Sir David Frost, Did I Miss Something?

[sandyRoe]

He was a fine broadcaster but what did he do to merit a memorial stone in Westminster Abbey?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26560919

[sandyRoe]

Wasn't it 'Beyond the Fringe' ( Peter Cooke, Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller, and Alan Bennett) that saw the reemergence of satire and didn't Frost just jump on their coattails?

[Colmc54]

Believe me I'm no expert on TV history. I imagine though that Frost acted as a presenter the BBC could identify with- calm, well groomed, and eloquent, that allowed, under his aegis, the untamed anarchic artists you mentioned to have their opportunity.

Sometimes the facilitators of change deserve as much credit as the people they empower. I'm no expert though, why not ask Count Arthur Strong?

[sandyRoe]

Maybe Frost wasn't quite the power for change that some think he was. After his death more than one obituarist wrote that he was famous for being famous.

[trish1234567]

If one looks up the number of great playwrights, actors, poets and writers, who are buried or have been mentioned in a memorial service in Westminster Abbey (even Handel), then it must be seen that Sir David Frost's name will look completely out of place. Surely a plaque somewhere would have sufficed.

[Colmc54]

Sandy and Trish.

The best thing would be if we stopped doing the Westminster thing with Newton and Shakespeare. I makes sense, who can hope to follow after all?

But what of Paul Dirac or Harold Pinter for example? There is no timeless arbitration going on here. We are being directed into the 'now' by the intelligentsia whose interests it was deemed by them to award Frost the ultimate accolade.

I find myself agreeing now with those opposed to Frost's treatment. In fact I am embarrassed that I supported it however briefly.

[jeffa]

"Wasn't it 'Beyond the Fringe' (Peter Cooke, Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller, and Alan Bennett) that saw the re-emergence of satire and didn't Frost just jump on their coattails?"

Yes, absolutely! TW3, which lasted for just over one year, was a ground-breaking show in many ways, and David Frost was its presenter. As such, he was the "face" of the show and many people thought he wrote the whole thing. But he didn't. He was "just" the presenter. The show was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin. It had many writers - the "usual suspects" plus some who might surprise you such as John Betjeman, Roald Dahl and Gerald Kaufman. But not David Frost.

The Nixon interviews, however, were a stunning piece of TV journalism, unparalleled IMO. They don't warrant his memorial stone in Westminster Abbey, though.

[Colmc54]

NO.