140-577: Sir David Paradine Frost OBE (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was an English television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme That Was the Week That Was in 1962. His success on this show led to work as a host on American television. He became known for his television interviews with senior political figures, among them
280-561: A Methodist local preacher , which he did not complete. Frost attended Barnsole Road Primary School in Gillingham, St Hugh's School, Woodhall Spa , Gillingham Grammar School and finally – while residing in Raunds, Northamptonshire – Wellingborough Grammar School . Throughout his school years he was an avid football and cricket player, and was offered a contract with Nottingham Forest F.C. For two years before going to university he
420-513: A Programme, More a Way of Life , which he co-chaired with Willie Rushton and poet P. J. Kavanagh . Screened on three evenings each week, this series was dropped after a sketch was found to be offensive to Catholics and another to the British royal family. More successful was The Frost Report , broadcast between 1966 and 1967. The show launched the television careers of John Cleese , Ronnie Barker , and Ronnie Corbett , who appeared together in
560-585: A Show , staged at London's Fortune Theatre in 1969. It polarised the critics but was a hit with audiences and became the basis of a growing cult following in the UK. He further developed the character of Edna Everage in his early-1970s' shows, including A Load of Olde Stuffe (1971) and At Least You Can Say You've Seen It (1974–75). He finally broke through to widespread critical and audience acclaim in Britain with his 1976 London production Housewife, Superstar! at
700-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
840-601: A cameo as Edna in the Robert Stigwood musical film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , followed in 1981 by his part as the fake-blind TV-show host Bert Schnick in Shock Treatment , the sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Humphries was more successful with his featured role as Richard Deane in Dr. Fischer of Geneva (1985); this was followed by Howling III (1987), a cameo as Rupert Murdoch in
980-454: A character similar to Edna in the back of a bus while touring country Victoria with Twelfth Night with the MTC at the age of 20. He credited his then mentor, Peter O'Shaughnessy , stating that, without his "nurturing and promotion, the character of Edna Everage would have been nipped in the bud after 1956 and never come to flower, while the character of Sandy Stone would never have taken shape as
1120-453: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
1260-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
1400-465: A discussion with Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi as part of the Monitor Group 's involvement in the country. In June 2010, Frost presented Frost on Satire , an hour-long BBC Four documentary looking at the history of television satire. Frost/Nixon was originally a play written by Peter Morgan , developed from the interviews that Frost had conducted with Richard Nixon in 1977. Frost/Nixon
1540-508: A fair trial. Frost's introductory words for his television programmes during this period, "Hello, good evening and welcome", became his catchphrase and were often mimicked. Frost was a member of a successful consortium, including former executives from the BBC, that bid for an ITV franchise in 1967. This became London Weekend Television , which began broadcasting in July 1968. The station began with
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#17327986081901680-562: A film version of the Barry McKenzie cartoons. The Adventures of Barry McKenzie starred singer Barry Crocker in the title role and featured Humphries—who co-wrote the script with Beresford—playing three different parts. It was filmed in England and Australia with an all-star cast including Spike Milligan, Peter Cook, Dennis Price , Dick Bentley , Willie Rushton , Julie Covington , Clive James and broadcaster Joan Bakewell . It
1820-469: A friend of and was photographed by leading photographer Lewis Morley , whose studio was located above the club. Humphries contributed to the satirical magazine Private Eye , of which Cook was publisher, his best-known work being the cartoon strip The Wonderful World of Barry McKenzie . The bawdy cartoon satire of the worst aspects of Australians abroad was written by Humphries and drawn by New Zealand-born cartoonist Nicholas Garland . The book version of
1960-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
2100-403: A half hours long, alternated satirical monologues and musical numbers and consisted of entirely original material, laced with ad-libbing, improvisation and audience participation segments. Humphries mostly performed solo, but he was occasionally joined on stage by supporting dancers and an accompanist during the musical numbers. Only one actor ever regularly shared the stage with Humphries, and this
2240-579: A heart attack, aged 74. Cunard said that the vessel had left Southampton for a ten-day cruise in the Mediterranean , ending in Rome . A post-mortem found that Frost had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy . Frost's son Miles died from the same condition at the age of 31 in 2015. A funeral service was held at Holy Trinity Church in Nuffield, Oxfordshire , on 12 September 2013, after which he was interred in
2380-540: A one-off, Humphries decided to revive "Olympic Hostess" for Phillip Street and its success helped to launch what became a fifty-year career for the self-proclaimed "Housewife Superstar" (later Megastar, then Gigastar). The next Phillip Street revue was Around the Loop , which again teamed Oldaker, Gordon Chater , Blacklock and Humphries, plus newcomer June Salter . Humphries revived the Edna character (for what he said would be
