Sir Terry Wogan

HOME

TheInfoList

Click Here for Items Related To - Sir Terry Wogan

OR:

Sir Terry Wogan on: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Amazon]

Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday breakfast programme ''

Wake Up to Wogan ''Wake Up to Wogan'' (''WUTW'') was the incarnation of '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' that aired each weekday morning from 4 January 1993 to 18 December 2009. It was the most-listened-to radio show in the United Kingdom, and the flagship breakf ...

'' regularly drew an estimated eight million listeners. He was believed to be the most listened-to radio broadcaster in Europe."Wogan's run – the King of banter finally goes blankety blank"
by Kim Bielenberg, '' Irish Independent'', 12 September 2009 Wogan was a leading media personality in Ireland and Britain from the late 1960s, and was often referred to as a "

national treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the funda ...

". In addition to his weekday radio show, he was known for his work on television, including the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

chat show ''

Wogan ''Wogan'' is a British television talk show which was broadcast on BBC1 from 1982 until 1992, presented by Terry Wogan. It was usually broadcast live from the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London, until 1991. It was then broadcas ...

'', presenting '' Children in Need'', the game show ''

Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

'' and ''

Come Dancing ''Come Dancing'' is a British ballroom dancing competition show that ran on and off on the BBC from 1949 to 1998. Unlike its follow-up show, ''Strictly Come Dancing'', contestants were not celebrities. The show was created by Eric Morley, the ...

''. He was the BBC's commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest from 1971 to 2008 (radio 1971, 1974-1977; television 1973, 1978, 1980-2008 (except in 1972 and 1979)) and the Contest's host in . From 2010 to 2015 he presented ''

Weekend Wogan ''Weekend Wogan'' was the incarnation of the Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 14 February 2010 to 8 November 2015. The show was presented by Sir Terry Wogan, which marked his return to the airwaves following his departure as presenter of ...

'', a two-hour Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2. In 2005, Wogan acquired

British citizenship British nationality law prescribes the conditions under which a person is recognised as being a national of the United Kingdom. The six different classes of British nationality each have varying degrees of civil and political rights, due to the ...

in addition to his Irish nationality and was awarded a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in the same year and was therefore entitled to use the title "Sir" in front of his name. He died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, at his home in Hitcham (

Taplow Taplow is a village and civil parish in the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the left bank of the River Thames, facing Maidenhead in the neighbouring county of Berkshire, with Cippenham and Burnham to the east. It is the ...

), Buckinghamshire, on 31 January 2016, aged 77.

Early life

Michael Terence Wogan was born on 3 August 1938 at Cleary's Nursing Home, Elm Park,

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, Ireland, the elder of two children.Oxford National Biography He was the son of the manager of

Leverett & Frye Leverett & Frye was a chain of high-class grocery stores which was founded in 1870 in Greenwich, England, as Leverett, Frye, and Scholding. The chain expanded throughout Great Britain and Ireland, having over fifty branches at its peak. Frederic ...

, a high-class grocery store in Limerick, and was educated at

Crescent College Crescent College Comprehensive SJ, formerly known as the College of the Sacred Heart, is a secondary school located on of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland. The 2016 ''Su ...

, a Jesuit school, from the age of eight. He experienced a strongly religious upbringing, later commenting that he had been brainwashed into believing by the threat of going to hell. Despite this, he often expressed his fondness for the city of his birth, commenting on one occasion that "Limerick never left me, whatever it is, my identity is Limerick." At the age of 15, after his father was promoted to general manager, Wogan moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

with his family. Whilst living there he attended Crescent College's sister school, Belvedere College. He participated in amateur dramatics and discovered a love of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

. After leaving Belvedere in 1956, Wogan had a brief career in the banking profession, joining the Royal Bank of Ireland. Still in his twenties, he joined the national broadcaster of Ireland, Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), as a newsreader and announcer, after seeing a newspaper advertisement inviting applicants.

