After a brief illness, 88-year-old Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night, in the company of his family.

"Parky" began his career in print journalism, working for local papers based near his beloved hometown of Barnsley, before becoming a feature writer at the Manchester Guardian and later at the Daily Express in London.

During his National Service, Michael was in Egypt during the Suez Crisis, as a British Army press liaison officer. On being demobbed, he moved into television, working for Granada as a current affairs reporter. He went of to present 'Cinema', the station's film review programme from 1969.

Moving to the BBC in 1971, he then began his eponymous  Saturday-evening talkshow which ultimately ran until 1982. Revived again in 1998, it ran for a further 9 years. He pioneered the conversational style of interviewing, putting guests at their ease with his relaxed questioning and lack of interruptions. His numerous encounters with comedian Billy Connolly were a great draw for audiences, whilst his encounter with entertainer Rod Hull - and his puppet Emu - in 1976 became a favourite of many. He announced his retirement in 2007, but returned briefly to hosting television in November 2012 with his show 'Parkinson: Masterclass'.

Parkinson also hosted a number of BBC radio programmes, including a season of Radio 4’s 'Desert Island Discs', 'Parkinson on Sport' for Radio Five Live, and the Sunday morning show 'Parkinson’s Sunday Supplement' on Radio 2 from 1996 to 2007.

In 2013, the presenter revealed he had received radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer. adding two years later that he'd received the all-clear from doctors.

He's survived by his wife, Mary, and their three children, Andrew, Nicholas and Michael Jr.