2520-560: A popular programme. The involvement of Frost in TW3 led to an intensification of the rivalry with Peter Cook who accused him of stealing material and dubbed Frost "the bubonic plagiarist". The new satirical magazine Private Eye also mocked him at this time. Frost visited the U.S. during the break between the two series of TW3 in the summer of 1963 and stayed with the producer of the New York City production of Beyond The Fringe . Frost
2660-496: A presence on the stage". In 1957, Humphries moved to Sydney and joined Sydney's Phillip Street Theatre , which became Australia's leading venue for revue and satirical comedy over the next decade. His first appearance at Phillip Street was in the satirical revue Two to One , starring veteran Australian musical star Max Oldaker, with a cast including Humphries and future Number 96 star Wendy Blacklock . Although he had originally assumed Edna's debut Melbourne appearance would be
2800-481: A programming policy that was considered " highbrow " and suffered launch problems with low audience ratings and financial problems. A September 1968 meeting of the Network Programme Committee, which made decisions about the channel's scheduling, was particularly fraught, with Lew Grade expressing hatred of Frost in his presence. Frost, according to Kitty Muggeridge in 1967, had "risen without
2940-662: A series of three chat-show specials filmed in the U.S. for the NBC and the Fox network . Like The Dame Edna Experience , these included an array of top celebrity guests such as Burt Reynolds , Cher , Bea Arthur , Kim Basinger and Barry Manilow . Edna's most recent television special was Dame Edna Live at the Palace in 2003. He starred in the Kath & Kim telemovie Da Kath & Kim Code in late 2005. In 1977, Dame Edna guest-starred on
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#17327986081903080-565: A spoon with a sheep's eye. Humphries had written and performed songs and sketches in university revues, so after leaving university he joined the newly formed Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC). It was at this point that he created the first incarnation of what became his best-known character, Edna Everage . The first stage sketch to feature Mrs. Norm Everage, called "Olympic Hostess", premiered at Melbourne University's Union Theatre on 13 December 1955. In his award-winning autobiography, More Please (1992), Humphries related that he had created
3220-636: A trace." He was involved in the station's early years as a presenter. On 20 and 21 July 1969, during the British television Apollo 11 coverage , he presented David Frost's Moon Party for LWT, a ten-hour discussion and entertainment marathon from LWT's Wembley Studios , on the night Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. Two of his guests on this programme were British historian A. J. P. Taylor and entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. Around this time Frost interviewed Rupert Murdoch whose recently acquired Sunday newspaper,
3360-516: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
3500-973: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
3640-616: The News of the World , had just serialised the memoirs of Christine Keeler , a central figure in the Profumo scandal of 1963. For the Australian publisher, this was a bruising encounter, although Frost said that he had not intended it to be. Murdoch confessed to his biographer Michael Wolff that the incident had convinced him that Frost was "an arrogant bastard, [and] a bloody bugger". In
3780-594: The 17th Duke of Norfolk . Three sons were born to the couple over the next five years. His second son, Wilfred Frost , followed in his father's footsteps and currently works as an anchor at Sky News and CNBC . They lived for many years in Chelsea, London , and kept a weekend home at Michelmersh Court in Hampshire. On 31 August 2013, Frost was aboard the Cunard cruise ship MS Queen Elizabeth when he died of
3920-550: The Apollo Theatre . Its success in Britain and Australia led Humphries to try his luck with the show in New York City in 1977 at the off-Broadway Theatre Four (now called the Julia Miles Theatre), but it proved to be a disastrous repeat of his experience with Just a Show . Humphries later summed up his negative reception by saying: "When The New York Times tells you to close, you close." His next show
4060-782: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2005 and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emmy Awards in 2009. Frost died on 31 August 2013, aged 74, on board the cruise ship MS Queen Elizabeth , where he had been engaged as a speaker. His memorial stone was unveiled in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey in March 2014. David Paradine Frost was born in Tenterden , Kent , on 7 April 1939,
4200-600: The British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of the order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to
4340-598: The Class sketch . Frost signed for Rediffusion , the ITV weekday contractor in London, to produce a "heavier" interview-based show called The Frost Programme . Guests included Oswald Mosley and Rhodesian premier Ian Smith . His memorable dressing-down of insurance fraudster Emil Savundra , regarded as the first example of " trial by television " in the UK, led to concern from ITV executives that it might affect Savundra's right to
