Veteran broadcaster Michael Parkinson was knighted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The former chat show host, journalist and radio presenter, whose career spanned more than 40 years, received the honour for services to broadcasting. Sir Michael has described the honour as 'a wonderful surprise'. "I never expected to be knighted - I thought there was more chance of me turning into a Martian really," he said when the award was announced. The knighthood capped an important year for the broadcaster, who retired from his chat show in December, more than 30 years after it was launched. Parkinson began on the BBC in 1971 and ran for 11 years. It made a comeback in 1998, but in 2004 Sir Michael announced he was moving to ITV after the corporation tried to move his show to make way for Match Of The Day. Over the years, he interviewed thousands of guests, from Tom Cruise to Tony Blair. Sir Michael has also retired from his Radio 2 show to spend more time with his family, travelling and writing his memoirs. TV doctor Christopher Steele also picked up his MBE in recognition of his services to general medical practice and broadcasting. Dr Steele is the resident doctor on This Morning and has been on the show since 1987. He qualified in 1968 and since then has worked as a GP in south Manchester.