Radio work

Early career

Wogan conducted interviews and presented documentary features during his first two years at Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), before moving to the light entertainment department as a disc jockey and host of TV quiz and variety shows such as ''Jackpot'', a top-rated quiz show on RTÉ in the 1960s. When the show was dropped by RTÉ TV in 1967, he approached the BBC for extra work. David Attenborough rebuffed his job application to be a BBC presenter; in 2016, after Wogan's death, he expressed the view that "to have had two Irishmen presenting on BBC Two would have looked ridiculous". Wogan began working for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

, initially 'down the line' from Dublin, first broadcasting on the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

on 27 September 1966. He presented the Tuesday edition of ''Late Night Extra'' for two years on BBC Radio 2, commuting weekly from Dublin to London. After being a stand-in presenter on Jimmy Young's mid-morning show whilst Young took a holiday throughout July 1969, Wogan was offered a weekday afternoon slot which began on 29 September that year. In April 1972 he took over the breakfast show on BBC Radio 2, swapping places with John Dunn, who went onto the afternoon show. Wogan achieved record estimated audiences of up to 7.9 million. His seemingly ubiquitous presence across the media meant that he frequently became the butt of jokes by comedians of the time, among them

The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television com ...

and

The Barron Knights The Barron Knights are a British humorous pop rock group, originally formed in 1959 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire,Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), ), p. 32 as the Knights of the Round Table. C ...

. He released a parody vocal version of the song " The Floral Dance" in 1978, by popular request from listeners who enjoyed hearing him sing over the instrumental hit by the

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band is a British brass band formed in 1881. The band is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The band is known across the world, and is regarded by many as the best and most consistent "p ...

. His version reached number 21 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In December 1984, Wogan left his breakfast show to pursue a full-time career in television and was replaced by

Ken Bruce Kenneth Robertson Bruce (born 2 February 1951) is a British broadcaster who is best known for hosting his long-running weekday mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 1986 to 1990, and then again since 1992. Early life and career Bruce was born a ...

. His first chat show, ''Wogan's World'', was broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

from 6 June 1974 to 21 September 1975.

Return to radio

In January 1993 he returned to BBC Radio 2, replacing Brian Hayes to present the breakfast show, which took the new name ''

''; it began with a preview show in the mid-morning of Boxing Day 1992. Wogan's tendency to go off on rambling, esoteric tangents, often including banter with his then producer

Paul Walters Paul Christopher Walters (15 June 1947 – 21 October 2006) was a BBC radio and TV producer, best known for his work and appearances on Terry Wogan's BBC Radio 2 breakfast show ''Wake Up to Wogan'' from 1995 until a few months before his death ...

, became popular with both younger and older listeners. Much of the entertainment came from letters and emails sent in by listeners, many of whom adopted punning pseudonyms. One occasion involved Wogan reading out an email from someone using the name "Tess Tickles", without realising what the name was referring to, prompting Paul Walters' standard reply in such situations – "I only print 'em!" Through his show Wogan was also widely credited with launching the career of singer

Katie Melua Ketevan Katie Melua (; ka, ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა, ; born 16 September 1984) is a Georgian and British singer and songwriter. She was born in Kutaisi and raised in Belfast and London. Under the management of com ...

, after he repeatedly played her début single, " The Closest Thing to Crazy", in late 2003. When she performed on '' Children in Need'' in 2005, Wogan joked that Melua owed her career to him. He gave credit for her discovery to Walters. Walters also put music by

Eva Cassidy Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and guitarist known for her interpretations of jazz, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her first album ...

, an American singer who had died in relative obscurity, on Wogan's playlist; Cassidy then, posthumously, became a sensation in the United Kingdom. As his radio show was considered to attract older listeners, Wogan jokingly referred to his fans as "TOGs", standing for "Terry's Old Geezers" or "Terry's Old Gals", whilst "TYGs" were "Terry's Young Geezers/Gals", who he joked were forced to listen to him because of their parents' choice of radio station. Wogan was referred to as "The Togmeister" on his own programme by himself and members of his production team, and he referred to the podcast of his show as a 'togcast'. There were also running jokes involving Wogan's newsreader colleagues

Alan Dedicoat Alan Dedicoat (born 1 December 1954) is an English announcer for programmes on BBC One. He is known as the "Voice of the Balls" on the National Lottery programmes, providing a voiceover for the draws since 1995. He was a BBC Radio 2 newsreade ...

(nicknamed 'Deadly' after the spoonerism 'Deadly Alancoat'), Fran Godfrey (nicknamed 'Frank'), and John Marsh (nicknamed 'Boggy'). Marsh once told Wogan on air that his wife was called Janet, and a series of "

Janet and John ''Janet and John'' is a series of early reading books for children, originally published in the UK by James Nisbet and Co in four volumes in 1949–50, and one of the first to make use of the "look and say" approach. Further volumes appeared l ...