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4480-776: The EP Wild Life in Suburbia , which featured liner notes by his friend, the Modernist architect and writer Robin Boyd . In 1959, Humphries moved to London, where he lived and worked throughout the 1960s. He became a friend of leading members of the British comedy scene including Dudley Moore , Peter Cook , Alan Bennett , Jonathan Miller , Spike Milligan , Willie Rushton and fellow Australian expatriate comedian-actors John Bluthal and Dick Bentley . Humphries performed at Cook's comedy venue The Establishment , where he became
4620-592: The Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941, the medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed
4760-571: The Group W (U.S. Westinghouse Corporation) television stations in the U.S. His 1970 TV special, Frost on America , featured guests such as Jack Benny and Tennessee Williams . In a declassified transcript of a 1972 telephone call between Frost and Henry Kissinger , President Nixon's national security advisor and secretary of state , Frost urged Kissinger to call chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer and urge him to compete in that year's World Chess Championship . During this call, Frost revealed that he
4900-714: The London Palladium . In 1967, his friendship with Cook and Moore led to his first film role, a cameo as "Envy" in the film Bedazzled , starring Cook and Moore, with Eleanor Bron and directed by Stanley Donen . The following year, he appeared in The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom , with Shirley MacLaine . Humphries contributed to BBC Television 's The Late Show (1966–67), but Humphries found his true calling with his one-man satirical stage revues, in which he performed as Edna Everage and other character creations including Sandy Stone. A Nice Night's Entertainment (1962)
5040-649: The Mermaid Theatre and was transferring to the West End . Humphries performed with Milligan in the 1968 production of Treasure Island in the role of Long John Silver . He described working with Milligan as "one of the strangest and most exhilarating experiences of my career". In 1961, when Humphries was in Cornwall with his wife, he fell over a cliff near Zennor and landed on a ledge 50 m (150 ft) below, breaking bones. The rescue by helicopter
5180-464: The Nixon interviews with US president Richard Nixon in 1977 which were adapted into a stage play and film . Frost interviewed all eight British prime ministers serving from 1964 to 2016, from Alec Douglas-Home to David Cameron , and all eight American presidents in office from 1969 to 2008. Frost was one of the people behind the launch of ITV station TV-am in 1983. He was the inaugural host of
5320-559: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
5460-668: The SAVAK , the torture during his reign, Khomeini , his threat of extradition to Iran and draws a summary of the current situation in Iran. Frost was an organiser of the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. Ten years later, he was hired as the anchor of new American tabloid news program Inside Edition . He was dismissed after only three weeks because of poor ratings. It seems he
5600-712: The Samuel Beckett play at the Arrow Theatre in Melbourne directed by Peter O'Shaughnessy who played Vladimir. In 1958, Humphries and O'Shaughnessy collaborated on and appeared in the Rock'n'Reel Revue at the New Theatre in Melbourne, where Humphries brought the characters of Mrs Everage and Sandy Stone into the psyche of Melbourne audiences. In the same year, Humphries made his first commercial recording,
5740-683: The University of Melbourne , where he studied law, philosophy and fine arts. During this time, he was a private in the Melbourne University Regiment , serving a period of national service in the Citizens Military Force of the Australian Army . He did not graduate from university (although he would receive an honorary doctorate almost 50 years later). During this time he became a follower of
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5880-545: The Watergate scandal that had led to his resignation as president in 1974, expressed contrition saying, "I let the American people down and I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life". Frost asked Nixon whether the president could do something illegal in certain situations such as against antiwar groups and others if he decides "it's in the best interests of the nation or something". Nixon replied: "Well, when
6020-444: The coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of the medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to
6160-503: The platypus , a beloved and protected species in Australia. He was part of a group that made a series of Dada-influenced recordings in Melbourne from 1952 to 1953. "Wubbo Music" (Humphries said that "wubbo" is a pseudo-Aboriginal word meaning "nothing") is thought to be one of the earliest recordings of experimental music in Australia. Other exhibits the group mounted include "Creche Bang", a pram covered in meat and "Eye and Spoon Race",
6300-413: The 2014 "Dead Point" episode. In 2000 Humphries took his Dame Edna: The Royal Tour show to North America winning the inaugural Special Tony Award for a Live Theatrical Event in 2000 and won two National Broadway Theatre Awards for "Best Play" and for "Best Actor" in 2001. Asked by an Australian journalist what it was like to win a Tony Award , he said "it was like winning a thousand Gold Logies at
6440-473: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
6580-542: The Blue Angel nightclub in Berkeley Square , London during the evenings. Frost was chosen by writer and producer Ned Sherrin to host the satirical programme That Was the Week That Was , or TW3 , after Frost's flatmate John Bird suggested Sherrin should see his act at The Blue Angel. The series, which ran for less than 18 months during 1962–63, was part of the satire boom in early 1960s Britain and became
