Sir Terry Wogan: A life in broadcasting

Sir Terry Wogan has been hailed as one of the most popular and enduring broadcasters in radio and television history, having been on the airwaves for five decades.

He was perhaps most famous for his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, but will also be familiar to many for hosting the likes of Children In Need, Blankety Blank and the Eurovision Song Contest.

Here's a look at his career through the years.

  • A budding young presenter on RTÉ

After a shortlived period in banking, Sir Terry began his broadcasting career in his twenties, where he answered a newspaper advert for work as a newsreader and announcer at Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) - Ireland's national broadcaster.

After a couple of years he moved in to the world of light entertainment for which he would be best known - earning his money both as a disk jockey and a TV host on shows such as the popular quiz programme Jackpot.

  • Proving himself the BBC

Wogan (middle row, second from left) with the BBC's new Radio 1 and Radio 2 DJ line-up in 1967. Credit: PA

In the mid-1960s, Wogan moved on to the BBC, firstly hosting a programme called the Midday Spin.

When the corporation reorganised its output, he moved to the late night slot for Radio 1, before proving himself as cover for Sir Jimmy Young to earn the prize of his own afternoon show.

  • Beginning 27 years of breakfast radio

Wogan became a hit with listeners after joining the BBC in the late 1960s. Credit: PA

After becoming a hit with listeners, Wogan was handed the reward of the Radio 2 morning show in April 1972.

It was the start of an association with that would span 27 years in total - outlasting a number of famous faces who passed in and out such as Noel Edmonds, Mike Read and Zoe Ball.

  • Becoming a household face

Sir Terry was the regular host of Children In Need until 2015. Credit: PA

While his radio work burgeoned, so too did Wogan's television career. He began fronting comedy panel show Blankety Blank in the early 70s, and id would appear as a guest on shows such as Celebrity Squares and New Faces.

His decades-long relationship with Eurovision and Children In Need began in 1971 and 1978 respectively - while in the latter year he somehow found time for a novelty hit single with the song Floral Dance.

  • Leaving radio for the first time

Sir Terry left his breakfast show at the end of 1984, ahead of the launch of his BBC1 chat show Wogan - which would run three times a week.

The programme saw him interviewing A-list celebrities - with one of its more famous moments featuring a drunken George Best, the retirement of Ronnie Barker and David Icke claiming to be the "son of God".

  • A big-money return to Radio 2

Wogan, right, with fellow Radio 2 presenter Ken Bruce in 1993. Credit: PA

Sir Terry came back to Radio 2 in 1993, with his worth to the BBC underlined by one of the corporation's biggest salaries - said to be around £800,000.

He had not lost his easygoing manner and his propensity for long, rambling diversions - all contributing to a popularity that saw his audience pass the eight million mark in 2005.

On hearing the news, he joked: "Hang on, there's 60 million people in the country - what are the other 52 million listening to?"

  • Retiring his breakfast radio slot

Sir Terry leaves the BBC studios after his final breakfast show. Credit: PA

It was an emotional goodbye for Sir Terry when he announced he would be leaving his Wake Up To Wogan show in 2009 - a move that followed his decision to stop presenting Eurovision a year earlier.

On announcing he was stepping down, a clearly emotional Wogan said: "This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my broadcasting career, to say goodbye to you in the mornings."

"I'd rather leave you while we're in love, as the song says."

Sir Terry stayed on the radio and TV, however, and continued to host Children In Need every year until he was forced to pull out through illness last November.