Famous faces lost: Sir David Frost
Satirist, game show host, interviewer to the stars and the man who coaxed an apology from Richard Nixon over the Watergate affair – we farewelled one of the truly great broadcasters of our time on August 31 when David Frost died of a heart attack at the age of 74.
A star in both the United Kingdom and the United States, his finest hour came during the Nixon Interviews in 1977, brilliantly portrayed in the Ron Howard film Frost/Nixon five years ago.
Round after round of gruelling verbal jabs and uppercuts finally resulted in a knockout blow for Frost as the former President of the United States, who had resigned just a few years earlier, confessed his guilt over the Watergate scandal and cover-up, in which Democratic rivals were bugged.
"I'm sorry," Nixon confessed. "I let down my friends. I let down the country. I let down our system of government and the dreams of all those young people that ought to get into government but will think it is all too corrupt."
It was an epic showdown, watched by around 45 million people, and cemented Frost’s status as a broadcasting star – and a very rich man after he packaged the interviews and sold them around the world.
Yet Frost’s roots were embedded in comedy and satire. The son of a Methodist minister, he was a leading figure in the Footlights Dramatic Club at Cambridge University, which became famous for providing a launching pad for the creators of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and the Goodies.
He became a star hosting the groundbreaking satirical sketch show That Was The Week That Was, the first of its kind to take potshots at the British establishment with writers including Peter Cook, John Cleese and Dennis Potter.
The Frost Report, another comedy sketch show, followed, before he began to bare his teeth as an interrogator in The Frost Programme, interviewing everyone from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Prince Charles.
After the Nixon interviews, he went on to host in-depth interview Sunday morning shows with both ITV and the BBC in Great Britain and sat opposite almost every US President and British Prime Minister of the period.
Although his tone softened in his later years , he remained dedicated to the craft and continued to be a presence on Al Jazeera International.
Off-screen, his lavish parties were legendary on the London social scene and he was linked to a number of British and American actresses before marrying Lynne Frederick in 1981 and, after they split, wed Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, daughter of the 17th Duke of Norfolk in 1983, whom he remained married to until his death.
His catchphrase, ‘Hello, good evening and welcome’, delivered in that laconic Frost drawl remains recognisable around the world.
“The late Labour leader John Smith once told me I have a way of asking beguiling questions with potentially lethal consequences," he once said.
"I think I'd be happy to have that on my tombstone.”
