THE programme David Frost Vs (Sky Documentaries, 23 February, and 2 and 9 March) was an excellent reminder of a star who brought huge charisma and celebrity contacts to the small screen, combined with a relatability and warm authority.
This series revisits some of his best-known interviews, starting in episode one with his encounters with the Beatles. The nature of celebrity is sometimes thought to be less polished and more authentic than it once was, owing to the closer proximity that social media engender, but this series proves how illusory that is.
Frost’s interviews with the Beatles are up close and very personal, minus the fawning and the carefully curated and scripted encounters that we often see with celebrity interviews today. His manner managed to tread a path somewhere between keen interest and careful devil’s advocacy. Episodes two and three feature Muhammad Ali and Jane Fonda respectively. I hope that they include more exploration of Frost himself — a fascinating man, worthy of examination in his own right.
House of David (Amazon Prime, first three episodes released on Thursday of last week; next five episodes released each Thursday) is an eight-part drama series, telling the story of David the shepherd boy and his rise to kingship. Told in parallel is the story of King Saul’s fall from power, and his descent into madness.
The setting looks as it does in my imagination when I read these stories in scripture, an impression skilfully created by the excellent set and costume design, and strong performances. The newcomer Michael Iskander, who plays David, is particularly compelling. The result is a production that humanises and adds a further dimension to characters I thought I already knew well.
Saul, the archetypical bad guy, is rendered as a loving father and husband, at once deeply troubled and, next, full of remorse. David, so often stereotyped as a symbol of masculine, muscular Christianity, is depicted as a smooth-faced boy, sensitive, musical, impetuous — a poet, not a man of blood. And Goliath is . . . well, he’s massive.
The narrator, King Saul’s daughter Michal, poses the question: “Can a stone change the course of history?” It can, if it’s wielded by a teenager with a mean aim, the Luke Littler of slingshotters. “God is funny,” Samuel the prophet says, as he arrives (giving huge Gandalf energy) to anoint the shepherd boy David. Yes, that’s been my experience of God, too.
I am so gripped that I’ve already watched the first three episodes of this epic biblical tale of courage, faith, frailty, and strength. The most prominent theme, so far, is how the biggest giants that we must slay are so often those that live within us. This is a must-watch.
