British TV host, journalist and entertainer Sir Michael Parkinson will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Australian Radio Conference, to be held in Sydney in October.

Sir Michael will be speaking at the radio conference about his time in television and radio including anecdotes of his famous interviews with various personalities and celebrities.

Following the conference, Sir Michael begins an Australian and New Zealand tour of his one man show theatre tour, called Parky: The One Man Show.

Sir Michael is best known for his TV chat show Parkinson, where he interviewed over 3,000 of the world’s most famous people over a 30-year broadcasting career.

His extensive broadcasting experience includes radio where he hosted various sports and entertainment programs including the most recent, Parkinson’s Sunday Supplement on Radio 2 that featured his favourite music and special guests.

He has received numerous awards for his work including Best Talk Show Host, Sports Writer of the Year and a BAFTA for Best Light Entertainment Performance in 1999.

He retired from the regular chat show and Sunday radio programs in 2007 to write his autobiography, launched last year as Parky.

The 2009 Australian Radio Conference has featured memorable keynote speakers over the past few years including, Imran Khan and Nigel Lythgoe, Harry Shearer, John Cleese, Sir Bob Geldof, Barry Humphries, Buzz Aldrin, Clive James and director Bruce Beresford.