A touch of Frost

All this talk of Frost/Nixon makes me recall interviewing Frosty himself about this very subject about eight or nine years ago.

Some channel or other was showing the Nixon interviews in full, and Sir Dave was doing publicity. So off I went to a swanky central London boutique hotel to meet the great man himself.

Along with several other journalists I'd never seen before, we were ushered into a side room with a huge table in it, at the head of which sat Dave smoking the world's biggest cigar.

I was nervous of such a legend, but he was avuncular "I had dinner with your editor last week. Super chap", etc., and were allowed to ask one question each, which as it happened was all you could do as he talked for Britain without drawing a breath, puffing all the time on his huge cigar, the smoke from which was filling the room. The windows did not open.

So it was me, and tons of foreign journalists, who usually get in their 'what do you think of Amsterdam?', 'Have you ever been to Croatia?' questions really early on. This was no exception. But he did recall in some detail the Nixon interviews and very interesting his take on it was indeed.

But it was great to hear the man talk first hand about such a legendary interviews, and I minded not one jot leaving the hotel an hour or so later smelling like the bar at the RAC Club.

A career highlight.