Every year I expect it to be less foolish, and every year it is more so.
January 31, 2016 2:37 AM Subscribe
RIP Sir Terry Wogan, Irish radio and television presenter whose long career at the BBC included many notable shows including Wake up to Wogan, the Wogan chatshow, Blankety Blank and The Eurovision Song Contest.
From Eurovision to Radio 2: Terry Wogan's best quotes
Terry Wogan dead: His best Eurovision quotes from almost four decades of hosting
Best Wogan chat show interviews: George Best turns up drunk, David Icke 'son of god'
Terry Wogan dead: Remembering the first ever episode of Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank: Kenny Everett Bends Wogan's Wand
Boom Bang-a-Bang: 50 years of Eurovision
Sir Terry Wogan - Lifetime Achievement Award
From Eurovision to Radio 2: Terry Wogan's best quotes
Terry Wogan dead: His best Eurovision quotes from almost four decades of hosting
Best Wogan chat show interviews: George Best turns up drunk, David Icke 'son of god'
Terry Wogan dead: Remembering the first ever episode of Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank: Kenny Everett Bends Wogan's Wand
Boom Bang-a-Bang: 50 years of Eurovision
Sir Terry Wogan - Lifetime Achievement Award
The Togmeister has left the building, for the last time.
RIP, old son.
posted by Pouteria at 2:45 AM on January 31, 2016
RIP, old son.
posted by Pouteria at 2:45 AM on January 31, 2016
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What a loss. I'm sad for all of the children who will be growing up without the sound of his comforting brogue rumbling up the stairs on cold dark winter mornings while your mum puts the kettle on and makes herself some toast before you all have to be bundled out of the house for the school run.
As someone on my twitter feed pointed out, "He came to UK at a time when being Irish here was not always easy, but won over a nation by charm alone".
posted by fight or flight at 2:47 AM on January 31, 2016 [9 favorites]
What a loss. I'm sad for all of the children who will be growing up without the sound of his comforting brogue rumbling up the stairs on cold dark winter mornings while your mum puts the kettle on and makes herself some toast before you all have to be bundled out of the house for the school run.
As someone on my twitter feed pointed out, "He came to UK at a time when being Irish here was not always easy, but won over a nation by charm alone".
posted by fight or flight at 2:47 AM on January 31, 2016 [9 favorites]
He was the only enjoyable thing about Eurovision.
posted by taterpie at 2:52 AM on January 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by taterpie at 2:52 AM on January 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
He came to UK at a time when being Irish here was not always easy,
It wasn't too bad in the media as I recall, what with Val Doonican crooning about goats everywhere and Tonight with Dave Allen and what not.
posted by Segundus at 3:03 AM on January 31, 2016
It wasn't too bad in the media as I recall, what with Val Doonican crooning about goats everywhere and Tonight with Dave Allen and what not.
posted by Segundus at 3:03 AM on January 31, 2016
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Very sad to hear the news. His tone and humour was unique - very very comforting, with an edge of cynicism and cleverness that always made you feel as if you were complicit. A very underrated interviewer as well - if you remember that his chat show went out for ten years, three nights a week, and had pretty much every celeb ever on it, it was really sustained and carried by his understated style.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 3:07 AM on January 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Very sad to hear the news. His tone and humour was unique - very very comforting, with an edge of cynicism and cleverness that always made you feel as if you were complicit. A very underrated interviewer as well - if you remember that his chat show went out for ten years, three nights a week, and had pretty much every celeb ever on it, it was really sustained and carried by his understated style.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 3:07 AM on January 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Bugger. Wogan was such a fixture in entertainment, I'd always be completely surprised by how genuinely funny he could be when he'd pop up in something unexpectedly like Would I Lie to You or Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He had a beautiful sense of timing and turn of phrase. Damn.
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posted by drnick at 3:09 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by drnick at 3:09 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
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He elevated Blankety Blank from awful to funny. And as mentioned above, had pretty much everyone on his chat show, which he was excellent at hosting.
posted by marienbad at 3:10 AM on January 31, 2016
He elevated Blankety Blank from awful to funny. And as mentioned above, had pretty much everyone on his chat show, which he was excellent at hosting.
posted by marienbad at 3:10 AM on January 31, 2016
I like The Guardian's collection of his best quotes.
