Detective Chief Inspector William Edward "Jack" Frost, GC is a fictional detective created by R. D. Wingfield - characterised as sloppy, untidy, hopeless with paperwork - but unmatched at solving mysteries. The character has appeared in two radio plays, six published novels, and a TV series from 1992 to 2010.
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The character first appeared in a radio play entitled Three Days of Frost first transmitted on BBC Radio 4 on 12 February 1977. He was portrayed by Leslie Sands. The character's second appearance was also on BBC Radio 4, in a play entitled A Touch of Frost, transmitted on 6 February 1982. In the second radio play the character was portrayed by Derek Martin.
Wingfield has published six novels about D. I. Frost:
Beginning in 1992, television adaptations of the novels, and further stories based on the characters have been transmitted on ITV in the UK. The series stars David Jason as William Edward Frost, with "Jack" being a nickname. This series has been broadcast under the umbrella title A Touch of Frost. To date, there have been thirty-seven stories broadcast (forty if two-part stories are counted individually). These have been released on VHS and DVD internationally.
Three endings were filmed for the final episode. The first ending saw Frost the victim of a hit-and-run on his wedding day, and later suffering a fatal heart attack in hospital. The second ending saw his colleague George Toolan die instead, as a result of the car crash. The third was similar to the second with superintendent Mullet being the victim. The second ending was the one officially used (with David Jason's support). The ending in which Frost dies was screened during a tribute to the show on ITV1 on April 6, 2010.