David Paradine Productions
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA British television and film production company founded by broadcaster David Frost.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
David Paradine Productions was a British television and film production company established by broadcaster and producer David Frost in 1966, initially under the name David Paradine Ltd. The name “Paradine” came from Frost’s middle name. The company operated as a vehicle for Frost’s work across television, film, interviews, comedy, satire, documentary programming and entertainment formats. Its early output reflected the British television culture of the late 1960s. The company was associated with At Last the 1948 Show, a comedy and sketch programme broadcast by Rediffusion London in 1967–68. The programme became notable for its surreal and alternative comedy style and is frequently discussed in connection with the development of modern British television sketch comedy. David Paradine Productions also participated in feature-film production, including The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, released in 1970 and distributed in association with Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. Other film-related credits included Futtocks End, Rentadick, Charley One-Eye, Leadbelly and The Slipper and the Rose. The company’s television work extended beyond scripted comedy and film. Its credits included interview, documentary, current-affairs and entertainment programmes connected with Frost’s public profile. David Frost Interviews Richard Nixon, broadcast in 1977, documented Frost’s series of interviews with former United States president Richard Nixon. The company was also associated with Crossroads of Civilization: The Story of Iran, David Frost Presents the Guinness Book of World Records, and several programmes built around performers or cultural subjects, including David Frost Presents: Frankie Howerd and Inside Elton’s World. A further important association was Through the Keyhole, a television format in which a presenter examined the homes of public figures and invited viewers to identify the occupants. The programme was broadcast by Yorkshire Television from 1987 to 2008, although the concept originated during Frost’s period with TV-am. The format became one of the longer-running entertainment concepts linked with Frost’s production career. In the 2000s and 2010s, the company name continued to appear in credits for Frost-fronted programmes and retrospective specials, including Frost Over the World, Frost Tonight, The Frost Report Is Back, Frost on Satire, Frost on Interviews and Frost on Sketch Shows. These later productions demonstrate the company’s continuing association with Frost’s television presenting and interview work, rather than indicating a single narrowly defined genre or product line. Public reference material identifies the company’s founding and notable productions but does not establish a current website, listed status, present ownership structure, headquarters or confirmed operating status. David Paradine Productions is therefore best characterized as a historical British production-company brand whose identity was closely tied to David Frost and whose body of work covered television comedy, interviews, documentaries, entertainment formats and feature films.
History
David Paradine Productions was founded by David Frost in 1966 as David Paradine Ltd. The company’s name referenced Frost’s middle name and provided a corporate identity for a broad range of television and film activities. Frost was already a prominent British broadcaster, and the company became closely associated with his work as a presenter, interviewer, producer and television personality. The company’s early television profile was shaped by comedy. At Last the 1948 Show was broadcast by Rediffusion London during 1967 and 1968 and became an important example of late-1960s British sketch and alternative comedy. David Paradine Productions also entered feature-film production during this period. Its film-related credits included Futtocks End, The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, Rentadick, Charley One-Eye, Leadbelly and The Slipper and the Rose. The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer was released in 1970 in association with Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. During the 1970s, the company’s output reflected the range of Frost’s television interests. Credits included programmes built around comedy performers, factual subjects and major interview events. David Frost Interviews Richard Nixon, associated with Frost’s 1977 interviews with the former American president, became one of the best-known productions connected with Frost’s career. The same period included Crossroads of Civilization: The Story of Iran and David Frost Presents the Guinness Book of World Records, alongside entertainment and comedy titles such as David Frost Presents: Frankie Howerd and David Frost Presents: How to Irritate People. The company was also connected with the development of Through the Keyhole. Yorkshire Television broadcast the programme from 1987 to 2008, while the concept originated during Frost’s period with TV-am. Its premise involved examining the homes of public figures and asking viewers to identify the people who lived there. The format became a durable part of British television entertainment and one of the most recognizable concepts associated with Frost’s production activities. In the 2000s, David Paradine Productions continued to be associated with Frost-fronted international and studio-based programming. Frost Over the World and Frost Tonight appeared among the company’s later credits, while Inside Elton’s World focused on the public world of musician Elton John. The company also remained linked with archive and retrospective projects, including The Frost Report Is Back in 2008, Frost on Satire in 2010, Frost on Interviews in 2012 and Frost on Sketch Shows in 2013. The available reference material records the company’s founding and production credits but does not provide reliable information about a current corporate structure, headquarters, website, ownership, listing status or whether the entity remains active. Its historical significance rests primarily on its connection with David Frost and on a catalogue that crossed British comedy, television interviews, documentary programming, entertainment formats and feature films.
- 2013
Frost on Sketch Shows
[1]Frost on Sketch Shows appeared among the company’s later listed productions.
- 2008
The Frost Report Is Back
[1]The company was credited with the retrospective or revival programme The Frost Report Is Back.
- 1987
Through the Keyhole enters television production history
[1]Through the Keyhole began its long Yorkshire Television broadcast run. The concept originated during Frost’s period with TV-am.
- 1977
David Frost Interviews Richard Nixon
[1]The company was associated with David Frost’s televised interviews with former United States president Richard Nixon.
- 1970
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer released
[1]The company was associated with the feature film The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, released with Warner Bros.-Seven Arts.
- 1967
At Last the 1948 Show begins
[1]The company became associated with At Last the 1948 Show, a Rediffusion London sketch programme broadcast during 1967–68.
- 1966
Company founded as David Paradine Ltd
[1]David Frost established the production company under the name David Paradine Ltd; “Paradine” was taken from his middle name.
Products and positioning
A David Frost-led British production company spanning television comedy, interviews, documentary programming, entertainment formats and feature films.
Television comedy · 1967
At Last the 1948 Show
A British sketch-comedy programme broadcast by Rediffusion London in 1967–68. It represented the company’s early television work and is associated with the development of unconventional British television comedy.
Feature film · 1970
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
A 1970 feature film associated with David Paradine Productions and released in connection with Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. It formed part of the company’s early expansion beyond television into cinema.
Television interview · 1977
David Frost Interviews Richard Nixon
A televised interview production documenting David Frost’s 1977 conversations with former United States president Richard Nixon. It exemplified the company’s role in high-profile political and current-affairs programming.
Television entertainment format · 1987
Through the Keyhole
An entertainment format based on clues from the homes of public figures, with viewers invited to identify the occupants. Yorkshire Television broadcast it from 1987 to 2008, and the concept originated during Frost’s period with TV-am.
International interview programme · 2006
Frost Over the World
A later David Frost programme reflecting the company’s continued association with international interviews and global current-affairs television.
Television comedy retrospective · 2008
The Frost Report Is Back
A 2008 programme revisiting The Frost Report and its comedy legacy, forming part of the company’s later retrospective output.
Sources1 sources
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