Sir Michael Parkinson, 88, has a blast at pal Dickie Bird’s birthday as he makes rare public appearance-Aisha Nozari-Entertainment – Metro

Sir Michael Parkinson attended Dickie Bird’s 90th birthday on Wednesday (Picture: Ian Hodgson/Daily Mail)

Sir Michael Parkinson seemed to be having a whale of a time at his pal Dickie Bird’s 90th birthday bash on Wednesday.

The 88-year-old TV legend is rarely seen in public but was clearly enjoying his day out at Leeds’ Headingley Stadium and barely stopped smiling while ringing in cricket umpire Dickie’s milestone birthday.

Sir Michael looked as sharp as ever and opted for black trousers and a navy blazer worn over a blue shirt.

He and Dickie go way back and in the 1950s were even teammates at Barnsley Cricket Club before Sir Michael’s career in entertainment took off.

The presenter is of course best known for fronting Parkinson between 1971 and 1982 and then between 1998 and 2007.

Sir Michael interviewed some of the world’s most famous faces, from A-listers to royalty and everyone in between.

The 88-year-old TV legend is rarely seen in public but was clearly enjoying his day out at Leeds’ Headingley Stadium (Picture: Ian Hodgson/Daily Mail)

Sir Michael barely stopped smiling while celebrating his longtime friend (Picture: Ian Hodgson/Daily Mail)

Sir Michael, pictured in 1987 with Billy Connelly, is of course best known for fronting Parkinson (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

He last made headlines in December when ripping into football and the Word Cup, claiming it has ‘nothing to do with anyone except bent millionaires’.

The TV star was of course referencing the fact that last year’s contest controversially took place in Qatar, where there are strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws and a severe lack of protections for women.

What’s more, several workers, including a 40-year-old British man, also died while constructing the stadium.

Aside from Sir Michael, the likes of Dua Lipa and Sir Rod Stewart also condemned the human rights situation in the Arab host country and even turned down lucrative offers to perform.

The star was seen chatting away to other guests (Picture: Ian Hodgson/Daily Mail)

Sir Michael looked as sharp as ever and opted for black trousers and a navy blazer worn over a blue shirt (Picture: Ian Hodgson/Daily Mail)

Sir Michael hosted Parkinson between 1971 and 1982 and then between 1998 and 2007 (Picture: Ian Hodgson/Daily Mail)

Appearing on Good Morning Britain late last year, Sir Michael was asked by host Richard Madeley if he would want to interview FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Sir Michael responded: ‘No, he’s beyond redemption. Let him crawl away and wither.’

The veteran interviewer then explained that the ‘trouble’ with the sport was that it had ‘gone beyond its meaning’.

He continued: ‘[It’s] transferred to another world that is totally unreal, it’s just too silly for words. The people who are running the game should be thoroughly ashamed.’

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Explaining football had a ‘noble background’, Sir Michael raged: ‘They think they’ve got it right but they’ve totally misunderstood its importance. They’ve created a totally false image. It has nothing to do with anyone except bent millionaires.’

He’s still got it!

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