Such as david bowie and paul mccartney. And in 2001 Victoria Beckham let slip that her nickname for husband david was goldenballs. 0ur arts correspondent David Sillito looks back at his life. Dont you get fed up of each other . Oh, yes, yes. I call him golden balls, you know, now. Did you ever say, you dirty rat . Never. Jimmy cagney. Orson welles. Jimmy stewart. These were distant, mysterious screen gods until parkinson brought them into your living room. The fact is that youre a crowd puller and frazier� s not, is he . Why is that . Well, number one, hes ugly. His interviews with muhammad ali were unmissable. He has no rhythm, no footwork, no class. He cannot talk. And who told him he could sing . But of all those 2000 or so guests, one always haunted him. I interviewed everybody from Henry Kissinger to Billy Connolly to james cagney to dame edith evans, all those people. And im only remembered for one thing, i was attacked by a sodding emu. Hes not aggresive Rod Hull And Emu Rather punctured the suave tv persona. I knew we should never have booked it. Of course, there wasnt much hollywood glamour in the childhood of this son of a yorkshire miner. My generation was the first that actually challenged the assumption that if youre born into a mining family, you followed your dads footsteps down to the pit. His escape was journalism, which took him to granada tv. Ladies and gentlemen, miss shirley maclaine. And then, in 1971, the parkinson show. I hope i can get away with this, its a beauty. It was a programme that could transform a career. Its a substitute for tattoos, im frightened to get a tattoo. Billy connolly appeared 15 times. About the oyster that went to a discotheque and pulled a mussel they became good friends. I said, i need somewhere to park my bike. But others. Lets talk about nudity. Especially some women, were rather less comfortable in his company. Do you find, in fact, that this what could be best described as your equipment, in fact, hinders you, perhaps, in that pursuit . Youre wary of journalists. I mean, does it give you an insight into what theyre after . Now that im wary of them . Yes, you are wary ofjournalists. Youre wary of me, youre wary of the interview, you dont like being interviewed. You can see it in the way that you sit and the way you are. True. In other words, if you were me, what would you do now . Well, just wrap it up. In the 805, he was briefly part of the ill fated gang of five who launched itv� s new breakfast programme, before returning to the bbc to present Desert Island discs and a programme on radio 2. And then reviving the parkinson show. Hes a practicing homeopath, as a matter of fact. There were moments, but it was nowjust one of many chat shows on an interview circuit. Pretty sure thats what he said he wanted. Where everyone seemed to have something to sell. Right. Play forward. Well played. Well done. 0ffscreen, he loved his cricket, always a proud yorkshireman. One day, therell be some research into the benefit of this magnificent food, soul food for yorkshiremen. And at the end, it was his fathers very yorkshire judgment that came to mind. Just before he died, he said to me, he said, youve done well and you met some big stars. I said, i had. He said, you made a bob or too without breaking sweat. I admitted that was also true. Good lad, he said, but think on. Its not like playing for yorkshire, is it . It wasnt. But once or twice, it got pretty damn close. Goodnight. And david joins us now. I grew igrew up i grew up on parkinsons interviews and there are many Around The World who may not know as much about him, so what made him so special as an interviewer . Interviewer . Lets go to the heart ofthe interviewer . Lets go to the heart of the matter interviewer . Lets go to the heart of the matter. There interviewer . Lets go to the heart of the matter. There are interviewer . Lets go to the heart i of the matter. There are thousands and thousands of interviews that have taken place on tv over the last 60 years but today how many people have talked about and mentioned an interview they remember from his time . One of the reasons is that it was an extraordinary moment, towards the end of the 60s, start of the 70s, A Lot Of The Great Hollywood Stars who had seen farnon who had seemed far distant mythical figures, they were free to go on tv, out of contract, and suddenly there was a moment when Michael Parkinson would say, ladies and gentlemen, fred astaire. Fred astaire was someone he had grown up watching, in a top hat, and that he was at the top of the steps. Betty davis, 0rson and that he was at the top of the steps. Betty davis, orson welles, jimmy cagney, jimmy stewart, these were people who know one really in the audience had heard them talking about their lives and they were absolutely riveted. When david niven began to take his anecdotes about behind the scenes of hollywood people were riveted and they had not heard this before. This was event television. 