Media icon Sir David Frost has died at the age of 74, his family said in a statement today.

He is best remembered for his showdown with disgraced American president Richard Nixon, which was named the greatest broadcast interview in a poll.

The confrontation between the two men, which inspired a hit play and an Oscar-nominated Hollywood film, was filmed in 1977 – three years after Mr Nixon resigned in the face of the Watergate scandal.

Mr Nixon fought and won two US presidential elections but was forced to resign after the Watergate scandal revealed an array of dirty tricks carried out against his opponents by his political allies.

The story of how Sir David persuaded him to speak on camera in a series of interviews in which he admitted he “let down the country” became the basis of the play Frost/Nixon.

It was later made into a film starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella in the title roles.

The poll was carried out in conjunction with BBC College of Journalism for their Art of Interview season.