Sir Michael Terence Wogan KBE DL (/ˈwoʊɡən/; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish–British radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC 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 regularly drew an estimated eight million listeners.

[3][4] In 2005, Wogan acquired British citizenship in addition to his Irish nationality and was awarded a knighthood in the same year and was therefore entitled to use the title "Sir".

[7] He was the son of the manager of Leverett & Frye, a high-class grocery store in Limerick, and was educated at Crescent College, a Jesuit school, from the age of eight.

[10] 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.

[14] 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 and The Barron Knights.

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.

Wogan's tendency to go off on rambling, esoteric tangents, often including banter with his then producer Paul Walters, became popular with both younger and older listeners.

"[16] Through his show Wogan was also widely credited with launching the career of singer Katie Melua, after he repeatedly played her début single, "The Closest Thing to Crazy", in late 2003.

These were a pastiche of children's learn-to-read stories, with humorous sexual double entendres, which often led to Wogan and Marsh breaking into laughter.

[24] 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.

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.

Terry Wogan is abandoning his microphone", and novelist Allison Pearson commented: "Heard the one about the Irishman who reminded the British of what they could be at their best?

[30] The show, titled Weekend Wogan, 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'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 and Natasja Crone Back, as "Doctor Death and the Tooth Fairy".

[34] During the 2007 BBC show Making Your Mind Up, in which the British public voted to decide their Eurovision entry, Wogan incorrectly announced that the runner-up Cyndi was the winner.

[36] Right before the Russian entry's reprise, he said "… and possibly goodbye, Europe.” 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.

"[41] 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.

The BBC was accused of censorship, and a Conservative MP, John Gorst, described the decision to ban Hayward from Wogan as "outrageous".

[44] 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.

In 2008, Wogan and singer Aled Jones released a single "Little Drummer Boy"/"Peace on Earth", which got to number three in the UK music charts.

In November 2015, he 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 following a surgical procedure on his back.

In an appearance on the BBC programme Top Gear, Wogan became the second-slowest guest to go around the test track as the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", a Suzuki Liana.

[57] 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 with Alex Jones.

He praised his fellow nominees, the Beatles, 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's recording of "Stardust" as his iconic song of the last 40 years.

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.

[78] British Prime Minister David Cameron said that "Britain has lost a huge talent",[79] and Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland, praised Wogan's career and his frequent visits to his homeland.

[80] Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton remembered Wogan for his role in helping Anglo-Irish relations during the Troubles.

This was held at Westminster Abbey, 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.

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.