posted by Paul Slade at 3:14 AM on January 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Paul Slade at 3:14 AM on January 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
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His voice on the radio was as much a fixture of our kitchen as the wallpaper
posted by runincircles at 3:27 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
His voice on the radio was as much a fixture of our kitchen as the wallpaper
posted by runincircles at 3:27 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by crocomancer at 3:30 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by crocomancer at 3:30 AM on January 31, 2016
The Floral Dance Tel's characteristically quirky moment of pop fame
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 3:36 AM on January 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 3:36 AM on January 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by Foci for Analysis at 3:36 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by Foci for Analysis at 3:36 AM on January 31, 2016
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posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:09 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:09 AM on January 31, 2016
The tributes will concentrate on the television work because that's easier to clip and show, but radio was Sir Terry's native habitat. Effortlessly charming, a little naughty, willing to be wittily clever but also to make the corny joke or terrible pun and mock himself for doing so, because this was a conversation among friends.
posted by holgate at 4:11 AM on January 31, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by holgate at 4:11 AM on January 31, 2016 [5 favorites]
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Terry has been a constant presence in the background of my entire life. And, I assume, many other people.
This is turning out to be a bad year for people who have influenced my life.
posted by my-username at 4:31 AM on January 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
Terry has been a constant presence in the background of my entire life. And, I assume, many other people.
This is turning out to be a bad year for people who have influenced my life.
posted by my-username at 4:31 AM on January 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
An Irish national treasure. A giant of radio at a time when radio was important, I could easily have forgone the records just to hear him talk.
posted by epo at 4:33 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by epo at 4:33 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by lungtaworld at 5:25 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by lungtaworld at 5:25 AM on January 31, 2016
“So many things I miss. And, you know, I wouldn’t have missed them for anything.”
posted by chavenet at 6:48 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 6:48 AM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
I sincerely hope that Terry Vision will carry on in his honour.
posted by delfin at 7:12 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by delfin at 7:12 AM on January 31, 2016
I remember walking out of one of the White City buildings a few years back, around 6pm, just passing through reception. There was a glowing bonhomie in the air I'd never felt before. "'a'right, Terry" I could hear before I caught the man himself striding in, flowing locks and radiant smile - the smile of a man who knew everyone around him considered him a friend already. I did not want to approach him because I needed to maintain him at that distance where nothing could assail the image of native mastery he upheld in every medium he operated in. It did not matter; every person in that reception was basking in his cheeky grin, his supernatural glow and at-easeiness this his mere presence projected. Had only my father lived for me to tell him "I was that close to Terry Wogan", it would have been the high-point of his life, an unsurpassable achievement by proxy.
TL;TD: Walked past Terry in an office once.
posted by davemee at 8:24 AM on January 31, 2016 [12 favorites]
TL;TD: Walked past Terry in an office once.
posted by davemee at 8:24 AM on January 31, 2016 [12 favorites]
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posted by pemberkins at 8:46 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by pemberkins at 8:46 AM on January 31, 2016
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He woke me up with 90 minutes of warmth and generosity of spirit for several years when I couldn't see any of the other warmth around me.
posted by ambrosen at 9:38 AM on January 31, 2016 [8 favorites]
He woke me up with 90 minutes of warmth and generosity of spirit for several years when I couldn't see any of the other warmth around me.
posted by ambrosen at 9:38 AM on January 31, 2016 [8 favorites]
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posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:28 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:28 AM on January 31, 2016
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posted by doctor_negative at 10:42 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by doctor_negative at 10:42 AM on January 31, 2016
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posted by threetwentytwo at 11:34 AM on January 31, 2016
posted by threetwentytwo at 11:34 AM on January 31, 2016
(For people in the US who've no idea who Wogan was, let's add this: ten years ago he was doing a morning show which had more listeners [over 8 million daily] than *anything* in the US, by *miles*.)
posted by genghis at 1:14 PM on January 31, 2016
posted by genghis at 1:14 PM on January 31, 2016
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posted by PippinJack at 2:49 PM on January 31, 2016
posted by PippinJack at 2:49 PM on January 31, 2016
It took me years to realise that he never actually talked without being sarcastic.
posted by Burn_IT at 3:25 PM on January 31, 2016
posted by Burn_IT at 3:25 PM on January 31, 2016
Less an obituary, more a career appreciation by Mark Lawson. If this thread has come to an end this is as good a last word as any.
posted by epo at 5:48 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by epo at 5:48 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
So I'm on BBC2 now, telling Terry Wogan how I made it and
What I made is unclear now, but his deference is and his laughter is..
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:28 AM on February 1, 2016
What I made is unclear now, but his deference is and his laughter is..
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:28 AM on February 1, 2016
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posted by stanf at 2:38 AM on January 31, 2016