Michael Parkinson (I)

Recent BBC4 repeats of Michael Parkinson's interviews with Peter Cook reminded us that Cook was a rarity: a skilled satirist who was louche, profoundly funny and charismatic.

His diminutive long-time comic partner, "cuddly" Dudley Moore, often fell into the shadow (sometimes literally) of his friend and colleague during their years in 1960s revue Beyond the Fringe and their subsequent TV series, until Moore quite unexpectedly became a huge star in the films 10 and Arthur.

Unforgettable hears from his ex-wife Brogan Lane about his life in Hollywood and how he coped with fame, and from friend Rena Fruchter, who helped Moore through his final, cruel illness until his death in 2002.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, verbose Yorkshireman Russell Harty, who died in 1988, was a popular arts presenter and chat show host. His most notorious moment - being slapped in the face by disgruntled guest Grace Jones - has gone down in TV history. But Harty was also quietly pioneering, establishing a relaxed style of interviewing which got celebrities to open up. This affectionate portrait is peppered with memories from those who knew him, including Janet Street Porter and Michael Parkinson.

Michael Parkinson: Chat shows are too busy being funny

Chatshow king Sir Michael Parkinson says successors to his crown no longer conduct interviews because they are too busy trying to be funny.

Chris Tarrant wants to put Parky's ads into Room 101

Chris Tarrant has a dig at Sir Michael Parkinson's cringe-worthy insurance adverts in tonight's episode of Room 101.

Ever since Rod Hull and the terrifyingly blank-eyed Emu gave Michael Parkinson a mauling on his programme in 1976, chat show hosts have been understandably cagey about inviting puppets into their studios. Top marks for bravery, then, to Jonathan Ross, who welcomes Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy onto his sofa tonight. They'll be there, ostensibly, to discuss the forthcoming Muppets movie, but it'll be a small miracle if Ross manages to avoid at least a mild handbagging.

The balance of civility should be redressed by his other big-name guest of the night, Hugh Bonneville, who - in spite of having become one of Britain's best-known actors for his starring role in Downton Abbey - remains the picture of a modest English gentleman. He'll be talking, amongst other things, about the much-anticipated third series of Downton, which is set in the Twenties and is due to begin on ITV1 in September. Completing the line-up, the young comedian Jack Whitehall - whose cocksure manner and fondness for one-liners is reminiscent of a young Jonathan Ross - is given a chance to crack wise, and Sheffield-born indie rockers Arctic Monkeys provide the music.

From classical stage work to Hollywood blockbusters, 77-year-old Judith Olivia Dench is our finest actress working today. This documentary charts the Dame's distinguished career via the roles she has played over the past half century. We discover how she disliked drama at school in York but "had a go" and rose to prominence in 1960s theatre. She impressed during an early small screen appearance in Z Cars, which led to later TV work including Cranford and A Fine Romance, alongside late husband Michael Williams. Her career was redefined, though, by an extraordinary run of films: whipping James Bond into shape in GoldenEye; her acclaimed turn as Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown; and the Oscar-winning Elizabeth II in Shakespeare in Love. This otherwise pedestrian programme is made by the quality of the clips which include last year's Proms tribute to Stephen Sondheim, out-takes showcasing Dench's dirty laugh and footage from the original stage production of Cabaret. Michael Parkinson, Simon Callow and Geoffrey Palmer also share their anecdotes. It's preceded at 7.00pm by another chance to see the final episode of As Time Goes By.

Dame Judi Dench may be a Hollywood superstar now, but to say she's paid her dues is a bit of an understatement. This documentary, which spans her 50-year career, shows her first TV appearance in Z Cars and her time in gentle sitcom-land with A Fine Romance and As Time Goes By. But it wasn't until she became "a newcomer in her 60s" playing M in Goldeneye and bagging awards for Mr Brown and Shakespeare In Love that she was unleashed as an international star. Friends and fans Michael Parkinson, Geoffrey Palmer and Simon Callow bow down.

Jonathan Ross: will he be crowned king of chat on ITV?

Jonathan Ross returns to chat this Saturday with his new ITV show. But will it be a success? Industry experts - including Michael Parkinson - give their views.

The first series of Stephen K Amos's stand up/sketch comedy/chat show comes to an end. It's been something of a hit and miss first outing, with the humour erring on the side of juvenile a lot of the time. Tonight, Amos welcomes fellow comedians Isy Suttie (who plays Dobby in Peep Show, also on this evening, see below) and Marlon Davis in to do a bit of stand-up. Meanwhile he does his weekly "phone call" to his mother (played by Amos in drag), and meets stuntman Paul Hammer (again, Amos in costume) who reveals he stood in for both Muhammad Ali and Rod Hull's Emu on Michael Parkinson's chat show.

'Russell Brand is pointless,' says Michael Parkinson

Parky claims Brand is 'artless, unfunny and creatively dull'.