3 days Ago By Erik Pedersen
More than 10,000. That’s how many interviews Sir David Frost conducted across his extraordinary career in television, spanning almost 50 years. Frost is best known for his historic conversation with former President Richard Nixon, which created a sensation when it was broadcast in 1977.
That encounter became the basis for the 2006 play Frost/Nixon , written by Peter Morgan ( The Crown ), and two years later a film directed by Ron Howard, starring Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost. Related Stories He Became The World’s Most Successful Artist Before Imploding: Thomas Kinkade’s Contradictions Revealed In Miranda Yousef Documentary – Doc Talk Podcast Doc Talk Podcast: Oscar Winner Alex Gibney Opens Secret Vault Of Political Cash In ‘The Dark Money Game’ The new MSNBC documentary series David Frost Vs examines some of the greatest interviews conducted by the Television Hall of Fame inductee, including that incredible sit-down with Nixon as well as eye-opening discussions with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Elton John, Muhammad Ali, Jane Fonda, Nixon’s Vice President Spiro Agnew and more. On the latest episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we explore the series with executive producer Wilfred Frost , one of David’s sons, who went into the family business himself as a presenter on Sky News and contributor to NBC News, CNBC and MSNBC.
The younger Frost tells us how his father’s background as a Methodist minister’s son helped prepare him for a career in TV. And he shares behind-the-scenes stories from David Frost’s conversations with Lennon, Ono, Nixon and more, along with details on his dad’s relationship with actress and singer Diahann Carroll (they were engaged for three years in the early 1970s). He also tells us what he thinks of Sheen’s portrayal of his pop in Frost/Nixon .
Watch on Deadline David Frost conducted a dozen interviews with Ali across more than three decades. Wilfred explains how, in his dad’s first conversation with the boxing legend, he managed to challenge the heavyweight champion on a contentious point regarding race relations without destroying their budding relationship. It was vintage Frost – probing and incisive yet charming and warm.
That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk , hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley ( 12 Years a Slave , Shirley ) and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios. Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify , iHeart and Apple .
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