Who Do You Think You Are? gave up on Michael Parkinson after six weeks' research turned up no big surprises, he says

Michael Parkinson has said that he was rejected from BBC1's hit geneaology series Who Do You Think You Are? because his family history was so "boring".

The former chatshow host said he was approached to take part in the genealogy programme, but told producers he thought his story was not interesting enough. The production team did not believe him and undertook its own research, but six weeks later he was told he was right.

"I'm addicted to Who Do You Think You Are?," Parkinson told the new edition of Radio Times, which comes out today.

"It's the fascination we all have for our roots, the intriguing story of our lives. Some are more interesting than others. I had known for some time that the story of my genealogy was unremarkable. On my father's side miners and farm labourers; on my mother's railwaymen and domestics. So when Who Do You Think You Are? called and asked if I was interested, I said I would be delighted, but warned that my own research had unearthed nothing of note. 'Oh, they all say that. But we always find something,' they said. Six weeks later they phoned to apologise. My story was so boring they had to cancel the entire project. I was gutted."

Parkinson said that out of all the celebrity reality shows, Who Do You Think You Are? was the only one he wanted to be on.

"I turned down All Star Mr & Mrs," he added. "Much as I love him, I couldn't spend two weeks in the jungle with Christopher Biggins, or indeed volunteer for Celebrity Medical Nightmares or Celebrity Rehab."

He says that celebrity shows have now become so pervasive, he has come up with some ideas of his own.

"In the spirit of the celebrity worship that pervades the engine room of modern television, let me suggest a couple of new ideas. What about Celebrity Firing Squad? This would be a quiz based on other celebrity shows. Sample question: 'On which celebrity show did Rebecca Loos become a pig's best friend?' At the end of the quiz the celebrities vote for the worst contestant, who is led out in front of a firing squad of volunteers made up of viewers. I feel this show would have the same appeal as recent gems of the genre like Celebrity Most Haunted, Celebrity Dog School and Celebrity Hunt, where celebrities wearing fox fur are pursued across open terrain by riders and hounds of the Quorn. I made up that last one, but if anyone in tellyland thinks it might be a goer, you know how to contact me."

Parkinson also weighed into the debate about a supposed lack of female comedians, after Dara O'Briain said he had difficulty finding funny women for Mock the Week.

"Anyone who has ever done a talkshow will understand the problem," he said. "There are some very funny women, and I don't have to tell you who they are, but when compared to male comedians it is, as O'Briain suggests, a 90/10 divide.

"But a bigger question, it seems to me, is: when a good comic (male or female) arrives on the scene, where's the TV showcase? The natural habitat nowadays seems to be the panel game. Live at the Apollo apart, whatever happened to stand-up?"

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