Review: The Beatles on David Frost Show: 2025 TV special “David Frost Vs”

In case you missed it, The Beatles were featured in Episode 1 of the new cable TV series called “David Frost Vs”. The Beatles episode aired on April 27, 2025 on MSNBC.

While most Beatles fans are probably aware that the famous performance of “Hey Jude” was done on David Frost’s show in 1968, they might be surprised at all the other times Frost interviewed each member of the group. The TV series features clips from an archive of 10,000 interviews done over a span of almost 50 years, and showcases why Frost had such success in booking the top personalities of the day including Muhammad Ali, Elton John and even Richard Nixon.

The Beatles episode features snippets of 7 different interviews ranging almost 50 years from a 1964 one-on-one interview with Paul McCartney to a 1972 interview with John and Yoko, and then bookending with another one-on-one interview with McCartney in 2012.

In-between the interview clips, we get a behind the scenes look at Frost’s dynamic career as a British broadcaster who then finds success in the U.S. There’s a reason that The Beatles were so willing to appear on his show – especially John Lennon. While Frost did ask provocative questions, he also allowed his guests to express themselves freely without judgment.

In September 1967, John Lennon and George Harrison appeared on “The Frost Programme” to discuss their new interest in transcendental meditation, declaring that “money isn’t the answer”. Even before Phil Donahue made a habit of subjecting his guests to questions from the audience, David Frost seemed to pioneer this concept in the UK. And surprisingly, John and George were no exception. They responded and interacted with audience members who asked questions. Quite a sight to see!

In this episode, three more appearances by John Lennon with Yoko Ono are featured. About three months after they started dating, John and Yoko appeared on “Frost on Saturday” in August 1968. They discussed how they met and talked about Yoko’s art. They even had an audience member come up and hammer a nail in her latest art exhibit. David Frost then did it as well with John providing humorous commentary. Anyone watching this episode would probably have gotten the hint that John was showing his desire to break away from the Beatles.

Two months after John and Yoko got married, Frost asked them to be the first guests on his new show in the US in July 1969. The show was broadcast from a theater in New York’s Broadway theater district, right next door to the famous Sardi’s restaurant. John and Yoko, who appeared to be very much in love as they held hands during the interview, gave Frost a clever “Box of Smile” which consisted of a simple mirror inside. As they talked about their recent Bagism events, it was evident that they felt comfortable with Frost who was always a good listener.

The last time the Lennons appeared on the show was in January 1972 when they performed the song “Attica State” which protested the poor treatment of inmates at the NY state prison, and the loss of life of both inmates and correctional officers during the recent prison riots. In a surprising Q&A exchange, audience members confronted John and Yoko, expressing they didn’t agree with the sentiment of the song.

Forty years later, Frost sat down with Paul McCartney in 2012 for “The Frost Interview.” In an in-depth interview, Paul talked about the loss of his dear friend, John Lennon, and reflected on the success of The Beatles.

You might wonder what the difference is between watching the individual interview clips on the internet versus watching the one-hour TV special. Although the interview clips are not shown in their entirety in this TV special, they do show parts of the Q&A exchanges with the audience, which are hard to find elsewhere. The show does a great job documenting all 7 interviews with historical context and behind the scenes information.

Additionally, what adds to the insight of The Beatles episode on “David Frost Vs” are the interviews with friends and contemporaries of The Beatles including author Hunter Davies, Jenny Boyd, director Michael Lindsay Hogg, Dan Richter (friend/assistant to Yoko), and even the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

All in all, the Beatles episode of “David Frost Vs” is a compelling chronological look at specific events in Beatles’ history as well as a time capsule of John Lennon’s personal and professional evolution. It also reveals why David Frost was such a trusted interviewer for almost 5 decades.
— Daytrippin’

The six-part series is currently streaming on DIRECTV, Fubo and Sling TV.

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