" stories followed, read by Wogan during the breakfast show. These were a pastiche of children's learn-to-read stories, with humorous sexual

double-entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

s, which often led to Wogan and Marsh breaking into laughter. Six CDs and two books of the stories have been sold in aid of Children in Need, raising over £4 million. A long-running campaign by Wogan criticising the British government for levying

VAT A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...

on the CDs eventually led to a government rebate of £200,000. Another feature of the programme was Wogan's exchanges with "the Totty from Splotty" –

Lynn Bowles Lynn Bowles is a British broadcaster and a former traffic weekday mornings reporter for BBC Radio 2. Early life Bowles was born in Splott, Cardiff, Wales, and is the youngest of three siblings. Her father, Cliff, was a marine engineer; her mother ...

, the Welsh traffic reporter from

Splott Splott ( cy, Y Sblot) is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, just east of the city centre. It was built up in the late 19th century on the land of two farms of the same name: Upper Splott and Lower Spl ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

– which often involved reading

limericks A limerick ( ) is a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly trimeter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and ...

from listeners cut short after one or two lines, as risqué innuendo in the later lines was telegraphed. ''

'' attracted an estimated audience of eight million in 2005. That figure was surpassed in 2008, as Wogan's show held off a challenge from Radio 1 for listeners during the breakfast slot. According to figures leaked to British newspapers in April 2006, Wogan was the highest-paid BBC radio presenter at that time, with an £800,000-a-year salary. In an interview with Britain's '' Hello!'' magazine in its 30 May 2006 issue, Wogan confirmed this, saying that he represented good value. On 23 May 2005, he crossed BBC strike

picket line A picket line is a horizontal rope along which horses are tied at intervals. The rope can be on the ground, at chest height (above the knees, below the neck) or overhead. The overhead form is usually called a high line. A variant of a high l ...

s to present his show. Wogan was forced off the air on 16 February 2007, when steam from a nearby gym set off fire alarms. For 15 minutes an emergency tape played non-stop music. On returning, Wogan read out several light-hearted comments from listeners, saying that they thought he had died with his sudden disappearance and the playing of such sentimental music. On 7 September 2009, Wogan confirmed to his listeners that he would be leaving the breakfast show at the end of the year, with Chris Evans taking over. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' published an ode to Terry: " Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. Terry Wogan is abandoning his microphone", and novelist

Allison Pearson Judith Allison Pearson (née Lobbett; born 22 July 1960) is a British columnist and author. Pearson has worked for British newspapers such as the '' Daily Mail'', '' The Independent'', the ''Evening Standard'', '' The Daily Telegraph'', and ...

commented: "Heard the one about the Irishman who reminded the British of what they could be at their best? His name was Terry Wogan." Wogan presented his final Radio 2 breakfast show on 18 December 2009. It was announced that Wogan would return to Radio 2, beginning on 14 February 2010, to host a live weekly two-hour Sunday show on the network, featuring live musical performance and guests, between 11.00 am and 1.00 pm. The show, titled ''

'', was hosted in front of a live audience in the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House until the fourth series, where he returned to the studio. Wogan continued to host the show until his final broadcast on Remembrance Sunday 2015, due to his declining health with cancer. It then continued with guest hosts until the end of that month, after which, regular cover show ''Madeley on Sunday'' presented by

Richard Madeley Richard Holt Madeley ( born 13 May 1956) is an English television presenter and writer. Alongside his wife Judy Finnigan, he presented '' This Morning'' and the chat show '' Richard & Judy''. Madeley's solo projects include the ITV series '' F ...

filled the slot temporarily.

Michael Ball Michael Ashley Ball (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. He made his West End debut in 1985 playing Marius Pontmercy in the original London production of ''Les Misérables'', and went on to star in 1987 as Raoul in ...

then permanently took over the slot in April 2016.

Television work

Eurovision Song Contest

In 1971, and from 1974 until 1977, Wogan provided the BBC's radio commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest. He became known for his television commentary, which he handled first in 1973, again in 1978, then every year from 1980 until 2008. He co-hosted the 1998 contest with

Ulrika Jonsson Eva Ulrika Jonsson (born 16 August 1967) is a Swedish-British television presenter and model. She became known as a TV-am weather presenter, moved on to present the ITV show ''Gladiators'', and as a team captain of the BBC Two show '' Shooting ...

