David Frost has died at the age of 74 after a suspected heart attack while on board Queen Elizabeth cruise ship.

The family of the British veteran broadcaster issued a statement saying Sir David Frost had been giving a speech aboard the Queen Elizabeth on Saturday night.

David Frost’s career spanned journalism, comedy writing and daytime television presenting, including The Frost Report.

Internationally,  David Frost will be remembered for his revealing interviews with former US President Richard Nixon.

A statement said: “His family are devastated and ask for privacy at this difficult time. A family funeral will be held in the near future and details of a memorial service will be announced in due course.”

Born in Kent, Sir David Frost studied at Cambridge University where he became secretary of the Footlights club, and met future comedy greats such as Peter Cook, Graham Chapman and John Bird.

After university he went to work at ITV before he was asked to front the BBC programme That Was The Week That Was, which ran between 1962 and 1963.

Casting a satirical eye over the week’s news, the show boasted scriptwriters including John Cleese, John Betjeman and Dennis Potter.

David Frost has died at the age of 74 after a suspected heart attack while on board Queen Elizabeth cruise ship.

The Frost Report brought together John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett in a sketch show which would influence many comedy writers including the Monty Python crew.

David Frost’s often-mimicked catchphrase “hello, good evening and welcome” was by now in full use.

One of The Frost Report‘s most enduring pieces was the “class sketch”, featuring John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett.

The Frost Programme for ITV followed, which saw David Frost move away from comedy into in-depth interviews with political figures, royalty and celebrities.

It was on this programme that he had a terse interview with then PM Margaret Thatcher over the sinking of the Argentine cruiser Belgrano during the Falklands conflict.

At the same time, David Frost began work on The David Frost Show in the US.

He later conducted a series of interviews with Richard Nixon, who had resigned the presidency two years earlier, in which the former president came close to apologizing to the public for his role in the Watergate scandal.

Their exchanges were eventually made into the film Frost/Nixon – based on a play – which saw Michael Sheen portray David Frost to Frank Langella’s Richard Nixon.

David Frost himself appeared at the premiere of the film in 2008.

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