David Frost
On Thursday 13 March, people from across the broadcasting industry will convene at Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to David Frost who died last year.
Sir David Frost was well-known as a journalist, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He was born in 1939 and started his broadcasting career at Associated Rediffusion Television. His first job at the BBC was fronting That Was the Week That Was, the ground-breaking show which satirised the government of the day. When the series came to an end in 1963, Frost went on to produce The Frost Report launching the careers of Ronnie Barker, John Cleese and Ronnie Corbett. He famously interviewed Richard Nixon, establishing a global reputation as a broadcaster in the process. He set up the first commercial breakfast TV programme – TV-am before presenting Breakfast with Frost for the BBC from 1993 until 2005.
Director-General Tony Hall commented, “Sir David was a journalist and broadcaster known throughout the world for his truth-telling, for his imagination and his ability to entertain,” adding, “The service is an opportunity to celebrate his life and pay tribute to him.”
The service will also see the unveiling of a memorial stone dedicated to the broadcaster (the second such stone marking the life of a broadcaster - the first was Richard Dimbleby). The service will be attended by HRH The Prince of Wales and Sir David’s wife Lady Carina Frost who will lay flowers on the memorial stone located in the South Transept of Westminster Abbey. The Frost family said, “We’re deeply touched – as he would have been – by all the friends and colleagues who hope to be there, and by the countless message of love and support we have received.”
- Westminster Abbey are providing a real-time feed of the service via the @WAbbey Twitter account.
- Pictures and extracts from the service will be published on the About the BBC Blog after the service.