, in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

's National Indoor Arena on 9 May. Wogan was the third person in the contest's history to combine the roles of presenter and commentator. When not on stage, he was in his private booth providing the necessary TV commentary to BBC viewers. From 1977 until 1996, Wogan hosted the UK selection show each year, returning to the job in 1998, and again from 2003 until 2008. In 1973, 1975, every year from 1977 until 1984, and again in 1994, Wogan also presented the UK ''

Eurovision Song Contest Previews The ''Eurovision Song Contest Previews'' are annually broadcast TV shows showcasing the entries into the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest. They were inaugurated in 1971 for the contest in Dublin, Ireland, and have been provided by the Europea ...

'' on

BBC 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. Wogan's often deadpan commentating style, which often involved humour at the expense of others, caused controversy: for example, when he referred to the hosts of the 2001 contest in Denmark,

Søren Pilmark Søren Louis Pilmark (born 16 October 1955) is a Danish actor. Pilmark has worked as a film and theatrical actor, a director, and as an author. Career Theater Pilmark graduated from the School of Acting at Aarhus Theater in 1977, where he ...

and

Natasja Crone Back Natasja Crone Back (born 12 June 1970) is a Danish journalist and TV show presenter. She is well known from several big shows on Danish television. Early life and career Crone was raised in Holte north of Copenhagen and is of Danish and Belorus ...

, as "Doctor Death and the Tooth Fairy". During the presentation of the Dutch televote in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, Wogan called the Dutch televote presenter,

Paul de Leeuw Paul Henri de Leeuw (born 26 March 1962) is a Dutch television comedian, singer and actor. De Leeuw gained national fame in the late eighties and early nineties with television shows for broadcasting company VARA. Though satire was only a part ...

, an "

eejit "Eejit" is a slang term derived from a dialectal spelling of the Irish English and Scottish English pronunciation of " idiot". It is a word commonly used by natives of both Ireland and Scotland. It can also refer to: *"Eejit", a song by Halou ...

", as de Leeuw started to make ad lib comments, gave his mobile phone number, and generally hogged the limelight for some time before giving the Dutch votes.

Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant, (born 10 October 1946) is an English broadcaster, television personality and former radio DJ. He presented the ITV children's television show '' Tiswas'' from 1974 to 1981, and the game show '' Who Wants to Be a Mil ...

later praised Wogan's acerbity. During the 2007 BBC show ''

Making Your Mind Up "Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the , and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut sing ...

'', in which the British public voted to decide their Eurovision entry, Wogan announced, wrongly, that the runner-up Cyndi was the winner. The winner was the group

Scooch Scooch is a British pop group, comprising performers Natalie Powers, Caroline Barnes, David Ducasse and Russ Spencer. Scooch represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki with their song " Flying the Flag (Fo ...

; according to the BBC, Wogan was provided with the correct result during the live show. In the 2008 contest, the UK's entry, Andy Abraham, came last, much to Wogan's disappointment. Wogan argued that Abraham gave a better performance than the entries from Spain and Bosnia-Herzegovina. On 11 August 2008, Wogan said in an interview with the '' Radio Times'' magazine that he was doubtful about presenting the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom again. On 5 December 2008, Wogan stepped down from the role after 35 years.

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comed ...

succeeded Wogan as BBC commentator for the 2009 contest and subsequent contests. In November 2014, Wogan reviewed Norton's autobiography for ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

''. Describing his attitude towards the contest, he wrote that he saw it as a "sometimes foolish farce", while implying that the winner of the 2014 contest, Austrian drag performer

Conchita Wurst Thomas Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst (or simply Conchita). Neuwirth came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as with t ...

, was a "freakshow". After his death, his presentation of the contest was criticised for its mocking tone.

Chat shows

Wogan's first foray into TV interviewing, and indeed to British television, was in 1972 on ''

Lunchtime with Wogan ''Lunchtime with Wogan'' was a British television series hosted by Terry Wogan which aired from 1972 to 1973 on ITV. It was produced by Associated Television Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part ...

'' on ITV. Later, ''What's On, Wogan?'' ran for one series in 1980 on BBC1, primarily on early Saturday evenings. In 1981 he had a chance to host a one-off chat show, ''Saturday Live''. Among his guests on this show were Larry Hagman, promoting the film '' S.O.B.'', and Frank Hall. Hagman was at the height of his fame, which gave the show a high-profile. Soon after Wogan was given his own chat show, ''

'', which after a trial run on a midweek evening, was recommissioned for broadcast on Saturday nights from 1982 to 1984. Between 1985 and 1992, the show aired on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7pm. The series included interviews with

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest p ...

