Kenneth Williams - Parkinson 02/12/1972 (with Patrick Campbell, Frank Muir)

[@davidmorgan2042]

Wow, great interview, not seen this one before. Three legends!

[@anthonydoohan5924]

Thanks for posting this. Haven’t seen it before and really enjoyed it. Television isn’t what it used to be, sadly.

[@IslandPink]

It's like a lost world - 40 IQ points above a modern chat show. Kenneth was a phenomenon in this era.

[@nathelondon3719]

Kenneth Williams…unprecedented, unique, unequalled. RIP

[@adambrocklehurst4211]

You can rest assured he would have agreed.

[@naturalroyalflush]

So talented. Sorely missed.

[@oldskoolfool141]

Interesting connection there in that Kenneths famous 'Infamy' line was actually created by Frank Muir (and Denis Norden), Talbot Rothwell gained permission to use it in Carry On Cleo

[@ballyhigh11]

Truly one of the greatest puns in British comedy history.

[@splinterbyrd]

I saw KW when I was a kid at a recording of _Just A Minute._ Chairman Nicholas Parsons was doing the introductions when KW and the other contestants (Giles Brandreth, Clement Freud and I think Derek Nimmo) sidled onto the stage. KW had a certain stage presence but I would say no more so than the others. During the recording he turned to the audience for laughs far more than anyone else. At one point he cracked a lavatorial joke, and I heard one elderly cockney lady behind us say “I heard that one at school.” After the show a queue formed going up onto the stage and KW remained at his desk signing autographs (the other contestants had left fairly swiftly.) While doing so he was singing some ribald song at the top of his voice, yet he did not make eye contact with anyone. It's kinda like he wanted everyone’s attention but was frightened of it at the same time.

[@johnking5174]

The Carry On film Kenneth is talking about here at 30:40 was Carry On Abroad which opened on 15th December 1972

[@ashleyhoward8926]

A devoted customer of Barclays.

[@rebeccafoster9532]

Absolutely dedicated 😂😂😂

[@davidnolan1040]

yes and yes and very yes

[@mfranssens]

I’m not sure why so many posts criticise the other people with Kenneth. Frank and Patrick were great together on call my bluff. Both talented, especially Frank, what a tremendous writer. As for Parky, he was the best interviewer. Although he never took to Kenneth

[@davidnolan1040]

wow

[@Phil-l7n3p]

Very Charismatic

[@misterdocuk]

Hey. I can’t recall if this is right or not but as I’m aware a few years back you posted some episodes of Bob’s Full House? If so, would you still have them as they’ve been taken down

[@norbertnedsworth7172]

Compare and contrast with the Graham Norton show. Nothing like it these days

[@iananderson2777]

What word is being muted out?

[@waynestyles7916]

I think it's just recording drop out, although virgin seemed to have been removed

[@frannieo1707]

Kenneth is camping it up bigtime.

[@benphilips7235]

Bent Ove Pietersen!!

[@davidgregory4093]

Bona

[@llwyde1104]

I don't think Muir liked Williams that much, just sayin

[@72loaded]

Hopefully just a case of him not agreeing with Kenneth about sorrowful comedians, but I know what you mean, Frank did seem somewhat disapproving in his looks and tone. Whilst I know it was meant to be light hearted, I also found it frustrating when Kenneth was trying to respond as to the Carry On film's probable future place in cinema, and Frank and Patrick deliberately spoke over him, I would have liked to have heard Kenneth say more on the subject, which he was trying to do, but to no avail, thus the subject changed.

[@llwyde1104]

@72loaded Frank Muir is arriviste middle class whereas Williams could sound MC but never was...I think something of that was going on

[@AndrewDeakin-v4l]

Muir’s apparent middle class snobbery directed towards Williams has not aged well - whereas Williams’ talent is timeless.

[@MrMayhave]

Frank muir, what an untalented arse, showing pure jealousy of real talent.

[@artsed08]

Bent-Ove Petersen

[@barneyreilly9101]

Kenneth Williams and three berks.

[@RobertJonesWightpaint]

Patrick Campbell was no berk! He had trouble getting his words out, but when he did he was as funny as anyone I've ever heard. I wouldn't say Muir and Parkinson were berks either, but they were outgunned in this.

Wasn't Parkinson an awful embarrassment ! How did a man with so little vocabulary and a total lack of savoire faire ever get to be a chat show host. He couldn't even speak English properly. He must have been very obliging on the casting couch. Yorkshire oaf!!

[@72loaded]

I was never a fan of Michael Parkinson, which is a pity as his roster of guests was absolutely phenomenal, almost every great you can think of, and other guests less well known but equally fascinating. I do not undertand why people feel he was so great (perhaps confusing the high quality of his guests with the interviewer himself). Ok sometimes his interview technique was fine, and he could have a laugh, but far too often he was quite clipped, he never disguised his disapproval or sense of boredom, and too often could come across like he was somewhat at sea and trying to keep it together. I appreciate guests are not always cooperative, but for me Parkinson was always very much overrated. Mind you, in the US Johnny Carson was worse if anything, and similarly if not far more lauded, particularly by his guests I might add, but he would often interject to impart information about himself related to what his guest was discussing, or chat about previous shows, asking a question and barely getting one sentence in response before cutting in, whereas I just wished he would let the guest finish in full what they were going to say. I wanted to hear about them, not about Johnny Carson!

[@telharris4700]

The skill of a great interviewer is to let the guest shine imo.

[@IslandPink]

'Compared to what? ' Most of the greatest UK TV interviews of the 70's and 80's were hosted my Michael, his low-key encouragement and respect got the best out of a wide variety of the greatest names in film, comedy and showbiz.