The Frost Report (1966–1967) User Reviews

The little man in Alveston Road

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 1 October 2006]

'The Frost Report' was notable for bringing together a huge number of talented British writers, performers and writer-performers who would later go on to greater things, notably Monty Python, the Goodies and the Two Ronnies among very many others. The format parodied a current events show, with David Frost 'reporting' on various allegedly topical issues which would then lead to skits and blackouts. Ironically, this comedy format was actually pioneered in the States back in radio days, with Fred Allen conducting his 'surveys' on Allen's Alley ... then, on early television, Steve Allen (no relation to Fred) doing his 'man in the street' interviews, followed by Jackie Gleason(!) doing his 'American Scene magazine' blackouts.

I have only a patchy memory of 'The Frost Report', as it was usually transmitted at times that conflicted with my employment ... and there were no VCRs in those days. I recall a very bitter skit performed by John Cleese and Sheila Steafel in which she was meant to be his mother; I noticed that their accents didn't match, and Cleese was nearly two feet taller than Steafel ... which would have been funny if it had been relevant to the skit, but it wasn't.

I recall much more pleasantly the Christmas special edition, 'Frost Over Christmas', which aired on Boxing Day 1967. The highlight was a sketch in a cocktail party setting, featuring a conversation between 5'2" Ronnie Corbett -- only slightly taller than Sheila Steafel -- as a very dull little man from 37 Alveston Road, Hendon (one of the most boring neighbourhoods in London) and 6'5" John Cleese as a man whose life would seem to be one of multi-faceted excitement. No matter what plodding observation Corbett makes, Cleese tops it with an allusion to his James Bond-like exploits ... which Corbett then turns back into an observation on life in Hendon. I'm not describing it well, but those of you who are familiar with the comic timing of Corbett and Cleese will believe me when I say it was well and truly hilarious. Let's see this aired in repeats, please ... or put out on home video!

The birthplace of UK comedy

[peter-ramshaw-1 · 10/10 · 1 April 2007]

Not only did the Frost Report deliver the funniest TV in the UK (until Fawlty Towers) but it also nurtured all the major stars of UK comedy for the next two decades.

At its best, the show was the best UK comedy had to offer even until today. It was iconic and different.

Frost was an urbane interviewer who had a distinct ear for comedy. In this show, he paired Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker and gave John Cleese a huge stepping stone to the future. He himself was a funny guy too though he never showed it as much. Not only that, he helped them start writing good stuff. This was before Python, before The Goodies. In many ways the skits are fresher and funnier.

The Frost Report was actually fresher and funnier than the Goodies, Porridge, Open All Hours, and almost all of the shows it spawned.

Frost was a genius whose interviewing style went downhill when he forgot what comedy was. I thin his dad was a preacher so maybe that tells us something.

Frost's continuous developing monologues

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 10 August 2023]

'The Frost Report' was a bit before my time. I saw some episodes on You Tube recently and, despite the poor picture quality, found them to be enjoyable on the whole. Each week, Frost would discuss a topic, such as authority, elections, women, trends and the law, and he'd be interrupted by sketches featuring the likes of John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, Nicholas Smith, Nicky Henson, and Sheila Steafel. This was the first pairing of the two Ronnies, ultimately leading to a long-running series of that name. Witty Tom Lehrer and folksy Julie Felix provided songs. The producer was James Gilbert. Marty Feldman was the script editor. Frost had the good sense to employ writers of the calibre of Michael Palin and Terry Jones, Eric Idle, David Nobbs, and Waterhouse and Hall. So it was the launching pad for a lot of future comedy shows. Though Frost had a credit for co-writing the theme script ( with Antony Jay of 'Yes Minister' fame ), according to Cleese he never wrote a single word!

What of the sketches? The most famous one - Class - was written by the late John Law - and had Cleese, Barker, and Corbett standing in a line to represent the upper, middle and working classes. In an office, Cleese removed his secretary's ( Steafel ) glasses to see how she looked without them. Very attractive. Unfortunately, she now could not see where she was going and fell out of a window! Another, set in an ice cream parlour, had Cleese refusing to serve a customer on the grounds he is Jewish. It turns out the reason for the refusal is that the ice cream is simply not very good! Jim Franklin, who later worked on 'The Goodies, came up with some wonderful film sequences, such as the Politicians' Hokey-Cokey in which film of M. P.'s was speeded up to make them look as though they were dancing.

A compilation - 'Frost Over England' - won the Rose d'or in the 1967 Montreux Festival. Only two seasons were made. Surprisingly, there has been no DVD release of the surviving episodes. The Monty Python gang did a parody called 'Timmy Williams' Coffee Time, with Idle impersonating Frost. The cast ( minus Barker ) were reunited in 2008 for a one-off show screened on BBC-4 entitled 'The Frost Report Is Back!'.