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two ...

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and '' Open All Hours''. ...

announcing his retirement on the show, and

David Icke David Vaughan Icke (; born 29 April 1952) is an English conspiracy theorist and a former footballer and sports broadcaster. He has written over 20 books, self-published since the mid-1990s, and spoken in more than 25 countries. In 1990, Icke ...

claiming to be the " Son of God", to whom Wogan stated: "They're not laughing ''with'' you, they're laughing ''at'' you." The BBC stopped an interview in 1989 with Simon Hayward, a former captain in the Life Guards, hours before he was due to appear on the ''Wogan'' show. Hayward insisted that he was innocent of drug-smuggling offences. The decision was taken by the then Controller of BBC1, Jonathan Powell, after protests from several MPs. The BBC was accused of censorship, and a Conservative MP, John Gorst, described the decision to ban Hayward from ''Wogan'' as "outrageous". Wogan was released from his talk-show contract in 1992, after pressure from the BBC. He said that the BBC also wanted his scheduling slot for the ill-fated soap ''

Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

''. After ''Eldorado'' took over the 7pm slot, Wogan briefly hosted a new weekly chat strand ''Terry Wogan's Friday Night'' in 1993, but this series was not recommissioned. Wogan presented ''Wogan Now and Then'' (2006), a show in which he interviewed guests from his former chat show, as well as new guests. BBC Two launched a new compilation series, ''Wogan: the Best Of'' in 2015, featuring selected interview segments and music performances from Wogan's past chat series, linked by new introductions from Wogan.

Children in Need

In 1980, the BBC's charity appeal for children was first broadcast as a

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons f ...

called '' Children in Need'', with Wogan presenting alongside Sue Lawley and

Esther Rantzen Dame Esther Louise Rantzen (born 22 June 1940) is an English journalist and television presenter, who presented the BBC television series ''That's Life!'' for 21 years, from 1973 until 1994. She works with various charitable causes, and fou ...

. He campaigned extensively for the charity, and often involved himself via auctions on his radio show, or more directly by taking part in well-publicised sponsored activities. He was reported to be the only celebrity paid for his participation in Children in Need, having received a fee every year since 1980 (£9,065 in 2005). Wogan stated that he would "quite happily do it for nothing" and that he "never asked for a fee". Wogan donated his BBC fees to the charity. The BBC stated that the fee had "never been negotiated" and was paid from BBC resources rather than the Children in Need fund. He appeared on the panel comedy show '' QI'' in the 2008 episode for Children in Need, '

Families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

'. In 2008, Wogan and singer

Aled Jones Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer and radio and television presenter. As a teenage chorister, he reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s. Since then he has worked in television with the BBC and ITV, and radio (for ...

released a single " Little Drummer Boy"/"Peace on Earth", which got to number three in the UK music charts. The money raised went to BBC ''Children in Need''. The two recorded a second Christmas single " Silver Bells" in 2009, which was also in aid of BBC Children in Need. Wogan was the main regular presenter of ''Children in Need'' between 1980 and 2014. In November 2015, Wogan was unable to participate in the live televised ''Children in Need'' appeal for the first time in its 35-year history, due to poor health after a surgical procedure on his back. He did, however, make a brief appearance as part of a pre-recorded sketch. He was replaced by

Dermot O'Leary Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ' ...

. Prior to his death, Wogan hoped to return to Children in Need in 2016, carrying on as main presenter.

Other television work

Wogan's television profile was boosted considerably when he became the first-ever host of ''

'' in 1979. His good-humoured interaction with the contestants and lively banter with the celebrity guests went a long way to making the show a success. Among the guests who appeared most frequently and memorably during this period were Roy Hudd,

Beryl Reid Beryl Elizabeth Reid, (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996), was a British actress of stage and screen. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for ''The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performan ...

Lorraine Chase Lorraine Chase (born 16 July 1951) is an English actress and former model. She became well known for her strong south east London accent and frequent use of cockney slang, and found fame through a series of television adverts for Campari be ...

and, in particular,

Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid-1960s, he was one of the fi ...

, who became famous for snapping Wogan's stick-like microphone in half. Wogan left the show after the 1983 series, just over a year before his thrice-weekly chat show commenced. Wogan narrated the BBC television series '' Stoppit and Tidyup'', which was broadcast in 1987. Wogan appeared on ''

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme features Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show) ...

