Their disagreement was first sparked more than 40 years ago, when Michael Parkinson dared to suggest to an up-and-coming Helen Mirren that her figure may undermine her credibility as an actress.
But the clash, which prompted a huge sexism row and saw the pair ignore each other for decades, has little chance of repair - at least according to the presenter, who claims he has nothing to apologise for.
Recalling the spat with Dame Helen, which began when she appeared on his talk show in 1975, Sir Michael described their confrontation as "good television" and said it had not been resolved because: "I don't want to make up and nor does she."
He also refused to accept his comments were sexist, arguing: "If you didn't live in that time, you're not allowed an opinion."
His refusal to apologise comes more than four decades after the uncomfortable exchange, which began when the talk show host introduced Dame Helen - then a young actress who had played lead roles in Miss Julie and A Midsummer's Nights Dream - as the "sex queen" of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Sir Michael, who was then in his 30s, went on to tell her that she was an "in quotes, a serious actress" and asked if her "equipment" undermined her credibility. "Your figure", he added when questioned by the actress what he meant. "Serious actresses can't have big bosoms, is that what you mean?" she replied, outraged.
He also quoted a review that described her as "projecting sluttish eroticism" during the encounter, which Dame Helen later described as "enraging" and "extremely creepy".
Yesterday, in an interview with Event magazine, Sir Michael admitted that he might have been a "bit over-reactive" but defended his comments.
He said: "She presented a provocative figure as she walked down the stairs carrying a feather boa, half dressed as I recall, with love and hate tattooed onto her knuckles. I would not have done my duty as a human being had I not reacted in a certain way.
"I mean, we didn't like each other. We have not done much since to repair the damage, but that sometimes happens in life."
When asked if there was a chance the pair could make up, he said: "I don't want to. Nor does she. I don't regard what happened as being anything other than good television. There is no need to apologise, not at all.
"She didn't want to do an interview and after about ten minutes I didn't want to interview her. There's no problem, it's not World War III for God's sake."
He also denied that his attitude was sexist, saying: "You have to judge it by what happened in that time. If you didn't live in that time, you're not allowed an opinion in my view."
He continued: "Am I a sexist? No, I'm Yorkshire. I've been married for 57 years so something must be going right."
Their television clash has prompted years of questions, with both Dame Helen and Sir Michael talking about it in previous interviews.
The actress, now 71, later told The Telegraph: “That’s the first talk show I’d ever done. I was terrified. I watched it and I actually thought, bloody hell!
"I did really well. I was so young and inexperienced. And he was such a f------ sexist old fart. He was. He denies it to this day that it was sexist, but of course he was.”
Last year, Dame Helen, who has described interest in her body as "prurient", also reflected on how sexism remained a problem throughout the 1970s.
She said: "That decade, after the sexual revolution but before feminism, was perilous for women. Men saw that as a sort of “Oh fantastic! We can f*** anything, however we like, whenever we like. They’re up for grabs, boys!”
But the clash, which prompted a huge sexism row and saw the pair ignore each other for decades, has little chance of repair - at least according to the presenter, who claims he has nothing to apologise for.
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| The TV clash occurred when Helen Mirren appeared on the presenter's talk show in 1975 |
Recalling the spat with Dame Helen, which began when she appeared on his talk show in 1975, Sir Michael described their confrontation as "good television" and said it had not been resolved because: "I don't want to make up and nor does she."
He also refused to accept his comments were sexist, arguing: "If you didn't live in that time, you're not allowed an opinion."
His refusal to apologise comes more than four decades after the uncomfortable exchange, which began when the talk show host introduced Dame Helen - then a young actress who had played lead roles in Miss Julie and A Midsummer's Nights Dream - as the "sex queen" of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Sir Michael, who was then in his 30s, went on to tell her that she was an "in quotes, a serious actress" and asked if her "equipment" undermined her credibility. "Your figure", he added when questioned by the actress what he meant. "Serious actresses can't have big bosoms, is that what you mean?" she replied, outraged.
 |
| Sir Michael introduced the actress as the "sex queen" of the Royal Shakespeare Company |
He also quoted a review that described her as "projecting sluttish eroticism" during the encounter, which Dame Helen later described as "enraging" and "extremely creepy".
Yesterday, in an interview with Event magazine, Sir Michael admitted that he might have been a "bit over-reactive" but defended his comments.
He said: "She presented a provocative figure as she walked down the stairs carrying a feather boa, half dressed as I recall, with love and hate tattooed onto her knuckles. I would not have done my duty as a human being had I not reacted in a certain way.
"I mean, we didn't like each other. We have not done much since to repair the damage, but that sometimes happens in life."
When asked if there was a chance the pair could make up, he said: "I don't want to. Nor does she. I don't regard what happened as being anything other than good television. There is no need to apologise, not at all.
"She didn't want to do an interview and after about ten minutes I didn't want to interview her. There's no problem, it's not World War III for God's sake."
He also denied that his attitude was sexist, saying: "You have to judge it by what happened in that time. If you didn't live in that time, you're not allowed an opinion in my view."
He continued: "Am I a sexist? No, I'm Yorkshire. I've been married for 57 years so something must be going right."
 |
| In the interview, he quoted a review that described her as "projecting sluttish eroticism" |
Their television clash has prompted years of questions, with both Dame Helen and Sir Michael talking about it in previous interviews.
The actress, now 71, later told The Telegraph: “That’s the first talk show I’d ever done. I was terrified. I watched it and I actually thought, bloody hell!
 |
| In an interview with Event magazine, Sir Michael admitted that he might have been a "bit over-reactive" but defended his comments |
Last year, Dame Helen, who has described interest in her body as "prurient", also reflected on how sexism remained a problem throughout the 1970s.
She said: "That decade, after the sexual revolution but before feminism, was perilous for women. Men saw that as a sort of “Oh fantastic! We can f*** anything, however we like, whenever we like. They’re up for grabs, boys!”
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