before," Parkinson, then 85-year-old, said.
"He said 'Well, it's very important, and I always think very long and hard about the first question.'"
"And I said, 'So, how was that one?' He said, 'It was very good'. So we got on very well."
At the end of their chat, Parkinson shared some wisdom with Wilkins, which he carries with him throughout his work.
Parkinson said, "I think the most important thing about interviewing is to actually establish a relationship with the person sitting opposite because after all, it's a totally phoney operation."
"All this nonsense, around, this palava, walking down the stairs, the band playing, all that sort of stuff. And I don't care who you are, when you reach the bottom of the stairs, you see this stranger opposite you, me, and you think 'what the hell am I doing here'."
Image credits: Nine