'' four times, between 2004 and 2009. In an appearance on the BBC programme ''

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...

'', Wogan became the second-slowest guest to go around the test track as the " Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", a

Suzuki Liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

. Only

Richard Whiteley John Richard Whiteley (28 December 1943 – 26 June 2005) was an English presenter, and journalist, best known for his twenty-three years as host of the game show ''Countdown''. ''Countdown'' was the launch programme for Channel 4 at 4:4 ...

was slower. In 2010, Wogan made a cameo appearance in the second series of '' Being Human'', and also guest-hosted the fourth episode of the 24th series of ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hos ...

''. The following year, Wogan hosted ''Wogan on

Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

'' for BBC Two. In 2011 he appeared as a panellist on '' Would I Lie To You''. On 21 September 2013, Wogan appeared as a panellist on ITV game show ''

Through the Keyhole ''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...

''. In November 2013, he participated in a celebrity edition of the

game show ''

Pointless ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay subsidiary Remarkable Television for the BBC. It is hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but obscure answers t ...

'', with celebrities including

Bobby Ball Robert Harper (28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known professionally as Bobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon (Thomas ...

and

, in aid of Children in Need. On 31 March 2014, Wogan was a guest reporter on '' Bang Goes the Theory'', on which he discussed old-age dementia. From 12 to 16 May 2014, Wogan appeared on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

game show ''

Draw It! ''Draw It!'' is a drawing game show that aired on Channel 4 from 5 May to 4 July 2014, hosted by Mel Giedroyc. It is loosely based on the popular mobile app, Draw Something. Format Each week, two well-known celebrities pair up with a different ...

''. On 10 November 2014, in the run up to that year's Children in Need telethon, Wogan guest hosted an episode of ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...

'' with

Alex Jones Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American far-right and alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadcas ...

. He also presented a series called ''Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip'' with the cab driver Mason McQueen in 2015, in which the duo travelled all over Britain eating regional food.

Honours and awards

Wogan was appointed an Honorary Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in 1997, and later became an Honorary Knight Commander of the same order (KBE) in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List. After asserting his right to British citizenship and retaining his Irish citizenship that year, Wogan was officially knighted on 11 October 2005, allowing him to use the style "Sir". On 29 May 2007, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire. On 15 June 2007, Wogan's home city of

honoured him with the Freedom of the City at a ceremony in Limerick's Civic Hall. Because of his long absence from the city and unflattering remarks about the city in a 1980 interview, the local press carried out a

vox pop ( )Vox Populi
. Oxford Diction ...

, which resulted in support for the award. He was made an honorary freeman of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

in 2009, and invited to raise the bascules of

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames clos ...

. In 2004, he received an Honorary

D.Litt. Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degree from the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...

, as well as a special lifetime achievement award from his native city. He received an Honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

degree from

Leicester University , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_label ...

in 2010. In 1978, Wogan was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'', when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

at Broadcasting House. Wogan was inducted into the

Radio Academy The Radio Academy is a registered charity dedicated to "the encouragement, recognition and promotion of excellence in UK broadcasting and audio production". It was formed in 1983 and is run via a board of trustees, with a chair and a deputy chair ...

Hall of Fame at a gala dinner held in his honour on 10 December 2009. Wogan was announced as the Ultimate Icon of Radio 2, commemorating the station's 40th birthday. The shortlist of sixteen candidates had been published on the BBC Radio 2 website, and the winner was announced live on Radio 2 during a one-off special edition of ''

Family Favourites ''Family Favourites'' (remembered by its later name ''Two-Way Family Favourites'') was the successor to the wartime radio show ''Forces Favourites'', broadcast at Sunday lunchtimes on the BBC Light Programme, later BBC Radio 2 from 1945 unti ...

'' by host

Michael Aspel Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television newsreader and host of programmes such as '' Crackerjack'', ''Aspel & Company'', '' Give Us a Clue'', ''This is Your Life'', '' Strange but True?'' and ''Antiques Ro ...

on 30 September 2007. He praised his fellow nominees,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Nelson Mandela during his acceptance speech, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2, and he chose

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

's recording of " Stardust" as his iconic song of the last 40 years. Wogan had chosen the song twice before as his favourite record on ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'', and said he wanted to be buried with it.

