Michael Parkinson has blasted TV talent shows for creating a dangerous perception of fame.
The veteran interviewer continued to voice his disapproval of formats such as Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor, arguing that they are doing damage by offering "an easy route" to success
"There is a tendency nowadays, if you look at a lot of talent shows, to put the proposition to young people that it is very easy to be famous," he told The Sun.
"All you have to do is go on some talent show and that is it. If you succeed, great, but if you don't, you are rubbish.
"There is a danger with the growth of these talent shows and other programmes that they are an easy route to fame. A lot of young people are tempted by that. But it tells a lie about what real talent is."
Asked how he would react to being offered a job by Simon Cowell on one of his shows, the 76-year-old replied: "It would be an insult! Simon is not stupid. He wouldn't come looking."
Parkinson will make a television comeback this year with Sky Arts programme Masterclass, which he claimed will be a more traditional chatshow than those fronted by the likes of Jonathan Ross or Alan Carr.
"If you look across the board, there isn't one talkshow - apart from Piers Morgan['s Life Stories] - that is interview based," he said. "What they are based on is comedy.
"There is nothing wrong with that, it is just the way it is now... there is a group of people all doing the same kind of show but they are comedy shows. The kind of show I did is no longer there."