6720-792: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
6860-443: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
7000-891: The Dame Edna Everage character developed into a satire of stardom: a gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally fêted "housewife gigastar". His other satirical characters included the "priapic and inebriated cultural attaché" Sir Les Patterson, who "continued to bring worldwide discredit upon Australian arts and culture, while contributing as much to the Australian vernacular as he has borrowed from it"; gentle, grandfatherly "returned gentleman" Sandy Stone ; iconoclastic 1960s' underground film-maker Martin Agrippa; Paddington socialist academic Neil Singleton; sleazy trade-union official Lance Boyle; high-pressure art salesman Morrie O'Connor; failed tycoon Owen Steele; and archetypal Australian bloke Barry McKenzie . Humphries
7140-844: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
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#17327986081907280-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
7420-456: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
7560-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
7700-458: The U.S. sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live . In 2007, Humphries returned to the UK's ITV to host another comedy chat show called The Dame Edna Treatment , a similar format to The Dame Edna Experience from 20 years earlier. The series once again had a collection of high-profile celebrity guests, such as Tim Allen , Mischa Barton , Sigourney Weaver , Debbie Harry , and Shirley Bassey . In March 2008, Humphries joined
7840-486: The UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use the titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded
7980-411: The US news magazine programme Inside Edition . He hosted the Sunday morning interview programme Breakfast with Frost for the BBC from 1993 to 2005, and spent two decades as host of Through the Keyhole . From 2006 to 2012, he hosted the weekly programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English , and the weekly programme The Frost Interview from 2012. He received the BAFTA Fellowship from
8120-414: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
8260-468: The Week That Was . An American version of TW3 ran after the original British series had ended. Following a pilot episode on 10 November 1963, the 30-minute US series, also featuring Frost, ran on NBC from 10 January 1964 to May 1965. In 1985, Frost produced and hosted a television special in the same format, That Was the Year That Was , on NBC. Frost fronted various programmes following the success of TW3 , including its immediate successor, Not So Much
8400-488: The World , directed by George T. Miller of Man From Snowy River fame and co-written by Humphries with his third wife, Diane Millstead. In 2003, Humphries voiced the shark Bruce in the Pixar animated film Finding Nemo , using an exaggerated baritone Australian accent. During 2011, Humphries travelled to New Zealand to perform the role of the Great Goblin in the first instalment of Peter Jackson 's three-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Hobbit . At
8540-403: The arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of,
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#17327986081908680-402: The award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to the order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were
8820-413: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
8960-402: The centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
9100-435: The changes made by the Independent Television Commission in 1991. After transferring from ITV, his Sunday morning interview programme Breakfast with Frost ran on the BBC from January 1993 until 29 May 2005. For a time it ran on BSB before moving to BBC 1 . Frost hosted Through the Keyhole , which ran on several UK channels from 1987 until 2008 and also featured Loyd Grossman . Produced by his own production company,
9240-467: The church's graveyard. On 13 March 2014, a memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey , at which Frost was honoured with a memorial stone in Poets' Corner . British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute, saying: "He could be—and certainly was with me—both a friend and a fearsome interviewer." Michael Grade commented: "He was kind of a television renaissance man . He could put his hand to anything. He could turn over Richard Nixon or he could win
9380-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
9520-440: The civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of the medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as
9660-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
9800-501: The comedy prize at the Montreux Golden Rose festival." Frost was the only person to have interviewed all eight British prime ministers serving between 1964 and 2016 ( Harold Wilson , Edward Heath , James Callaghan , Margaret Thatcher , John Major , Tony Blair , Gordon Brown , and David Cameron ) and all seven U.S. presidents in office between 1969 and 2009 (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford , Jimmy Carter , Ronald Reagan , George H. W. Bush , Bill Clinton , and George W. Bush ). He