0rson heard this before. This was event television. Orson welles, he said, forget the questions, lets just talk. The programme went all the way through to interviewing bette midler, you needed somebody who could go from serious journalism talk about highbrow topics to having a laugh and rolling around on the set with emu. You needed somebody of the calibre of Michael Parkinson who was a very talented interviewer. He started early in television and learned the skills and there was the magical moment in the 70s when these people were here waiting to be spoken to and it was late night, just originally a Filler Programme for the bbc during the dog days of summer, it was open ended, sometimes it went on a bit longer than it should have done in the schedule but it was a free and easy time. Tv magic, that is what happened. Muhammad ali, 0rson magic, that is what happened. Muhammad ali, orson welles, kenneth williams, the comedian, talking that his views about the unions, these are things which are stuck in the minds of people. If you wanted to have a pretty good summation of popular cultural history of the last 50 years, you could pretty much start with the Parkinson Programme in the 19705. Start with the Parkinson Programme in the 1nos in the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for oininu in the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for joining us in the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for joining us if in the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for joining us. If you in the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for joining us. If you want in the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for joining us. If you want to in the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for joining us. If you want to look. In the 1970s. Indeed. Thanks for joining us. If you want to look at some of sir Michael Parkinsons most famous interviews, we have a selection on the bbc news website and also some other stories with more of the tributes and it is worth watching some of his greatest interviews. To west africa, where more than 60 migrants are presumed dead after their boat was found drifting off cape verde. Its thought they were trying to reach the spanish Canary Islands. The boat was found about 300km from cape verde. Its believed almost all those on board came from senegal. 38 people, including children, were rescued and brought ashore on the island of sal. Officials in senegal said they were making arrangements to bring survivors home. They are the lucky ones. These survivors were spotted in a wooden boat near cape verde by a spanish Fishing Vessel and they had spent a month at sea. Three of mahmouds siblings and his cousin were on the boat. His 24 year old brother died. They both tried making the journey together earlier this year. Translation one of my brothers called to Say Another Brother was dead. I was shocked because we were close and he was a fighter. He was married and had two kids. A booming population, crumbling economies and growing insecurity is pushing thousands of young people to leave west africa. As the legal means of accessing europe tighten, many of them are turning to dangerous, illegal routes in search of a better life. The Atlantic Migration Route from the coast of west africa to the Canary Islands is often used by african migrants to reach spain, especially in the summer. But it is one of the worlds deadliestjourneys. Translation it comes with a lot of pain, yes, i but we know that Immigration Issues are global issues which require international cooperation, a lot of discussion and a global strategy. Until such a solution is found, young people like mahmoud says he will keep trying to reach europe despite the risks. Myenijones, lagos. Rishi sunak has spoken to saudi arabias crown prince and Prime MinisterMohammed Bin Salman on thursday after confirmation that the gulf leader has been invited to visit the uk. The visit is likely to be in october, though no official date has been set yet and it could prompt sharp criticism. It would be the first visit since the murder ofjournalist Jamal Khashoggi at the saudi consulate in istanbul in 2018. Us Intelligence Agencies concluded that the prince must have authorised the killing, despite him denying any involvement. Live now to westminster and our Political Correspondent damian grammaticas. First of all, what more do we know about the phone call . It first of all, what more do we know about the phone call . About the phone call . It happened earlier today about the phone call . It happened earlier today between about the phone call . It happened earlier today between rishi about the phone call . It happened earlier today between rishi sunak| earlier today between rishi sunak and the crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman and we have the readout which you get from Downing Street which they hand out, the official Press Briefing and it does not tell you exactly what happened but it gives an idea and essentially it says the two men discussed the deepening of economic ties between the two and we know rishi sunak said he looked forward to personally deepening those ties and discussed their commitment to trade and investment relationships, deepening that, and what that amounts to is a few things, a long standing Security Partnership with saudi arabia and a large amount of uk arms sold to saudi arabia which is big business for the uk and saudi energy supplies, the biggest oil exporter, and the uk are a big buyer of energy. We also saw borisjohnson going to meet Mohammed Bin Salman to discuss diversifying Energy Supply away from russia and also saudi arabia has huge amounts of money earned from its energy sales, oil and gas, which it is looking to invest Around The World and the uk would like a bit of that. All of thatis would like a bit of that. All of that is in the discussion but what they do not confirm is the actual visit but the bbc has been told that thatis visit but the bbc has been told that that is lined up for october although no specific date yet. The visit will not although no specific date yet. The