Personal life

Wogan married Helen Joyce on 24 April 1965 in her parish church, Our Lady of Refuge, Rathmines, and they remained married until his death. They lived in Hitcham,

, Buckinghamshire, with another home in Gascony, southwestern France. Sir Terry and Lady Wogan had four children (one of whom, a daughter Vanessa, died when only a few weeks old) and five grandchildren. In 2010, Wogan described the anguish he felt on the loss of his baby daughter. In April 2013, Wogan attended the funeral of former

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

after being invited by her family. Wogan was brought up and educated as a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, but became an atheist at the age of 17.Larissa Nolan, "I Have Never Believed in God: Wogan", ''The Sunday Independent'' (Ireland), 8 May 2005. In an interview with Gay Byrne on RTÉ, he said that he respected those who had "the gift of faith".

Death

Wogan's health declined after Christmas 2015. He did not present '' Children in Need'' in November 2015, citing back pain as the reason for his absence from the long-running annual show. His friend, Father Brian D'Arcy, visited him during January, and noticed he was seriously ill. He died of cancer, aged 77, on 31 January 2016, at his home.

David Cameron said that "Britain has lost a huge talent" and

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

, the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...

, praised Wogan's career and his frequent visits to his homeland.

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...

and

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Tao ...

Joan Burton Joan Burton (born 1 February 1949) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Tánaiste and Leader of the Labour Party from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Social Protection from 2011 to 2016, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2 ...

remembered Wogan for his role in helping Anglo-Irish relations during

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...

. D'Arcy speculated that a public funeral would be logistically difficult, as there would be too many people wanting to pay their respects.

Legacy

Terry Wogan - Limerick City (35927782795)

After Wogan's death and his private funeral a few weeks later, a public memorial service was held on 27 September the same year. This was held at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

, was opened by a recording of Wogan himself, and featured a number of his celebrity friends making speeches, such as Chris Evans and

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

. The service was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2. In February 2016, a memorial montage was aired as part of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's selection show for the 2016 Eurovision Song contest, '' Eurovision: You Decide''. During that year's contest in Stockholm,

asked UK viewers during his commentary to "raise a glass" for Wogan before the ninth song of the contest was performed; this honour has continued every year since. In the run up to the annual telethon for '' Children in Need'', the BBC held a special concert at

The Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

, named '' Children in Need Rocks (for Terry)''. Unlike previous CiN Rock concerts, the acts performing were specially selected by the BBC and Wogan's friends as they were synonymous with his career. Performances included

(whom he championed during his time as a DJ on Radio 2),

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...

(who performed Wogan's favourite swing classics),

, who posthumously performed over video-tape with

Shaun Escoffery Shaun Escoffery is a British soul and R&B singer and actor. His first major release was the single "Space Rider", released by Oyster Music in March 2001. It was played regularly by the BBC Radio 1 DJ Trevor Nelson and the Dreem Teem. It peak ...

duetting live in the studio on the song " Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and

and Alfie Boe covering The Floral Dance, a song which Wogan once covered himself. On 16 November 2016, the BBC renamed BBC Western House, home of BBC Radio 2, in his memory, to BBC

Wogan House BBC Wogan House is a building in central London owned by Abrdn and currently on long-term lease to the BBC. It is located on the junction of Gildea Street and Great Portland Street adjacent to the BBC's headquarters, Broadcasting House. Original ...

Filmography

Television

Radio

Bibliography

Biography

*''Is It Me?'' (

BBC Books BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasti ...

, 2000) *''Mustn't Grumble'' ( Orion, 2006)

Fiction

*''Those Were the Days'' (

Pan Macmillan Pan Books is a publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books began as an independent publisher, es ...

, 2015)

General non-fiction

*''Fight the Flab: Keep Fit With Terry Wogan'' (BBC Books, 1971) *''Banjaxed'' (1979) *''The Day Job'' (1981) *''Wogan on Wogan'' ( Penguin, 1987) *''Terry Wogan's Bumper Book of TOGs'' ( Andrews UK, 2011) *''Where Was I?!: The World According to Wogan'' (Orion, 2009) *''Wogan's Twelve'' (Orion, 2007) *''Something for the Weekend: The Collected Columns of Sir Terry Wogan'' (Orion, 2013) *''The Little Book of Common Sense: Or Pause for Thought with Wogan'' (Orion, 2014)

Travel

*''Irish Days'' (Penguin, 1991) *''Wogan's Ireland: A Tour Around the Country that Made the Man'' (

Simon and Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...

, 2012)