Wogan was well loved for his wit and turn of phrase. But more than anything he will be fondly remembered for his corrosive put-downs as a Eurovision commentator, which were often the highlight of the competition. Here are the best of his witty jibes and quips.
EUROVISION PUT-DOWNS
“Doctor Death and the Tooth Fairy” – Wogan’s take on the hosts of the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in Denmark, for which the BBC later had to apologise.
"You've got four dancers, for whom modern dance stopped about 30 years ago." On a dancing troupe who featured in 2006, as part of the Malta entry.
“Who knows what hellish future lies ahead? … Actually, I do. I’ve seen the rehearsals” – opening remark for the 2007 show in Finland
"There's a definite Baltic bloc and a Balkan bloc and they've been joined in recent years by a Russian bloc. I've said it so many times it has become a cliché. We won the Cold War but we lost the Eurovision." Wogan speaking in 2007.
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Tosh, mon brave. If there was any truth in that load of old frog spawn, would the present Mrs Wogan have spent a fortune doing the bedroom?”
“Every year I expect it to be less foolish and every year it is more so” – on the Finnish rock band Lordi winning the contest in 2006.
“Nobody died. It’s a television programme. It wasn’t the general election. People got a bit confused,” – after he announced the wrong act had won the UK Eurovision in 2007.
“You’d never make a living as a presenter in the UK with a name like Leppy Lampen. A comedian, maybe, but not a presenter” – on the male presenter of the Finnish contest in 2007.
Graham Norton took on the Eurovision commentary gig after Wogan retired. Norton revealed the advice Wogan gave him - "not to start drinking before song nine."
"No, it's not Rita from Coronation Street." - on Alla Pugachova, Russia's representative in 1997.
"That's the whole point of it, of course, to sneer at the foreigners." - Remarking - in 1997 - on what Eurovision was essentially all about.
Despite the jibing and the fun at its expense, Wogan knew that compering the Eurovsion was a much-coveted job. "Every presenter and stand-up comedian in the country would have killed for the gig," he wrote in the Irish Times two years ago.
So closely associated was Terry Wogan with the Eurovison that their tweet and those of other Eurovision alumni comes as no surprise.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Terry Wogan (77). He was without doubt the most remarkable Eurovision commentator in history
— Eurovision (@Eurovision) January 31, 2016
sad to hear about Terrys death wonderful man sincere sympathy to his family #Terrywogan pic.twitter.com/cy5l3dZr7a
— Linda Martin (@RealLindaMartin) January 31, 2016
Sad loss of a great man. Proud to have delivered an #ESC win on Terry’s watch. #terrywogan pic.twitter.com/q6w7E90won
— KATRINA leskanich (@KatrinasWeb) January 31, 2016
MORE WOGAN WIT
Sample some witty observations relating to his lengthy broadcasting career, domestic life and retirement:
"Hang on: there's 60 million people in the country - what are the other 52 million listening to?" - On hearing that his radio show audience in 2005 had passed the eight million mark.
"Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana."
"Get on your toes, keep your wits about you, say goodnight politely when it's over, go home and enjoy your dinner" - His golden rule of broadcasting.
"Gratuitously hurtful folk declare that I am very popular in hospitals because the listeners abed there are too weak to reach out and switch me off."
"The price of fame? Who in their right mind would want to pay it?"
"If the present Mrs Wogan has a fault - and I must tread carefully here - this gem in the diadem of womanhood is a hoarder. She never throws anything out. Which may explain the longevity of our marriage."
"Could it be that behind every great man there's a woman working him with her foot?"
"Go out and face the world secure in the knowledge that everybody else thinks they are better looking than they are as well."
"My opinion has the weight of a ton of feathers."