visit will not come without controversy because there is huge concerns over the Human Rights Record of saudi arabia. Concerns over the Human Rights Record of saudi arabia. Exactly. The murder of the record of saudi arabia. Exactly. The murder of the journalist record of saudi arabia. Exactly. The murder of the journalist jamal murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi took place in the saudi consulate, diplomatic premises, in turkey, in istanbul, and Jamal Khashoggi went there to seek a Visa To Travel to saudi arabia and he had been a long standing critic of saudi arabia and it is believed that he was murdered by a special squad of saudi agents who dismembered his body and it disposed of it and the us believes that was ordered by the crown prince which has led to a freeze in relations and that is one reason that this would be a pretty controversial visit. Amnesty International Say a much more principled approach to saudi arabia is needed and the Liberal Democrats in the uk have said it beggars belief that rishi sunak is rolling out the red carpet for this man who authorised the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The crown prince has denied any involvement and there has denied any involvement and there has been a prosecution of some saudis in saudi arabia relating to that killing but the labour party have said that while it is important that the Prime Minister, if the crown prince comes here, speaks to him about human rights, it says part of the role is to challenge other nations and if you do not do that you do not have any influence at all. Im sure others may say that building closer ties and seeking to challenge people was an approach that has been taken with other countries and how much does it have an impact here . You can point to russia and china, for example. This will be a controversial visit if and when it does happen. When it does happen. Thanks for oininu when it does happen. Thanks for joining us Around The World and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets look at some other stories making news. School staff in 10 Scottish Local Authority areas say theyll go on strike on 13 and 1a september. Gmb scotlands members which includes non Teaching School staff rejected a pay offer of 5. 5 in april, calling it unacceptable. The union said the offer does not come close to matching the surging Cost Of Living. The family of a pregnant woman killed by a Speeding Driver have welcomed a decision to have his 12 Year Prison Sentence reviewed by the court of appeal. Frankiejules hough died, along with her unborn daughter, when adil iqbal crashed into her car shortly after hed filmed himself driving at 123 miles per hour. An mp has told a Public Meeting he will pursue a Law Granting Better Protection For Heritage Venues after the demolition of the 18th century Crooked House pub after a fire. About 100 people attended the meeting about what had happened to the pub in dudley. It was destroyed less than two days after the fire. The fire is being treated as arson. Youre live with bbc news. The proportion of students getting top a level grades in england, wales and Northern Ireland has fallen sharply from 12 months ago but remains higher than pre pandemic levels. Todays results show 27. 2 of exams were given an a or an a star down more than nine Percentage Points on last year. The biggest fall was in england, where ministers had said they wanted to return to pre pandemic marking standards more quickly. Frances read has more details. For the students opening their exam results today, this has been a long road. Having received Teacher Assets Grades for their gcses in the pandemic. It was quite tough. We were the final year to not do formal exams, so it was quite a push, really. There is a wider plan to bring grades back to pre pandemic levels after a spike of good results through 2020 and 2021. This year, the overall pass grade has dropped a Percentage Point from last year, Standing Atjust over 97 . But the drop in top grades is being felt more keenly in england, showing a disparity between the nations. Top grades in england are only about 1 higher than before the pandemic. Unlike in wales and Northern Ireland, where they are still 7 8 higher. But 0fqual has reassured students there is protection built into the Grading Process even if they didnt perform as well in their exams. We worked hand in hand with universities over a two year period, to make sure students would be treated fairly. Universities are used to working with 700 different types of qualifications. They can absolutely cope with the differences in the devolved quality. It is celebrations for those who did their btec and also t level, a relatively new qualification which gives entry to Higher Education in things like digital skills, health and construction. Students in blackpool were among the 97 of t level students who have received at least one university offer. More than half of 18 year olds dont apply to university, but for those who do want to go, it is about ensuring they are not unfairly disadvantaged. The pandemic has widened the attainment gap for those on the lowest incomes in the uk. More than 16,500 students who had Free School Meals have been accepted into university, but ucas said the data proves that there are still huge challenges for the most disadvantaged students. We dont set arbitrary targets of 50 go in and see who goes, we have been focused on making sure we have access to opportunity for those most disadvantaged. If you didnt get the grades you want or need, the advic