Michael Parkinson and Emu: When the presenter was terrorised by Rod Hull’s puppet in 1976

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Among the clips making the rounds is the chat show host’s eccentric 1976 interview with comedian Rod Hull and Emu, in which Parkinson was “terrorised” by the puppet bird. Over the course of his seven-decade career, Parkinson interviewed hundreds of the world’s most prominent celebrities, including Muhammed Ali, Sir Elton John, Madonna, Sir Michael Caine, John Lennon, Orson Welles, Tom Hanks, Fred Astaire, John Wayne, and David Bowie. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free A 1975 interview with Dame Helen Mirren went awry after the chat show host asked whether her physical attributes had “hindered” her career. Mirren responded: “Because serious actresses can’t have big bosoms, is that what you mean?” In a 2017 interview with The Telegraph, Parkinson discussed the encounter, claiming that the “fuss” around it had been “silly”.