Michael Parkinson (sorry — Sir Michael Parkinson) will always be known as Parky to the nation, which makes it the obvious title for his new autobiography.

His subjects have been so numerous that it's easier to mention who Michael Parkinson hasn't interviewed, than the 2,000-plus that he has. Frank Sinatra is one regret.

With his book, comes the odd sensation of the spotlight being turned on him, from his rise through the ranks from a humble Yorkshire mining village to the King Of Chat. While he cajoled intimacies out of stars for 25 years, little is known of how Michael Parkinson, 73, the son of a miner with only two O-Levels, became a household name.

Parkinson began as a journalist on local newspapers before joining the Manchester Guardian and later the Daily Express, then branching into TV. He took time out for acting, but soon went back to his chat show line-up.

But he maintains his initial curiosity about fame remains the same. "We all sit and wonder, 'Why is that person famous and not me?' And that's the start of the interview, basically. You're finding out on the viewer's behalf.

"No-one I've ever had on my show had it given to them," he says. "They all wanted it very badly and they all wanted it from a very early age. And they all worked that bit harder than anybody else to get it."

And if you wondered what he's going to do now, apart from promoting his book (he is coming to Borders on Monday at 5pm), cricket, his eight grand-children, his home in Bray and his bees are a good place to start.