9940-495: The comic strip, published in the late 1960s, was for some time banned by the Australian government because it "relied on indecency for its humour". Humphries appeared in numerous West End stage productions including the musicals Oliver! and Maggie May , by Lionel Bart , and in stage and radio productions by his friend Spike Milligan. At one time, he was invited to play the leading role of Captain Martin Bules in The Bedsitting Room , which had already opened successfully at
10080-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
10220-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
10360-451: The deconstructive and absurdist art movement, Dada . The Dadaist pranks and performances that he mounted in Melbourne were experiments in anarchy and visual satire that have become part of Australian folklore. An exhibit entitled "Puss in Boots" consisted of a pair of Wellington boots filled with custard; a mock pesticide product called "Platytox" claimed on its box to be effective against
10500-626: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
10640-530: The first time in an edition of Anglia Television 's Town And Gown , performing several comic characters. "The first time I stepped into a television studio", he once remembered, "it felt like home. It didn't scare me. Talking to the camera seemed the most natural thing in the world." According to some accounts, Frost was the victim of snobbery from the group with which he associated at Cambridge, which has been confirmed by Barry Humphries . Christopher Booker , while asserting that Frost's one defining characteristic
10780-529: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
10920-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
11060-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
11200-649: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries AC CBE (17 February 1934 – 22 April 2023)
11340-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
11480-454: The judging panel on the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything to find an unknown lead to play the part of Nancy in a West End revival of the musical Oliver! . In May 2013, Australia's ABC Network announced that Humphries would be joining the cast of the Australian telemovie series, Jack Irish , playing a high-profile judge in the third movie in the series. He appeared as Justice Loder in
11620-640: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
11760-560: The last time) and the revue proved to be a major hit, playing eight shows a week for 14 months. During this period Humphries was living near Bondi and while out walking one day he had a chance meeting with an elderly man who had a high, scratchy voice and a pedantic manner of speech; this encounter inspired the creation of another of Humphries's most enduring characters, Sandy Stone . In September 1957, Humphries appeared as Estragon in Waiting for Godot , in Australia's first production of
11900-474: The late 1960s Frost began an intermittent involvement in the film industry. Setting up David Paradine Ltd in 1966, he part-financed The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970), in which the lead character was based partly on Frost, and gained an executive producer credit. In 1976, Frost was the executive producer of the British musical film The Slipper and the Rose , retelling the story of Cinderella . Frost
12040-488: The late 1960s, Humphries appeared in numerous films, mostly in supporting or cameo roles. His credits included Bedazzled (1967), the UK sex comedy Percy's Progress (1974), David Baker's The Great Macarthy (1975), and Bruce Beresford's Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974), in which Edna was made a dame by then Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam . His other film credits included Side by Side (1975) and The Getting of Wisdom (1977). The same year, he had
12180-528: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
12320-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
12460-967: The miniseries Selling Hitler (1991) with Alexei Sayle , a three-role cameo in Philippe Mora 's horror satire Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills (1995), the role of Count Metternich in Immortal Beloved (1994), as well as roles in The Leading Man (1996), the Spice Girls ' film Spice World , the Australian feature Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), and Nicholas Nickleby (2002), in which he donned female garb to play Nathan Lane 's wife. Humphries featured in various roles in comedy performance films including The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982) and A Night of Comic Relief 2 (1989). In 1987, he starred as Les Patterson in one of his own rare flops, Les Patterson Saves
12600-681: The most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin ". Humphries's numerous television appearances in Australia, the UK and the U.S. included The Bunyip , a children's comedy for the Seven Network in Melbourne. In the UK, he made two highly successful series of his comedy talk show The Dame Edna Experience for London Weekend Television . The series featured a variety of famous guests, including Liza Minnelli , Sean Connery , Roger Moore , Dusty Springfield , Charlton Heston , Lauren Bacall , and Jane Seymour . These highly popular programmes have since been repeated worldwide, and
12740-473: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
12880-399: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
13020-620: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
13160-527: The order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At
13300-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
13440-410: The order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with the addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in
13580-402: The order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside
