Add
Private Notes
John Freeman, Bertrand Russell and Hugh Burnett, 4th March 1959. The last survivor of a dead epoch - this is how the distinguished philosopher describes himself. Now is his eighty-seventh year, he has used his long life to challenge the accepted ideas and conventional attitudes of the day. Lord Russell discusses with john Freeman his appearance, his achievements and his unfulfilled ambitions
Dame Edith Sitwell, the well known eccentric poet and personality, was John Freeman's guest. At 71, Dame Edith was true to form, answering his questions in a way only she could. And she dressed for the occasion - in a headdress she called her 'bird king's hat', an ermine jacket and huge rings on her fingers. (1959)
Adlai Stevenson relives his early life in journalism and law, and discusses losing two Presidential elections to Dwight Eisenhower. Among his other reflections are how others see him, and how he sees himself.
A cigar-puffing John Huston discusses his directing career, his desire to make films under the United Nations, his relationship with his father and fighting with Errol Flynn.
Filmed in Switzerland at his lakeside home near Zurich, Professor Carl Gustav Jung was viewed as the greatest living psychologist. Interviewer John Freeman found Jung, although an old man, as sharp and clear thinking as ever. It proved to be a timely encounter; Jung died 18 months later. (1959)
Tony Hancock was the vulnerable clown who became a household name with Hancock's Half Hour. John Freeman cross-examined leading personalities of the day. At the time Freeman's interview was heavily criticised. He was considered too brusque, almost ruthless in his technique. But the two became close friends and it is an interview many remember. (1960)
John Freeman interviews Henry Moore in this programme from the series renowned for its frank and open approach. Moore talks about his much-loved father, his inspirational school art teacher (with whom he is still in touch), the cost of materials and how much he hates working to commission. (1960)
John Freeman interviews the racing car driver Stirling Moss. Nearly 30 years later, Freeman revealed to the broadcaster Anthony Clare that this was virtually the only interview that pleased him. Freeman had considered Moss a playboy but their encounter showed the racing driver to possess a "cold, precise, clinical judgement... a man who could live so close to the edge of death and danger, and trust entirely to his own judgement." (1960)
John Freeman faced a difficult subject in Evelyn Waugh when he interviewed him in 1960. Waugh, author of Brideshead Revisited, was in characteristically obstructive frame of mind. The result is a rare glimpse into the life and temperament of one of the greatest novelists of this century.
Arguably the most famous episode of the series, as Gilbert Harding verges on breaking down under John Freeman's questioning. "I shall be very glad to be dead" remains a poignant response - Harding died less than two months after broadcast.
Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin discusses his role in the second World War, including whether he was ever accused of war crimes, and whether he was given any orders he felt were unacceptable.
First Lord Reith of Stonehaven - the man who inspired the pattern of broadcasting not only in Britain but in all the other countries which took the BBC as a model when setting up their own broadcasting systems. He was Director-General when the BBC started the world's first regular television service in 1936, but this will be the first time he has taken part in a television programme.
John Freeman interviews Oscar-winning actress Simone Signoret, most famous for her roles in La Ronde, Les Diaboliques and Room at the Top.
Adam Faith’s Face to Face interview was recorded in 1960, when Adam was a heartthrob teen idol in the first flush of fame. Faith became a pop sensation overnight, when his 1959 song 'What Do You Want?' reached number one in the charts. Adam Faith was the first pop singer to be interviewed by John Freeman. (1960)
Filmed two years before Martin Luther King made his famous "I have a dream" speech, this interview explores some of the earliest experiences that were to shape King's political consciousness. The interview teases out the realities of segregation through King's memories of not being allowed to use the swimming pool, approach the lunch counter in local stores to buy a hamburger, or go to a 'white' high school. But in 1955, the refusal by Rosa Parks to give up her bus seat to a white man catapulted 26-year-old King's name to national status when he emerged as a leader of a 381-day boycott of Montgomery's buses. Over the course of the interview, King's understated and softly spoken style of rhetoric exploits the Face to Face format to its fullest potential, creating a spellbinding television experience.
Jomo Kenyatta discusses his release from prison, and whether there was more he could have done to prevent his incarceration. Also discussed is Kenyatta's vision for the future of Kenya.
Cecil Beaton with Felix Topolski and Hugh Burnett on 18th February 1962.
In the final edition of the programme, footballer Danny Blanchflower faces what he calls the "challenge" of appearing, and describes why he fled from the studio when he was the planned subject of "This Is Your Life".
Dr Martin King Jnr talks about his childhood experiences and the incidents that led to the Montgomery bus boycott. These events shaped King's life and led to him becoming a national figurehead and civil rights leader.
