Evans presented most shows with hangover
Chris Evans told the High Court today that he had presented most of his radio shows with a hangover.
Evans, 36, made the revelation as he gave evidence for the second day during his multi-million pound battle against his former Virgin Radio bosses.
He was denying a suggestion put to him that the reason he failed to turn up on a particular morning in June 2001 to present his breakfast show was not that he was ill, but that he was suffering from a hangover.
Speaking from the witness box of the packed London courtroom, smartly-dressed Evans said that was not the case.
“I have done most of my shows hung over. It was my normal working zone.
“Because I like to go to the pub at night and I like to have a drink I usually have a thick head – not to the extent I had that morning, but I would say I have done more radio shows hung over than not hung over.”
He said he was “very very upset” that morning and felt there was some kind of “conspiracy to get rid of me”.
Evans added: “I was unable to broadcast, in my opinion. To do a show like I was doing you couldn’t do it in a bad mood and I was as miserable as sin. I was upset. I didn’t know what to do.”
Evans is suing Scottish Media Group, the company which bought his successful radio show, claiming that SMG withheld share options after unfairly dismissing him.
SMG is counterclaiming that Evans breached his contract in a “highly public manner” and is suing for unspecified damages.
The company accuses Evans of bringing about his own downfall and displaying “overbearing arrogance and conceit”.
He was questioned today about a three-day “drinking binge” at the end of June 2001, by Geoffrey Vos QC, for SMG, which he said was highly-publicised and brought Virgin Radio into disrepute.
Mr Vos took him through the various drinking establishments he had visited on the first of those days and Evans admitted there were things he could not remember about it because he was so drunk.
He said he had no recollection of a row he was reported to have had with his wife Billie.
Mr Vos asked if he remembered urinating in the street when newspaper reporters were present.
“That is something I would never do,” Evans replied.
Mr Vos said it was obvious that press reports of his visits to the pub over those three days would make Virgin Radio look “foolish and completely out of control of you”.
Evans said: “That wasn’t my intention.”
The court heard that Virgin believed Evans was ill and had announced that on air.
Mr Vos said that on the third day of the drinking binge, which started at 10.30am on Friday June 22, Evans was seen by a solicitor in a pub “drinking, laughing and chatting”.
Counsel said he was described as the most voluble person present and had crawled around on all fours while telling a story, which he said was “not the conduct of a man who was ill”.
Mr Vos: “What happened was that in the full glare of national publicity you go on a three-day drinking binge. It couldn’t be described as anything else could it?”
Evans: “It could be described lots of other ways, but that is one way of describing it.”
Mr Vos: “You brought Virgin Radio into disrepute.”
Evans: “I wouldn’t say I did.”
Mr Vos said he was not fulfilling his contract to present the show as a “first class presenter”.
Evans: “I would rather have been on air.”
Counsel said Virgin Radio had been prepared to do anything to accommodate him.
Evans rejected his suggestion that his conduct had been a “public slap in the face for Virgin Radio”.
He further denied that he had been “sticking two fingers up” at his employers.
That was something he would never do, he said.
Evans, who broke down in tears near the end of his stint in the witness box, has now completed his evidence.
The hearing was adjourned until Monday.
