'Sexist old fart' stays true to type

He has given a springboard to many of Britain’s top comedians, most notably Billy Connolly.

But now Sir Michael Parkinson has revealed his sexist attitudes to who makes him laugh.

The talk show king says he find men funny, adding: ‘It's a very contentious statement, but they're much better than women in their sense of humour.’

And he explained that he found men funnier because, in his experience, they did not live up to the archetype of finding it hard to express emotion.  ‘Most men I know are the opposite,’ he said. ‘They’re very sensitive and also very funny. That’s the thing I like most about men

Speaking to Australian magazine Stellar, Sir Michael admitted his views were unfashionable, adding that if he was in  social media ‘I would be in trouble right now.’

The 85-year-old said he had no truck with so-called ‘cancel culture’ saying: ‘I ignore it, I’ve never participated in it, I don’t belong to any of it. If more people took my advice we would be a lot happier. It seems to be out of control and people are getting hurt by it – young people, too. God knows we all have enough problems without this additional nonsense.’

Sir Michael’s views might not be unsurprising, since Helen Mirren described him as a ‘sexist old fart’ as long ago as 1975 after an infamously cringe-inducing interview.

But lest you think he doesn’t like any female comedians, Sir Michael added: ‘ I adore Dame Edna, I would have run away with her if I hadn’t been married.’

Published: 8 Nov 2020