BBC Reporter Gets High On Camera From Burning Pile Of Heroin, Opium And Hashish

The BBC is known to be one of the more straight-laced media networks, and being British, most of their reporters and journalists have much protocol to follow when reporting from the field.

But in a recent video clip, which was put on Twitter then removed, veteran BBC reporter Quentin Sommerville, found himself cracking up with laughter as he reported in front of a burning pile of heroin, opium and hashish, while in a Middle Eastern country.

In the video entitled “Don’t inhale,” the BBC‘s Middle East Correspondent is clearly high, as he tries repeatedly to introduce the segment he is presenting on the war on drugs in that country.

Sommerville begins, “Burning behind me is eight-and-a-half tonnes of heroin, opium, hashish and other narcotics,” at which point he bursts into fits of laughter and tries a second take, “Burning behind me…” he begins a second clip before again collapsing into laughter – or “corpsing”, as it is known in the world of media.

In take three, Somerville implores his cameraman, “Quick, quick! We just need one more” but is incapable of finishing the piece as he and his cameraman get the giggles.

Soon after Sommerville posted the humorous clip to his Twitter account — which has around 24,000 followers — along with the message, “Dear tweeps, it’s been a year of bullets & bloodshed. You’ve earned an xmas laugh, at my expense,” he removed it apparently due to some “copyright issues.”

A BBC spokesman told reporters, “The video of Quentin corpsing, which has now been deleted, was posted in the spirit of a blooper. It was filmed four years ago – it hasn’t been seen before and was never broadcast.”

In another funny Tweet, Sommerville also posted a picture of his suitcase, which included Tunnock’s tea cakes, Earl Grey tea and Christmas baubles, with the caption, “I’m often asked by celebrity magazines, etc, what I pack for my travels in war zones. Strictly essentials,” he wrote.

It’s good to see that even the most British of BBC correspondents have a sense of humor and don’t mind laughing at themselves, especially as it’s almost Christmas.