John Humphrys Recalls Drunken 1974 Nixon Resignation Report at 82, Launching New Podcast
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 2
John Humphrys Recalls Drunken 1974 Nixon Resignation Report at 82, Launching New Podcast
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 2
82-year-old John Humphrys said he was drunk when he went live from Washington on Richard Nixon’s August 1974 resignation, after what he described as a lavish lunch with wine, martinis and brandy.
Humphrys told The Times he "staggered" back to the BBC office, was warned by a broadcast assistant before the satellite slot, and got through the report "only just"; he said it never happened again.
The former BBC presenter, who joined the corporation in 1966 and later fronted Radio 4’s Today programme for 32 years before retiring in 2019, said he now virtually does not drink at all.
His new podcast The Odd Couple also revisits his early life in Cardiff and his reporting from the 1966 Aberfan disaster, where he said he was first on the scene of the collapse that killed 116 children and 28 adults.