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Saturday, 6 October 2007

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Michael Parkinson: I choose the questions!

TV presenter won't interview celebs who ban certain subjects

Michael Parkinson says he will only let celebs come on his show if he can ask them whatever he likes.

The chat show host, 72, says that if a star gets choosy about the questions they are to answer, he won’t book them – no matter how famous they are.

‘[That's] why it took Madonna a long time to come on the show,’ he tells the Daily Express.

‘First of all her people were saying: “You can’t ask her this or that,” and I said: “Sorry, unless I can ask her want I want, there’s no sense in having her on.”

‘Eventually, when I did [interview Madonna], they said: “You can ask what you like,” and there was no problem at all.’

As Michael’s iconic chat show draws to a close at the end of this year, he continues to tempt big stars onto the sofa - including Annie Lennox, Jennifer Lopez and Dame Diana Rigg.

Erin Smith