Last days at work aren’t easy, but indulging in a little Dutch courage is likely to turn out badly for everyone – as one UK radio host discovered first hand.
When a radio DJ from central England arrived for her final show it’s doubtful she planned to get kicked off air half an hour into her three hour slot. However, it would appear some pre-drinking got the better of her.
Former Radio Stoke host Paula White was audibly slurring and when asking readers to send song requests White announced: “Start your messages with… Stoke? Yes, start it with Stoke. I don’t care. Whatever you want to hear this afternoon, it’s like you can hear it.”
Returning to air after the first song, she said: “It’s a P-A-R-T-Y because I said so? Some people will say, ‘Oh, thank goodness she’s gone.’”
“Other people will go, ‘How will I get the dog to sleep?’ because I know that people play this show out for their dogs. How lovely.”
After just five minutes on air a listener texted to ask if White was drunk, to which she responded: “I sound drunk. I’ve had a couple of drinks, I’m not drunk. I’m sad…” and was audibly slurring her words.
Fumbling with her equipment, White sounded her frustration. "It's my last day and nothing's working! Why is nothing working? Noooo!"
White’s manager at the BBC-owned station pulled her off air after just half an hour, telling listeners she was “not feeling well with it being her last afternoon show and has gone home."
After the event a BBC spokesman said White was unable to continue on-air because she was “under par”.
While ‘phoning it in’ is pretty common for last days, showing up drunk is less acceptable. What last day hijinks have you seen?
