When I used to do PAR's, I used to say '1 mile to glidepath, prepare to lose height' so you guys could get ready with gear/flaps/power (choose whichever you use to initiate descent) It was common after the 'cockpit checks advise complete' for pilots to reply 'wheels on the glidepath' (so the director would write 'WOG' on the strip!) then between 3 and 4 miles you'd transmit 'final checks to land - acknowledge'.
PAR to touchdown could be carried out in emergency, although at places with civilian controllers such as Boscombe, Bedford and Farnborough, Director of Flying (MOD PE becoming DPA) authorised talkdowns to touchdown at any time if the controller decided the radar picture was capable of supporting it.
I did do it, reasoning that sometime one of you guys might have a cracked windscreen/dense smoke in cockpit or anything else that might obscure the visual references, so the more practice I got, the easier it would be in an emergency. I also added 'over the end of the runway' to indicate there was pavement beneath if you wanted to drop it on in emergency.
Unfortunately, nobody told me what was happening when I was recorded for a Discovery Wings programme, so now my voice is heard occasionally on TV (and I don't get royalties)!!