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| David Frost: a career in clips | David Frost: a career in clips |
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| The difficulty in describing Sir David Frost's career arises both from the sheer scale of it – he achieved national fame more than 50 years ago and was until his death still an interviewer for al-Jazeera – and from the variety. Aside from bringing political satire to people's living rooms, Frost pioneered the chatshow, interviewed just about every major political figure of his age, established two television franchises and worked with dozens of other famous television names at the start of their careers. | The difficulty in describing Sir David Frost's career arises both from the sheer scale of it – he achieved national fame more than 50 years ago and was until his death still an interviewer for al-Jazeera – and from the variety. Aside from bringing political satire to people's living rooms, Frost pioneered the chatshow, interviewed just about every major political figure of his age, established two television franchises and worked with dozens of other famous television names at the start of their careers. |
| 1. That Was The Week That Was | 1. That Was The Week That Was |
| Still regularly cited as one of the most exciting and innovative programmes ever shown on British television, TW3, as it was generally called, skewered politicians in a way that was, for the era, genuinely shocking. Created and directed by Ned Sherrin and helmed by an unflappable 20-something Frost, it began with a satirical song from Millicent Martin and included sketches, skits and comic monologues. Writers included Dennis Potter, Bill Oddie and Keith Waterhouse. It ran for just two BBC series, in 1962 and 1963, though Frost went on to host a US version. | Still regularly cited as one of the most exciting and innovative programmes ever shown on British television, TW3, as it was generally called, skewered politicians in a way that was, for the era, genuinely shocking. Created and directed by Ned Sherrin and helmed by an unflappable 20-something Frost, it began with a satirical song from Millicent Martin and included sketches, skits and comic monologues. Writers included Dennis Potter, Bill Oddie and Keith Waterhouse. It ran for just two BBC series, in 1962 and 1963, though Frost went on to host a US version. |
| 2. The Frost Report | 2. The Frost Report |
| If TW3 influenced TV satire for decades to come, The Frost Report, which ran in 1966 to 1967, more or less set the future for British television comedy in its 29 episodes. The three main performers, apart from Frost, were John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, whose most celebrated sketch saw them line up in height order for a much-copied routine about social class. It was on the set of The Frost Report that production staff began to refer to Barker and Corbett as "the two Ronnies", while the writing team included Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, and Eric Idle – every Monty Python member bar Terry Gilliam – as well as Marty Feldman and lead writer Antony Jay, who went on to create Yes, Minister. | If TW3 influenced TV satire for decades to come, The Frost Report, which ran in 1966 to 1967, more or less set the future for British television comedy in its 29 episodes. The three main performers, apart from Frost, were John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, whose most celebrated sketch saw them line up in height order for a much-copied routine about social class. It was on the set of The Frost Report that production staff began to refer to Barker and Corbett as "the two Ronnies", while the writing team included Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, and Eric Idle – every Monty Python member bar Terry Gilliam – as well as Marty Feldman and lead writer Antony Jay, who went on to create Yes, Minister. |
| 3. The Frost Programme | 3. The Frost Programme |
| Frost's first outing as a more serious interviewer came with The Frost Programme, for which he returned to Associated Rediffusion, the then-ITV franchise for London for whom he had worked as a trainee after leaving Cambridge. Each hour-long episode featured an in-depth chat with one or a set of guests, among them Enoch Powell, the Beatles, Orson Welles and Prince Charles. The most famous episode involved Emil Savundra, a notorious insurance business fraudster, who clearly expected to sway public opinion. Frost's usually gentle style changed, and he harangued the increasingly evasive Savundra. | Frost's first outing as a more serious interviewer came with The Frost Programme, for which he returned to Associated Rediffusion, the then-ITV franchise for London for whom he had worked as a trainee after leaving Cambridge. Each hour-long episode featured an in-depth chat with one or a set of guests, among them Enoch Powell, the Beatles, Orson Welles and Prince Charles. The most famous episode involved Emil Savundra, a notorious insurance business fraudster, who clearly expected to sway public opinion. Frost's usually gentle style changed, and he harangued the increasingly evasive Savundra. |