13720-434: The pattern for his eventual stage career; his father in particular spent little time with him, and Humphries spent hours playing at dressing-up in the back garden. Disguising myself as different characters and I had a whole box of dressing up clothes ... Red Indian , sailor suit, Chinese costume and I was very spoiled in that way ... I also found that entertaining people gave me a great feeling of release, making people laugh
13860-604: The president does it, that means that it is not illegal", by definition. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution , Frost was the last person to interview Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , the deposed Shah of Iran. The interview took place on Contadora Island in Panama in January 1980, and was broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company in the U.S. on 17 January. The Shah talks about his wealth, his illness,
14000-482: The press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, just before the film's world premiere, Humphries commented: It was thrilling to work on this film and when you see my extraordinary interpretation you realise why I immediately fell into the arms of Jenny Craig , and minor cosmetic surgery. I always thought motion capture was something you did when you were taking a specimen at the doctor. In 2015, Humphries voiced
14140-548: The programme was first shown in prime time and on daytime television in its later years. Frost worked for Al Jazeera English , presenting a live weekly hour-long current affairs programme, Frost Over The World , which started when the network launched in November 2006. The programme regularly made headlines with interviewees such as Tony Blair , President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan and President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua. The programme
14280-450: The programme, thus preventing overruns. Frost took to reading synopses of the episodes at the end of the programme as a means of sabotage. After the BBC's Director General Hugh Greene instructed that the repeats should be abandoned, TW3 returned to being open-ended. More sombrely, on 23 November 1963, a tribute to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy , an event which had occurred the previous day, formed an entire edition of That Was
14420-840: The role of Wombo the Wombat in Blinky Bill the Movie . In 2016, he appeared in a dual role in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie as Charlie, a rich former lover of Patsy Stone , and in a nonspeaking cameo as Dame Edna. Humphries's forte was always his one-man satirical stage revues, in which he appeared as Edna Everage and other character creations, most commonly Les Patterson and Sandy Stone. The longevity of Dame Edna endured for more than sixty years, but, in 2012, he announced his retirement from live performance. Humphries's one-man shows, which were typically two and
14560-699: The role when the production moved to Broadway in 1963. However, the song "That's Your Funeral" was omitted from the RCA Victor original Broadway cast album, so Humphries is not heard at all on it. In 1967, he starred as Fagin in the Piccadilly Theatre 's revival of Oliver! , which featured a young Phil Collins as the Artful Dodger . In 1997, Humphries reprised the role of Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh 's award-winning revival at
14700-603: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
14840-466: The same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from a burning building containing explosives. In December 1922
14980-625: The same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as a GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and
15120-654: The son of a Methodist minister of Huguenot descent, the Rev. Wilfred John Paradine Frost (1900–1967), and his wife, Maude Evelyn ("Mona"; 1903–1991), née Aldrich; he had two elder sisters. The name "Paradine" reflected Huguenot ancestry. While living in Gillingham , Kent, he was taught in the Bible class of the Sunday school at his father's church (Byron Road Methodist) by David Gilmore Harvey, and subsequently started training as
15260-623: The special A Night on Mount Edna won Humphries the Golden Rose of Montreux in 1991. He wrote and starred in ABC-TV 's The Life and Death of Sandy Stone (1991), and presented the ABC social history series Barry Humphries' Flashbacks (1998). His other television shows and one-off specials include Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch (1992), Dame Edna's Work Experience (1996), Dame Edna Kisses It Better (1997) and Dame Edna's Hollywood (1991–92),
15400-461: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
15540-416: The statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by a proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in
15680-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
15820-855: Was Isn't It Pathetic at His Age (1978), and, like many of his shows, the title derives from the sarcastic remarks his mother often made when she took Humphries to the theatre to see superannuated overseas actors touring in Australia during his youth. His subsequent one-man shows included: He made numerous theatrical tours in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and the Far and Middle East. In 2003, he toured Australia with his show Getting Back to My Roots (and Other Suckers) . For his delivery of Dadaist and absurdist humour to millions, his biographer Anne Pender described Humphries in 2010 as not only "the most significant theatrical figure of our time ... [but]
