From a cricket god to a feminist icon: Ray Martin's eight favourite interviews

Julia Gillard is “likeable and honest” says Ray Martin, who has recently recorded the former Prime Minister’s first tell-all interview.

Martin, who has interviewed every other Australian PM of the past 50 years, said his aim was to find the "real Julia", quoting one of Ms Gillard’s comments during her prime ministership.

Julia Gillard: The Whole Truth will air on Channel 9 after the 6pm News on Tuesday.

In anticipation of the interview's release, Martin spoke to 9news.com.au about his favourite encounters so far in a career spanning 49 years and 10,000 interviews.

We asked for his top five, but he couldn’t bring himself to cut the list down to that few – and so here are Ray Martin’s Top Eight.

Don Bradman

“I’m a cricket tragic and he had never done a full interview before,” Martin said, to explain why the Don took pride of place.

“He was a god.”

Bradman, the greatest batsman of all time, was notoriously shy of fronting the media.

Martin said to be able to spend a couple of days conducting what was to be Bradman’s final interview, in 1996, was one of the great highlights of his career.

Fred Hollows

The pioneering eye doctor who made great advances in cataract surgery was an “amazing character”.

He was “difficult, arrogant, cantankerous, argumentative” but Martin said he was also a hero for the world.

“There are five million-plus people who can see now, who couldn’t before,” he said.

“He was the top of the tree at what he did.

“He was simply one of those blokes who couldn’t stop doing good things.”

David Attenborough

The documentary legend is one of Martin’s more recent acquaintances, the two of them having done a number of live shows together in the past few years.

Martin said he was full of admiration for Attenborough’s energy.

“He’s 89 this year and he just doesn’t slow down,” he said.

One of Attenborough’s defining traits was his powerful curiosity about the world and in other people.

“Highly intelligent – all three of these blokes (Bradman, Hollows and Attenborough) were highly intelligent, but they would always listen to what you had to say or what a cameraman had to say,” he said.

Michael Crawford

Star of TV sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and the original Phantom of the Opera, Michael Crawford is “probably the full package” as an entertainer, Martin said.

“He could sing, he could tell great stories and he was – still is – funny,” Martin said.

“Women loved him and blokes liked him.”

Martin said Crawford was one of the rare performers who could be entertaining on live TV, mostly due to his great sense of comic timing.

Robin Williams

Martin spoke soberly of his interviews with the recently-deceased Williams, praising his humour and energy, but acknowledging the comedian was “very much a sad clown”.

“He was the funniest man I’ve ever met,” he said.

“Simply just manic, madcap.”

Martin admitted Williams could be difficult to interview, saying you didn’t want to “get in the way” of Williams’ rapid-fire jokes.

However, what struck Martin most was Williams’ way of viewing the world, which he said was “unique”.

Margaret Mead

The American cultural anthropologist and author was simply an “extraordinary woman”, Martin said.

“She was one of those wise women who could straighten you out,” he said.

Martin praised her unconventional personal life, which pushed the cultural boundaries of American life in the middle of the 20th century and even played a part in fuelling the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Germaine Greer

Iconic Australian feminist and commentator Greer was overtaken by her knack for grabbing headlines, Martin said, but she was a woman of substance.

“She had some real sense amid the headlines,” he said.

“I think she’s got silly in recent years, but she was very clever.”

He said Greer was a woman who could be relied on to pull men up when they “crossed a line.”

Whoopi Goldberg

The American entertainer was cut from the same cloth as Greer in that she “wouldn’t let you get away with anything.”

“She was funny, smart, wise and witty,” Martin said.

“One of those people who could definitely sort you out.”