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John Humphrys, the former BBC broadcaster well known for his 32-year tenure presenting Radio 4’s Today programme and the quiz show Mastermind, has opened up about an unusual incident early in his career. Humphrys revealed that during his time working in Washington DC in 1974, he reported live on air while intoxicated. After returning from an extravagant lunch featuring multiple drinks, he was tasked with delivering the breaking news of US President Richard Nixon’s resignation. “I didn’t fall off the chair, but it was painfully obvious,” Humphrys admitted, emphasizing this was a one-time mistake.
Humphrys, who joined the BBC in 1966, recounted to The Times the circumstances leading to this moment. He described the afternoon as involving “a very, very, very lavish lunch,” which included several glasses of burgundy, martinis, wine, and brandy. Upon returning to the office, his broadcast assistant questioned his sobriety, but with a looming satellite broadcast slot, Humphrys had no choice but to go on air. Though he barely managed to get through the report, his assistant made it clear the next day that such a performance wouldn’t be tolerated again. Now 82 years old, Humphrys reflected that he “virtually [does not] drink at all” anymore.
Aside from this anecdote, Humphrys has recently launched a podcast titled The Odd Couple, co-hosted with journalist Matthew Norman. The podcast features Humphrys discussing significant moments in his life and career, including being one of the first journalists on the scene at the Aberfan disaster and his upbringing in Cardiff. Born in 1943 and raised in the Splott area, Humphrys shared candid stories from his youth, such as being teased in school for his limited wardrobe and struggling with poverty. Despite earning good grades and gaining admission to Cardiff High Grammar School, he described that period as “not a nice time, not a good time and I hated it.”
Humphrys also recounted working multiple part-time jobs while still in school, including delivering newspapers, acting as a chemist’s messenger, and tending to an allotment. By age 15, he left school to work as a reporter for the Penarth Times, explaining that he had to help financially: “I needed the money, we needed the money.” His early journalism career progressed when he joined Television Wales and The West at 21. One of his most vivid memories remains the Aberfan disaster coverage, where he was the first reporter to arrive. He described seeing mothers watching their husbands digging for bodies by hand under a mountain of coal waste, as heavy machinery could not be used. The miners’ faces were “still black except the lines of white at the side of their cheeks, where the tears rolled.” Using a phone in a village pub, Humphrys managed to transmit a live report that was broadcast worldwide. Reflecting on his experience, he said, “I’ve seen quite a few horrible things in my time, but nothing matches that.
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