Sir Terry Wogan

Last updated 09 January 2020

Acting Credits
Self: as Presenter: Children in Need(as Terry Wogan)[Related]
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1 entry
Sir Terry Wogan (1938-2016)
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Michael Terence Wogan

Born: Wednesday 3rd August 1938
Died: Sunday 31st January 2016 (age: 77)



Sir Terry Wogan, KBE, was a UK radio and television broadcaster, best known for his morning show on BBC Radio 2 and as presenter of The Eurovision Song Contest and Children in Need.

Michael Terence Wogan was born in Limerick, EIRE, to a strongly Jesuit family, a religion that influenced his youth until losing his faith at the age of 17. He developed a love of amateur dramatics and rock'n'roll during his time at school once the family had moved to Belfast, but initially set out on a career with the Bank of Ireland before the lure of the radio brought him to RTE and a role in news and documentaries and later light entertainment. This led to his first experience as a DJ, and also as a quiz show presenter with Jackpot.

When Jackpot ended, he sought out a career with the BBC, a move which ultimately led to him presenting the breakfast morning slot on BBC Radio 2 in 1972, a role he continued until 1984 and again between 1993 and 2009 and one which earned him the title of the Ultimate Icon of Radio 2 in 2007 during a vote on the channel's 40th anniversary. However, he was soon back on the airwaves with a Sunday morning show.

In 1971 Wogan was to first encounter The Eurovision Song Contest through radio coverage, providing further commentaries during the 1970s before becoming the "voice" of the contest on television in 1980, a role he continued annually until 2008 (after which the mantle was taken up by Graham Norton). During the period he became famed for his cynical view of the contest and its entrants, often considered to be more entertaining than the acts themselves!

Also in 1980 he presented the first of what has become the annual charity marathon Children in Need, a show he fronted every year until having to pull out at the last minute in 2015 owing to illness. In 1983 he was to introduce Doctor Who's 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, after which he interviewed the then current Doctor Peter Davison, during which who introduced UK viewers to the US slang term "Whovian" that the media continue to use to this day. In 1985 Doctor Who again heavily featured, with Wogan receiving a cheque from the Doctor Who Appreciation Society presented by a plethora of Doctor Who stars. In 1993 he was again to introduce another anniversary of Doctor Who, its 30th 3D special Dimensions In Time. The association with Doctor Who continued with its 21st Century return, with several special mini dramas and trailers for the show appearing during the marathon.

Further connections with Doctor Who occured through his own chat show, Wogan, which ran between 1982 and 1992 and featured guests which included Colin Baker and Lynda Bellingham in 1986 to promote The Trial of a Time Lord, and also through letters to the BBC's viewer response programme, Points of View, which he presented between 1999 and 2008.

Other notable work included presenting Come Dancing (1974-1979), The Terry and Gaby Show (2003-2004), and as the first presenter of the game show Blankety Blank (1979-1983).

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1978, was awarded the OBE in 1997 and knighted in 2005.

His death after a short battle with cancer was announced by his family on the 31st January 2016, and is survived by his wife Helen Joyce (who he married in 1965), three children and grand-children.



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