This hilarious drunken commentary on the Illumination of the Fleet must surely have been the radio highlight of 1937
In 1937, a live broadcast of the Illumination of the Fleet at the Royal Naval Review by Lt. Cdr. Thomas Woodroffe entered the annals of broadcasting history after he was a little over-indulgent in the green room.
Historian Dan Snow shared the BBC Archive clip, and it just gets better and better.
Today in 1937 Tommy Woodrooffe, a very drunk broadcaster, commentated on a Royal Navy Fleet Review. For a few minutes, until they faded him out. #CareerGoals. pic.twitter.com/ggWWlAlu5y
— Dan Snow (@thehistoryguy) May 20, 2024
“There’s nothing between us and heaven. Nothing at all.” is one of those beautiful phrases sometimes stumbled upon by those under the influence. It beats Live. Laugh. Love.
Despite his insistence that he was merely overcome with emotion, he was fooling nobody, and he’s now viewed as a bit of a legend.
Here’s what Twitter/X thought of his performance.
1.
This is just beautiful. https://t.co/pZC75oiks7
— Robert Popper (@robertpopper) May 21, 2024
2.
‘Gone, disappeared, and gone’ is one of the greatest lines in broadcasting history.
— James May (@MrJamesMay) May 20, 2024
3.
This is truly remarkable. https://t.co/24rbUi7RnU
— Andydrewz™ ️ (@Andydrewz) May 21, 2024
4.
One of the great radio broadcasts of all time! Makes me proud to be British. Hic! #thefleetisalllitup https://t.co/jpBHP058q9
— Peter Graystone (@PeterGraystone) May 20, 2024
5.
https://t.co/kJvVf7ZdjO pic.twitter.com/jtRiz33Clo
— Mike_M (@MrFlibble72LFC) May 20, 2024
6.
"There's nothing between us and heaven" is not what you'd expect to hear form an absolutely shitfaced radio host from 1937 https://t.co/9o3uVzYV8r
— Josh (@drunkonhugs) May 20, 2024
7.
One of the funniest commentaries of all time https://t.co/eWMXzo36ab
— Kristian Ulrichsen (@Dr_Ulrichsen) May 20, 2024
8.
The fleet wasn’t the only thing that was lit https://t.co/Cn4uqkhLww
— Justine (@adancingferret) May 20, 2024
9.
Oh god this is brilliant.
I laughed so hard I cried.Ironically I think he still did a better job than quite a few modern day broadcasters do when they're sober 😉 https://t.co/RQnE7tw713
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) May 20, 2024
It turns out that the clip is a favourite at the BBC.
“The fleet's lit up! …I'm sorry, I was telling some people to shut up.”
(It made it onto our 100 Years in 100 Minutes if you fancy hearing it alongside other soberer moments: https://t.co/1Ibf0kFEzH) https://t.co/Sa9AhtYpZN— The British Broadcasting Century podcast (@BBCentury) May 20, 2024
Follow Dan if you love History, and catch him on the History Hit podcast.
READ MORE
People are buzzing at how this drunken man joined the search party that was hunting for him
Source BBC Archive H/T Dan Snow Image discogs.com, commons.wikimedia
