Sir Michael Parkinson is heading upNorth to do what he does best – entertaining an audience. He will also be interviewing North-East footballing great, Alan Shearer. Raymond Crisp turns the tables on the interviewer

ONE of the best-known television talk show hosts in Britain, journalist and author Sir Michael Parkinson - affectionately known as ‘Parky’ - grew up in South Yorkshire.

The son of a miner, he left school with two O-levels before writing for local, then national newspapers. An accomplished cricketer, he had trials for Yorkshire alongside Geoffrey Boycott.

In 2000, Parkinson received a CBE for services to broadcasting. A father of three sons, he lives in Berkshire with his wife of 58 years, Mary. As part of a national tour, he is appearing at Harrogate and at a one-off event on Tyneside, interviewing Alan Shearer

What are your strongest memories of growing up in Yorkshire?

Growing up in Cudworth, a dormitory village for Grimethorpe Colliery. Contrary to popular belief it was not a grim place but a surprisingly cultured and nurturing one where the word community, now hijacked by politicians keen to show their softer side, meant something. I had a very happy upbringing but I was also lucky in that I had parents who would not countenance me going down the pit. They set me free and the rest, as they say, is history.

How often do you visit the county and do you ever visit your home village? Has it changed?

Not as much as I would like as I do think it is one of the most beautiful counties in the United Kingdom. The same, sadly, can’t be said of my home town of Barnsley which has been seemingly neglected and forgotten about with little or no obvious sign of it improving. However, it does have the statue of the great Dickie Bird standing sentinel so there is hope!

What would be your perfect day out in Yorkshire?

Watching Joe Root score a century in an Ashes test at Headingley and then a big plate of fish and chips at Graveley’s seafood restaurant in Harrogate.

Do you have a favourite restaurant in Yorkshire?

It a toss up between Graveley’s and Bettys tea room in Harrogate.

Have any Yorkshiremen or women inspired you?

Captain Cook because he discovered my second favourite place on earth, Australia.

Do you remain an avid follower of Yorkshire cricket and do you have a favourite ground in Yorkshire?

I always look to see how Yorkshire get on but it’s a challenge these days because of the way cricket is treated by the mass market media as a minority sport. My favourite ground has to be Shaw Lane in Barnsley where I cut my teeth as a young opening batsmen in the Yorkshire league alongside Dickie Bird and a young Geoffrey Boycott.

You have said that your Yorkshire accent was a help in your early days at the BBC. Did it help you to stand out from the crowd, and did you ever worry about losing it?

The cultural revolution didn’t start in Carnaby Street but in the North West where the likes of the Beatles, Bestie (George Best), Tom Courtney, Albert Finney and the like transformed the popular arts for a new generation. I was at the centre of it as a reporter for the newly- formed Granada Television. It was a game changer for anyone from the North. Before the 1960s I couldn’t have got a job at the BBC as a doorman, after the 60s you had to have a Northern accent to get on TV.

What is your proudest achievement?

Being made an honorary member of the Musicians’ Union. Music has been a constant inspiration and salve in my life and I respect musicians above all other artists. For a man with little to no musical talent it was a real honour to be asked to join their ranks.

What do think is Yorkshire’s finest culinary export?

Yorkshire puddings - the most versatile of food. Can be eaten as a starter, filled with gravy, as a main course with a good roast beef or as a dessert with a healthy dollop of treacle. But they have to be made by my wife Mary. Her Yorkshire puddings are talked about in hushed tone within culinary circles.

When Parky met Shearer

NEWCASTLE United hero Alan Shearer and broadcasting supremo Michael Parkinson are on the same bill for a one-off event on Tyneside.

When Parky Met Shearer will take place at Playhouse Whitley Bay on Friday, September 15. Tickets £63 standard, £99 VIP (including photo with Shearer), £206 VVIP (photo with Shearer and signed and boxed Shearer shirt) and £260 Corporate Lounge.

From the theatre box office, phone 0844 2481588 or online from the Playhouse website.