15960-687: Was "considered too high-brow for the show's low-brow format." Frost was one of the "Famous Five" who launched TV-am in February 1983; however, like LWT in the late 1960s, the station began with an unsustainable "highbrow" approach. Frost remained a presenter after restructuring. Frost on Sunday began in September 1983 and continued until the station lost its franchise at the end of 1992. Frost had been part of an unsuccessful consortium, CPV-TV , with Richard Branson and other interests, which had attempted to acquire three ITV contractor franchises prior to
16100-622: Was a lay preacher, following his witnessing of an event presided over by Christian evangelist Billy Graham . Frost studied at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge , from 1958, graduating with a Third in English. He was editor of both the university's student paper, Varsity , and the literary magazine Granta . He was also secretary of the Footlights Drama Society, which included actors such as Peter Cook and John Bird . During this period Frost appeared on television for
16240-711: Was a patron and former vice-president of the Motor Neurone Disease Association charity, as well as being a patron of the Alzheimer's Research Trust , Hearing Star Benevolent Fund, East Anglia 's Children's Hospices, the Home Farm Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation . He was also recognised for his contributions to the women's charity "Wellbeing for Women". After having been in television for 40 years, Frost
16380-417: Was a very good way of befriending them. People couldn't hit you if they were laughing. His parents nicknamed him "Sunny Sam", and his early childhood was happy and uneventful. However, in his teens, Humphries began to rebel against the strictures of conventional suburban life by becoming "artistic", much to the dismay of his parents, who, despite their affluence, distrusted "art". A key event took place when he
16520-483: Was almost unanimously panned by Australian film critics, but became a huge hit with audiences. The film became the first Australian feature film to make more than $ 1 million at the box office, paving the way for the success of subsequent locally made feature films such as Alvin Purple and Picnic at Hanging Rock . It has been argued that Humphries was the first "proper" movie star of the Australian movie revival and
16660-434: Was ambition, commented that he was impossible to dislike. According to satirist John Wells , Old Etonian actor Jonathan Cecil congratulated Frost around this time for "that wonderfully silly voice" he used while performing, but then discovered that it was Frost's real voice. After leaving university, Frost became a trainee at Associated-Rediffusion . Meanwhile, having already gained an agent, Frost performed in cabaret at
16800-429: Was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson . He appeared in numerous stage productions, films and television shows. Humphries's characters brought him international renown. Originally conceived as a dowdy Moonee Ponds housewife who caricatured Australian suburban complacency and insularity,
16940-474: Was awarded a place in the school's gallery of achievement. As his father's building business prospered, Humphries was sent to Melbourne Grammar School , where he spurned sport, detested mathematics, shirked cadets "on the basis of conscientious objection" and matriculated with strong results in English and art. Humphries described this schooling, in a Who's Who entry, as "self-educated, attended Melbourne Grammar School". Humphries spent two years studying at
17080-598: Was born on 17 February 1934 in the suburb of Kew in Melbourne , Victoria, the son of Eric Humphries (né John Albert Eric Humphries) (1905–1972), a construction manager, and his wife Louisa Agnes (née Brown) (1907–1984). His grandfather John George Humphries was an emigrant to Australia from Manchester , England, in the late 1800s. His father was well-to-do, and Barry grew up in a "clean, tasteful, and modern suburban home" on Christowel Street, Camberwell , then one of Melbourne's new " garden suburbs ". His early home life set
17220-556: Was during the Edna segments: English actress Emily Perry played Edna's long-suffering bridesmaid from New Zealand, Madge Allsop , whose character never spoke. Humphries presented many successful shows in London, most of which he subsequently toured internationally. Although he eventually gained worldwide popularity, he encountered stiff resistance in the early years of his career: his first London one-man show, A Nice Night's Entertainment (1962), received scathing reviews. He gained considerable notoriety with his next one-man revue, Just
17360-462: Was engaged to American actress Diahann Carroll ; in 1974, he was briefly engaged to American model Karen Graham ; between 1972 and 1977 he had a relationship with British socialite Caroline Cushing; in 1981, he married Lynne Frederick , widow of Peter Sellers , but they divorced the following year. He also had an 18-year intermittent affair with American actress Carol Lynley . On 19 March 1983, Frost married Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, daughter of
17500-595: Was estimated to be worth £ 200 million by the Sunday Times Rich List in 2006, a figure he considered a significant overestimate in 2011. The valuation included the assets of his main British company and subsidiaries, plus homes in London and the country. Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to
17640-544: Was featured on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 's international affairs programme Foreign Correspondent in a report titled "The World According To Frost", reflecting on his long career and portrayal in the film Frost/Nixon . Frost had several relationships with high-profile women. In the mid-1960s, he dated British actress Janette Scott , between her marriages to songwriter Jackie Rae and singer Mel Tormé ; from 1970 to 1973, he
