David Frost, the broadcaster and journalist who died last weekend, started out as a thorn in the side of the British establishment, but ended up very much at its heart.
Along the way, this Methodist minister's son became almost as famous as the people he interviewed. He hosted television's first satirical news programme, That Was The Week That Was, launched two UK television networks, hosted popular shows on both sides of the Atlantic, and grilled the biggest names of politics, most famously disgraced US president Richard Nixon in an encounter that garnered record ratings and led to the hit play and film Frost/Nixon.
In 2006, he was part of the launch team of the English-language version of Doha-based Al Jazeera, adding his gravitas and gloss to that network, and helping focus global audience attention on this region.
Through his marriage to Carina Fitzalan-Howard, the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk, and his own elevation to the knighthood, he was embraced by the very system he had often challenged.
For 50 years, Frost informed, entertained and inspired others, and held decision-makers to account. He was one of the few in the media who genuinely made a difference in the world, and his like may not be seen again.
