In 1992, David Jason took on the role of Detective Inspector William Edward ‘Jack’ Frost, for the British crime drama, A Touch of Frost. The series, based on the DI Frost novels, followed the story of a likeable yet untidy police detective, who is second-to-none when it comes to solving mysteries.
When it first aired in the UK, A Touch of Frost was an instant hit with viewers, and this meant the initial three-part series was recommissioned for subsequent seasons. Each season was pretty short – some only lasting one episode – but due to the popularity of the character, as well as David Jason’s performance, the show remained on the air for 18 years.
If you didn’t catch A Touch of Frost when it first aired, don’t worry, the entire series has been released on DVD. The show was also sold around the world and regularly appears amongst the TV schedules, so there is plenty of time to catch up.
But what should you know about the series? Well, how about how many episodes were produced or who were the main cast on the series? For the answers to these questions and more, please read on.
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When was A Touch of Frost broadcast?
The first episode of A Touch of Frost, called Care and Protection, aired on December 6th 1992. The final episode, If Dogs Run Free: Part 2, aired on April 5th 2010.
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How many episodes of A Touch of Frost were produced?
In total, A Touch of Frost ran for 42 episodes, split across 15 seasons.
The season breakdown was as follows:
- Season 1 – Three episodes
- Season 2 – Four episodes
- Season 3 – Four episodes
- Season 4 – Five episodes
- Season 5 – Four episodes
- Season 6 – Four episodes
- Season 7 – Two episodes
- Season 8 – Two episodes
- Season 9 – Two episodes
- Season 10 – Three episodes
- Season 11 – Two episodes
- Season 12 – One episode
- Season 13 – One episode
- Season 14 – Three episodes
- Season 15 – Two episodes
This might seem an odd number of episodes per season, but in the UK, it is quite common for shows to have short runs. Sometimes drama or comedy shows will return each year for just a couple of episodes, often airing on special days, such as Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Bonfire Night etc.
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Who were the main cast of A Touch of Frost?
Although many actors joined the series during its run, the core cast of A Touch of Frost included David Jason as DI Frost, Bruce Alexander as Superintendent Stanley Mullett, John Lyons as DS George Toolan, and Arthur White as PC Ernie Trigg.
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The show became known for its distinctive saxophone theme music – who performed the saxophone solo?
The theme to A Touch of Frost was performed by English musician, Barbara Thompson.
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Did Jack Frost die in the final episode of A Touch of Frost?
The final episode of A Touch of Frost was envisioned as being a definitive end to the series, and as such three endings were filmed for the finale – one featuring Jack’s death. However, the ending which aired did not have Jack die; instead, the character conceded that it was time to live a life away from the police force.
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And finally, A Touch of Frost is based on the DI Frost novels – what is the order of the DI Frost novels?
To date, there are ten novels in the DI Frost series. Three novels were published prior to the release of the television show, while the seven subsequent novels were either published while A Touch of Frost was on air, or once it had concluded.
The first six novels were written by R. D. Wingfield. The remaining books were written by James Henry (a pseudonym for James Gurbutt and Henry Sutton – or in some cases, just James Gurbutt).
The DI Frost books are as follows:
- Frost at Christmas (1984)
- A Touch of Frost (1987)
- Night Frost (1992)
- Hard Frost (1995)
- Winter Frost (1999)
- A Killing Frost (2008)
- First Frost (2011)
- Fatal Frost (2012)
- Morning Frost (2013)
- Frost at Midnight (2017)
Aspects of Frost at Christmas, A Touch of Frost, Night Frost and Hard Frost were adapted for the series.
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about A Touch of Frost. For more mystery solving content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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