Dead Talk Show Legend’s Voice Synthesized by AI: Michael Parkinson’s Family Backs New Venture

An artificial intelligence recreation of legendary British interviewer Sir Michael Parkinson will host a groundbreaking new celebrity interview podcast. The eight-part unscripted series, titled Virtually Parkinson, represents what’s believed to be the first podcast entirely presented by an AI host, with full support from Parkinson’s family and estate, reports The Guardian.

The project, developed by Deep Fusion Films, utilizes data from Parkinson’s extensive archive of VIP interviews, which included conversations with sports icons like Muhammad Ali and George Best, alongside screen legends such as Fred Astaire, David Niven, Bette Davis, and Lauren Bacall, per the outlet. The interviewer’s impact on entertainment was significant, from launching Billy Connolly’s career in 1975 to his memorable encounter with Rod Hull’s Emu puppet in 1976.

Mike Parkinson, the late broadcaster’s son, highlighted the authenticity of the AI voice recreation: “It’s exactly how he delivered his questions – even the pacing is the same. It stills people when they hear it.” He distinguished the AI version from typical impressions, noting, “Those are caricatures, done for effect. In fact, my father was quite hard to impersonate, especially at the beginning, because he was mainly listening and not putting himself forward.”

Benjamin Field, co-founder and executive producer at Deep Fusion Films, addressed ethical concerns during the AI Creative Summit via Broadcast: “It would be very easy to look at the series and say we’ve created a virtual podcast that could have been given to a human presenter, but that’s something we wouldn’t do.” Field stressed that the project actually creates more employment opportunities, requiring nine people to produce compared to the typical three to seven for standard podcasts.

The production team emphasizes transparency, with each episode beginning with a disclosure about the AI-generated nature of the host. The format includes a unique element where guests will be asked to reflect on their experience of being interviewed by a digital entity. “We do not ever instruct the AI what to say,” Field explained to The Guardian. “We just asked him to say ‘hello’ after feeding in everything we know about Michael Parkinson to bring him back as authentically as possible.”

Parkinson Jr. revealed that the project emerged from discussions about potential interviews his father missed: “My father and I used to muse about the people he missed out on talking to; great names of the past. He did not ever lose his desire to interview people – he just lost some of his energy. We used to joke about the idea of a ‘Jurassic’ talk show, where he’d have brought back stars to interview them.”

The initiative has sparked industry discussion about AI’s role in entertainment. Channel 4 content chief Ian Katz recently addressed the concept, stating per Broadcast, “We looked at that and I thought ‘no that’s not the way we are going’, we are not going to be cloning talent anytime soon.”

Field and his team reaffirm their commitment to ethical AI development, working only with estate approval and family involvement. “Sir Michael defined a new style of interviewing, so it is really appropriate. But as technology evolves, all we can do is put in protections, as others potentially look into this kind of legacy work,” Field noted. “The important thing is that AI content is licensed and not just scraped from the web when it cannot legally be used.”

The project aims to introduce Parkinson’s interviewing style to new audiences while maintaining his legacy. Parkinson Jr. expressed enthusiasm about the potential: “I know AI is a controversial development, but I felt that, if it was going to be done, I would much rather it was done well. Ben and James are the sort of people my father would have loved working with.”

The development comes as other projects explore different approaches to reviving past presenters. For instance, comedian Benjamin Alborough will portray Sir Terry Wogan in a London stage show, Late Night with Terry Wogan, using traditional theatrical methods. Deep Fusion Films is currently approaching A-list celebrities to participate in the series, which aims to capture Parkinson’s distinctive relaxed interviewing style for contemporary audiences while acknowledging its technological innovation.