| 4. The Nixon interviews | 4. The Nixon interviews |
| Certainly Frost's most globally celebrated moment – not least after it was turned into a play and then a celebrated film – came in 1977 when he arranged and self-financed a series of 12 interviews with Richard Nixon, eventually edited into four 90-minute TV episodes. After hours of verbal sparring, Nixon, who was seeking to rehabilitate his reputation after Watergate, conceded: "I let the American people down and I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life." Time dulled the impact of the interviews until writer Peter Morgan chose to tell their story in a hit play Frost/Nixon that eventually became a film, with Michael Sheen starring as Frost. | Certainly Frost's most globally celebrated moment – not least after it was turned into a play and then a celebrated film – came in 1977 when he arranged and self-financed a series of 12 interviews with Richard Nixon, eventually edited into four 90-minute TV episodes. After hours of verbal sparring, Nixon, who was seeking to rehabilitate his reputation after Watergate, conceded: "I let the American people down and I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life." Time dulled the impact of the interviews until writer Peter Morgan chose to tell their story in a hit play Frost/Nixon that eventually became a film, with Michael Sheen starring as Frost. |
| 5. TV-am and Breakfast with Frost | 5. TV-am and Breakfast with Frost |
| Rare among TV presenters in being as much an entrepreneur and businessman as a performer, Frost was central to the foundation of London Weekend Television in 1968. In 1983 he joined Michael Parkinson, Angela Rippon, Anna Ford and Robert Kee – the "famous five", as they were known – in establishing TV-am, and he stayed with the initially troubled ITV early morning operation until 1992. He was best known for Frost on Sunday, a politics and showbusiness chatshow, and took the weekend format to the BBC in 1993 as Breakfast with Frost. | Rare among TV presenters in being as much an entrepreneur and businessman as a performer, Frost was central to the foundation of London Weekend Television in 1968. In 1983 he joined Michael Parkinson, Angela Rippon, Anna Ford and Robert Kee – the "famous five", as they were known – in establishing TV-am, and he stayed with the initially troubled ITV early morning operation until 1992. He was best known for Frost on Sunday, a politics and showbusiness chatshow, and took the weekend format to the BBC in 1993 as Breakfast with Frost. |
| 6. Through the Keyhole | 6. Through the Keyhole |
| For many younger TV viewers Frost was known principally for hosting the gameshow Through The Keyhole, which initially started as a TV-am segment but ran as a full programme on ITV from 1987 to 2008. The format saw a panel of celebrities being asked to guess the identity of another famous person by being shown a video tour of their house. This section was presented by Loyd Grossman, whose diction and presenting style were even more distinctive than Frost's. | For many younger TV viewers Frost was known principally for hosting the gameshow Through The Keyhole, which initially started as a TV-am segment but ran as a full programme on ITV from 1987 to 2008. The format saw a panel of celebrities being asked to guess the identity of another famous person by being shown a video tour of their house. This section was presented by Loyd Grossman, whose diction and presenting style were even more distinctive than Frost's. |
| 7. The Frost Interview | 7. The Frost Interview |
| After being moved off the Breakfast with Frost sofa in 2005, seemingly against his will, he joined the English-language arm of Doha-based al-Jazeera when it launched in 2006, remaining with it until his death. There he chatted to the traditional mix of politicians and celebrities, with recent interviewees including Buzz Aldrin, Shimon Peres, Garry Kasparov and Lewis Hamilton. | After being moved off the Breakfast with Frost sofa in 2005, seemingly against his will, he joined the English-language arm of Doha-based al-Jazeera when it launched in 2006, remaining with it until his death. There he chatted to the traditional mix of politicians and celebrities, with recent interviewees including Buzz Aldrin, Shimon Peres, Garry Kasparov and Lewis Hamilton. |
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