17780-470: Was filmed by a news crew from ITN . The footage of the rescue was shown to Humphries for the first time on a 2006 BBC show, Turn Back Time . Humphries's first major break on the British stage came when he was cast in the role of the undertaker Mr Sowerberry for the original 1960 London stage production of Oliver! He recorded Sowerberry's feature number "That's Your Funeral" for the original London cast album (released on Decca Records ) and reprised
17920-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
18060-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
18200-545: Was nine – his mother gave all of his books to the Salvation Army , cheerfully explaining: "But you've read them, Barry." Humphries responded by becoming a voracious reader, a collector of rare books, a painter, a theatre fan and a surrealist . Dressing in a black cloak, black homburg hat and mascaraed eyes, he invented his first sustained character, "Dr Aaron Azimuth", agent provocateur , dandy and Dadaist . Educated first at Camberwell Grammar School , Humphries
18340-531: Was paid $ 600,000 plus a share of the profits for the interviews, which had to be funded by Frost himself after the U.S. television networks turned down the programme, describing it as " checkbook journalism ". Frost's company negotiated its own deals to syndicate the interviews with local stations across the U.S. and internationally, creating what Ron Howard described as "the first fourth network". Frost taped around 29 hours of interviews with Nixon over four weeks. Nixon, who had previously avoided discussing his role in
18480-409: Was presented as a stage production in London in 2006 and on Broadway in 2007. Frank Langella won a Leading Actor Tony Award for his portrayal of Nixon; the play also received nominations for Best Play and Best Direction. The play was adapted into a Hollywood motion picture entitled Frost/Nixon and starring Michael Sheen as Frost and Langella as Nixon, both reprising their stage roles. The film
18620-478: Was produced by the former Question Time editor and Independent on Sunday journalist Charlie Courtauld. Frost was one of the first to interview the man who authored the Fatwa on Terrorism , Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri . During his career as a broadcaster, Frost became one of Concorde 's most frequent fliers, having flown between London and New York an average of 20 times per year for 20 years. In 2007, Frost hosted
18760-585: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
18900-427: Was released in 2008 and directed by Ron Howard . It was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards , winning none: Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Director-Drama, Best Actor-Drama (Langella), Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score. It was also nominated for five Academy Awards , again winning none: Best Picture, Best Actor (Langella), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. In February 2009, Frost
19040-742: Was the first such revue. It and Excuse I: Another Nice Night's Entertainment (1965) were only performed in Australia. In 1968 Humphries returned to Australia to tour his one-man revue Just a Show ; this production transferred to London's Fortune Theatre in 1969. Humphries gained considerable notoriety with Just a Show . It polarised British critics but was successful enough to lead to a short-lived BBC television series, The Barry Humphries Scandals . In 1970, Humphries returned to Australia, where Edna Everage made her movie debut in John B. Murray's The Naked Bunyip . In 1971–72 he teamed up with producer Phillip Adams and writer-director Bruce Beresford to create
19180-424: Was the subject of This Is Your Life in January 1972 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at London's Quaglino's restaurant. In 1968, he signed a contract worth £125,000 to appear on American television in his own show on three evenings each week, the largest such arrangement for a British television personality at the time. From 1969 to 1972, Frost kept his London shows and fronted The David Frost Show on
19320-400: Was unable to swim, but still jumped into the pool, and nearly drowned until he was saved by Peter Cook. At the memorial service for Cook in 1995, Alan Bennett recalled that rescuing Frost was the one regret Cook frequently expressed. For the first three editions of the second series in 1963, the BBC attempted to limit the team by scheduling repeats of The Third Man television series after
19460-453: Was under-used as a star of local films. Another artistic production undertaken at this time was a 1972 collaboration between Humphries and the Australian composer Nigel Butterley . Together, they produced First Day Covers , a collection of poems about suburbia – read in performance by Edna Everage – with accompanying music by Butterley. It included poems with titles such as "Histoire du Lamington" and "Morceau en forme de 'meat pie'". From
19600-585: Was working on a novel. Frost interviewed heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali in 1974 at his training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania before " The Rumble in the Jungle " with George Foreman . Ali remarked, "Listen David, when I meet this man, if you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whip Foreman's behind." In 1977, the Nixon interviews , which were five 90-minute interviews with former U.S. President Richard Nixon , were broadcast. Nixon
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