The Raconteurs
Posted by Andy Mackenzie on 10 November 2008 - 6:34pm.
Just watched the best of Peter Ustinov's interviews with Michael Parkinson on BBC4,sadly not on the iPlayer. Entertaining,interesting,witty and a world away from the modern chat show where it's all about plugging the latest product.So lets have a reminder of days when the chat show wasn't about how great the host is, and the guests had stories to tell.
Ustinov and Peter Cook
Kenneth Williams
Any more examples?
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My goodness, they were fantastic weren't they?
Can you imagine certain alphabetically challenged 'talk show' hosts being able to deliver even 60 seconds of television as good as Parkie telling Williams what he told him there? I can't; he doesn't have the skill or the intellect to carry it off.
Let's go for "a drop of something cheerful"
You can't beat an old school luvvie, and the greatest of these still living is surely Peter O'Toole. Here's his appearance on Letterman from 2007:
A previous appearance on Letterman in 1995, in which he entered atop a camel a la Lawrence of Arabia, doesn't seem to be on YouTube. There's a description of it here though - http://tinyurl.com/5cbx9e - so I'm not imagining it.
David Niven
Always gave good chatshow.
Let's not forget the King of Comedy ...
... Mr Peter Cook, who was always good value. There are about a million classic interview moments on YouTube, but I always liked the 1985 Clive James one:
I particularly admire the way Mr Cook has lit a cigarette before Mr James has barely got his first question out.
I was particularly annoyed when, on the day of his death, the BBC's immediate choice of tribute was to show a repeat of his recent appearance on Room 101, where Nick Hancock resolutely interrupted Mr Cook for the entire half hour.