Veteran BBC presenter John Humphrys has revealed that he gave up alcohol after a drunken on-air incident in 1974. The 82-year-old, who joined the BBC in 1966 and presented flagship programmes such as Radio 4's Today and Mastermind, said the episode in Washington made him realise he had a problem.
Humphrys told The Times that he had been drinking heavily before going on air to report on President Richard Nixon's resignation. He had consumed several glasses of wine and martinis during a lavish lunch, and his broadcast assistant asked if he was sober. He managed to get through the broadcast, but it was 'painfully obvious' he was drunk.
The presenter, who lost his grandfather and uncle to alcoholism, went cold turkey after the incident and gave up drinking entirely. He later said he 'wouldn't be here if I had carried on drinking'. Today, Humphrys drinks very little, occasionally having half a pint of beer, half of which is non-alcoholic.
