Sir Michael Parkinson "felt nervous and insecure" at public events.
Sir Michael Parkinson was 'nervous' at public events
The late chat show king - who died "peacefully" in August last year aged 88 - is one of the most iconic TV stars in history but his son Mike, 57, has painted a picture of a more "private man".
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Of course, he had an ego because he was a man who was on TV, but in reality, he was a private man - when he went to public events you could sense he felt nervous and insecure, hiding behind my mum."
His legendary show was watched by 12 million people at its peak, and while Parkinson "wasn't always there" as much as his family wanted, he was a different person out of the limelight.
Mike said: "It's not like he walked downstairs to his theme tune.
"When we were growing up he was super-charged in his career, which meant there were times he wasn't always there as much as we wanted him to be.
"He wasn't perfect, he could be distant and was very much of his generation - not as hands-on as we expect dads to be now."
A year on from his father's death, Mike admitted his passing "feels unreal", and his dad's fame makes it more "difficult" to mourn.
He explained: "It still feels unreal. Anybody who loses someone close probably feels the same.
"But when you lose someone so well known, it's sometimes difficult because you turn on the TV and there he is - a clip of my dad interviewing someone famous."
Meanwhile, he revealed that when it came down to it, Parkinson was like any other father.
He added: "He was no different to any other dad that I knew really. What many people didn't see what that he could be bad tempered, especially if [his football team] Barnsley lost!"
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