Terry Wogan: The Man Who Was My Song Contest Written by Ewan Spence on January 31, 2016 | 3 Comments

The world knew him as Terry Wogan, and his impact on the world of broadcasting is immeasurable. Born 3rd August 1938 in Limerick, he started working with the BBC in 1967 and became indispensable thanks to his connection with the public, an ability to push the envelope, and a habit of quietly breaking the rules.

He brought a new charm to the Radio 2 Breakfast Show in the seventies, he ripped up the rule-book in how to host a quiz show with Blankety Blank, he anchored the concept of the charity telethon to the United Kingdom, and he refreshed the chat show genre with his self-titled show.

And for millions of people, he was the Eurovision Song Contest. He loved it, without a doubt. The mix of music, entertainment, politics, and spectacle, tapped into his subversive streak of humour, and lifted the Contest above the respectful air offered by the EBU into something that the British public welcomed into their lives and their hearts every year.

Terry Wogan (image: BBC)

I’ve never had a Eurovision Song Contest without Terry’s presence. My first clear memory of Wogan at the Song Contest was the delightful experience of Harrogate in 1928 (or was it 1982?). Every year when I watched Contest, he was there, as a personal guide through the music. I was a casual fan then, no Sunday afternoon preview shows, no looking for the songs ahead of time, it was an enthralling one-night affair every year.

As the years moved on, I built up my own love for the Contest, my own appreciation, and my own voice. As Wogan once guided me through the Songs, I began to guide others. As the internet took hold in popular culture, it was possible to be as innovative as Wogan had been during his career.

When the time came for ESC Insight to branch out to do video coverage, one mad idea was to somehow get Terry Wogan to do it… which was never going to happen. A quiet drink in a bar in Austin, Texas and our own subversive idea started to form around a new approach to the medium. A host that could remind us of the importance of entertainment alongside being educational and informative, a host that could have fun with the Contest, and that people would look forward to seeing.

I woke up that morning with a sketch…

Terry Eurovision, the very first draft (image: Ewan Spence)

Terry Vision’s first appearance was at Eurovision in Concert, and it was a proof of concept test. It was one that our newly appointed Senior Interviewer passed with flying colours. He was off to Baku to bring his good-natured chaos to the Song Contest. With some there was a spark of recognition, for others they simply trusted Terry and had some fun… and it’s hard to forget Anri Jozhadze’s pure unadulterated fear of the felt. ‘Our Terry’ was a fixture in the Press Room, making appearances across the Continent, offering his opinion on the Contest, and always happy to talk on camera – which was great because he was always in demand to add a bit of colour to broadcasters’ coverage.

We joked that he was never ‘Terry Wogan… for legal reasons’ but there was no doubt about the tribute. That playful spirit that brought me to Eurovision has never left me.

Wogan removed his sherry glass from the commentary booth in 2008, and as the 2009 Contest opened, Graham Norton charged his glass with a simple “I know, I miss him too.” And in the great tradition of the entertainment world, the show went on.

That year was the first year that I travelled to the Eurovision Song Contest. Part of me still thinks that Terry Wogan never stopped commentating, he is still settling down in a comfy chair with a glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream every May, looking forward to doing what he did best…

I miss him too.

Terry Wogan

Sir Michael Terence “Terry” Wogan, KBE DL (3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016)