David Frost to Present Alpha Course on TV

Ashtead's Mark Elsdon-Dew recently interviewed David Frost who is to present ITV's series following an Alpha Course next Spring. During the course, 12 people will be shown studying the basic beliefs of Christianity to see if it is for them.

Many Ashtead people have taken an Alpha Course in recent years. One of the groups on last summer's course at Holy Trinity, Brompton was filmed and the series will be presented as 10 one-hour programmes, starting probably in May. The whole of the course including the weekend away will be covered and in addition there will be profiles of each of the participants, interviews with the archbishop of Canterbury, Cliff Richard, and others. The programmes will be presented by David Frost, who will interview each of the 12 members at the end to see if their attitude towards the Christian faith has changed as a result of the course.

David Frost is the son of a Methodist minister and is married to a Catholic. He and his family are now Church of England - "a sort of very happy compromise". Interviewed by Mark Elsdon-Dew, the editor of "Alpha News", David Frost said "I was naturally and instinctively interested in taking part in this project. I am looking forward to talking to the people at the end of the course. I am fascinated by Alpha."

Mark and the Alpha organisers were apprehensive about the filming, but keen to be involved in one of the largest religious projects to be undertaken by national television in recent years. Moore TV, who made the series, were helpful and co-operative. Even so, it was not the usual Alpha environment, with cameras everywhere, but the producers respected the privacy of the group when it came to private prayer sessions and spiritual experiences. Apart from accommodating the cameras, no changes were made to the content of the course.

Was it worthwhile? "Perhaps - but we won't know until we've seen the broadcasts," says Mark.

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