Arabic version: فيلم «باركي» الوثائقي يستكشف سنوات مايكل باركنسون في أستراليا

According to ABC News, a new documentary, Parky, examines chat show host Michael Parkinson’s life and his strong connection to Australia, where he hosted Parkinson in Australia on the ABC from 1979 to 1982. His son Mike said Parkinson “felt safe in Australia” and was embraced by local audiences.

Mike, the second of Parkinson’s three sons and a producer on the film, said his father found solace and happiness in Australia after the death of his own father, John. He said Parkinson appeared more relaxed and open in Australian interviews, while his grandfather’s fascination with Australians had also influenced the family. Parkinson’s hero was Australian cricketer Keith Miller, Mike said.

Co-directed by Australian filmmakers Luke Mazzaferro and Luke Cornish, Parky is screening at the British Film Festival. The film includes archival appearances by figures including Helen Mirren, Richard Burton, Judi Dench, Kylie Minogue, Mick Jagger, George Michael and Bob Hawke. Mazzaferro said the documentary draws on insights from Mike, Parkinson’s wife Mary, and sons Andrew and Nick to reveal the man behind the interviewer’s chair.

The film also considers Parkinson’s working-class upbringing in a South Yorkshire pit village, his shyness and insecurity, and the themes that surfaced in his interviews. Mike said his father never felt fully part of class-ridden England, while Australia in the 1970s and 1980s was a vibrant and self-aware nation that he wanted to celebrate. Mike hopes the documentary can encourage young people from less advantaged backgrounds to pursue their ambitions.