Yorkshire telly legend Harry Gration was left in tears after a video chat with old pal Sir Michael Parkinson on his last show.
Harry, 69, has presented the BBC Look North news programme since 1982 and is “loved to bits” by viewers and colleagues.
But on the eve of his 70th birthday, Harry who was awarded an MBE for his services to broadcasting, struggled to contain his emotions as he hosted his final programme on Wednesday.
Retiring Harry, who is married to Helen, 51, told The Mirror how colleagues “stitched me up” by arranging a surprise video chat with Parky.
“Parky and I have been pals for a long time now – he has always been really good to me,” he said. “That was a complete surprise. The BBC said: ‘We need you in the studio quickly for a Zoom interview… you can pick it up quickly’.
“Then there was the screen and there was Parky and I completely broke down.
(Image: BBC/PA)
“We’re a right set of softies. Somebody said to me they’ve never seen a programme end with someone clutching a toilet roll.”
When chat show legend Parkinson, 85, popped up on a giant screen in the studio, a clearly emotional Harry exclaimed: “Parky! Oh God…Oh, I wish I could give you a hug.”
The veteran broadcaster asked Harry “Is it true?” to which he replied: “Yeah it is lad, it is, I’m off, I’m off.” Parkinson laughed and said: “What you leaving for? You’ve got a good bit of mileage left in you haven’t you?” But Gration chuckled and said: “It’s just been one of those rollercoasters.
“God, you’re the first interview I’ve done about this and I’m crying my eyes out already. So thank you very much indeed for that.”
(Image: Huddersfield Examiner)
Parky told him: “We’re going to miss you, you know. I’m going to miss you. You’re the lifeblood of local television, the guys and girls who people trust. You’ve been trusted more than most and you deserve that because you’re a good journalist, you tell the truth, you’ve got an honest face even though you’re a bit of a rogue underneath, I know that.” Harry told him: “One of the joys of my broadcasting career is you.”
In a filmed tribute, legendary cricket umpire Dickie Bird, 87, said of Harry: “He’s a legend in his own right. I shall always keep his friendship.”
Harry arrived at the Leeds studio in a double decker bus named after him. It will operate on the 36 route between Leeds and Harrogate, for which Harry has already recorded on-board announcements.
(Image: BBC)
(Image: BBC)
Later he presented from Barnsley after the South Yorkshire town was moved to Tier 3 lockdown. Passing motorists sounded their horns – while one lady took him a bottle of wine and some hot pies.
As he went to celebrate his 70th with his family yesterday, a recovering Harry said: “It was unbelievable. I didn’t expect to get the tens of thousands of messages I got. It was incredibly moving. I didn’t really hold it together at one point but I managed to pull it back.”
Bradford-born Harry is adored in Yorkshire where he started out as a history teacher while filing sports reports to the BBC. After becoming a presenter he covered devastating stories including Hillsborough, the murder of Jo Cox MP and the Bradford riots.
(Image: WireImage)
The dad of six named his MBE in 2013 and his 2014 trip to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan as the highlights of his career. He said “reaching the big 70” felt like the right time to retire, with the show also going down to one presenter, his co-host Amy Garcia.
Tearful Harry told viewers: “I’m going to take a deep breath because as you may know this is my last ever programme for Look North.
“I’ve been coming down here to Barnsley since I first started in 1981. I’ve always loved it because people tell it to you straight.”
Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/harry-gration-says-hes-softie-22891785