Storyline

Face To Face is a BBC television series originally broadcast between 1959 and 1962, created and produced by Hugh Burnett, which ran for 35 episodes. The insightful and often probing style of the interviewer, former politician John Freeman, separated it from other programmes of the time. The series was revived in 1989 with Jeremy Isaacs as the interviewer. This version ran until 1998.

First Aired

1959-02-04
Last Aired

1989-11-07
Creator

Hugh Burnett
Genre
Seasons

4
Episodes

38
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

BBC One

Keywords:

interview

Stream and watch Face to Face

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

1. Lord Birkett

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30mins 1959-02-04

2. Bertrand Russell

Philosopher Bertrand Russell is the second guest on the series, beginning the interview by reading fro...More

Philosopher Bertrand Russell is the second guest on the series, beginning the interview by reading from a fictitious obituary he'd written for himself. Among the topics discussed are guilt, sex, money, childhood, prison and loss of faith.Less

43mins 1959-03-04

3. Dame Edith Sitwell

John Freeman interviews the first of just two female guests in the series - poet Dame Edith Sitwell. T...More

John Freeman interviews the first of just two female guests in the series - poet Dame Edith Sitwell. The Dame discusses her unhappy childhood, her working relationship with Dylan Thomas, and her unexpected diversion into Hollywood.Less

30mins 1959-05-06

4. Lord Boothby

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30mins 1959-05-27

5. Nubar Gulbenkian

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30mins 1959-07-15

6. Adlai E. Stevenson

Adlai Stevenson relives his early life in journalism and law, and discusses losing two Presidential el...More

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.Less

30mins 1959-07-22

7. John Huston

A cigar-puffing John Huston discusses his directing career, his desire to make films under the United ...More

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.Less

30mins 1959-09-01

8. Professor Jung

John Freeman interviews Carl Jung at his Zürich home, asking the psychologist questions about consciou...More

John Freeman interviews Carl Jung at his Zürich home, asking the psychologist questions about consciousness, his friendship with Freud, his thoughts on death, and his own self-analysis.Less

38mins 1959-10-22

9. Lord Morrison of Lambeth

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30mins 1959-12-18

10. His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan

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30mins 1960-01-01

11. Lord Shawcross Q.C.

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30mins 1960-01-10

12. Tony Hancock

Tony Hancock engages in self reflection, looking back at his childhood, his need to work, his health i...More

Tony Hancock engages in self reflection, looking back at his childhood, his need to work, his health issues, and whether he could ever truly be happy.Less

30mins 1960-02-07

13. Henry Moore

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30mins 1960-02-21

14. Dr. Hastings Banda

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30mins 1960-04-22

15. Augustus John

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30mins 1960-05-15

16. Sir Roy Welensky

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30mins 1960-05-29

17. Stirling Moss

Racing driver Stirling Moss is called upon to ponder his career. Customary for the series, the questio...More

Racing driver Stirling Moss is called upon to ponder his career. Customary for the series, the questions go deeper than usual interviews: Does he think about mortality? Does he feel close to God? What about the breakdown of his marriage?Less

30mins 1960-06-12

18. Evelyn Waugh

Evelyn Waugh takes part in the series due to what he claims is "poverty", and that "everyone thinks il...More

Evelyn Waugh takes part in the series due to what he claims is "poverty", and that "everyone thinks ill of the BBC". Among the topics under discussion are religion, truth in fiction, and Waugh's own periods of mental illness.Less