80 years ago tomorrow, one of the finest moments in BBC history occurred.
Lt.-Cmdr. Thomas Woodrooffe was a retired Royal Navy office who covered the navy for BBC news. He’d previously served on the battleship HMS Nelson.

In 1937 the fleet held a large review at Spithead, which included the visiting battleship USS New York. The plan was for him to broadcast that evening from aboard HMS Nelson, when all the ships would have lights strung in their rigging.

Unfortunately, after he boarded Nelson he ran into many of his old shipmates, and they decided to have a drink… then another… then a few more… With the end result being that when Woodrooffe took the microphone that night he was completely smashed drunk.
“There’s nothing between us and heaven. There’s nothing at all."