Biography Terry Wogan

Biography
Terry Wogan
and, when Radio 1 started, he presented Late
Night Extra for two years, flying over from
Dublin every week. In 1969, he stood in for
Jimmy Young when he went on holiday and
later that year, in October, Terry took over his
own daily show on Radio 1 and 2. In April
1972 he took over the 7.00-9.30am morning
show on Radio 2.
Terry was voted TV Personality Of The Year 10
times by the TV Times. He won the Variety
Club Award for Radio Personality Of The Year
in 1974, and the Radio Award of the Radio
Industries Club for 1974, 1976 and 1978. Terry
was also voted Top Radio Personality by the
Society Of Authors/Pye Awards in 1980.
Eurovision legend Terry Wogan has lent his
unique commentary to The Eurovision Song
Contest since 1971. He also presents his own
breakfast radio show on BBC Radio 2, Wake
Up To Wogan. Ask Terry to sum up the secret
of his success and he’ll reply: “I put it all down
to clean living and plenty of roughage”.
Terry was born in Limerick, Ireland and
educated at Crescent College, Limerick. After
leaving college, Terry went into banking where
his innate ability to separate half crowns from
two bob bits soon marked him down for greater
things. Five years later, he joined Radio Telefis
Eireann (the Irish National Radio and TV
Service) as a newsreader/announcer.
His television credits include his live chat show
series Wogan which he presented three times a
week for seven years on BBC One, Lunchtime
With Wogan, Come Dancing, Celebrity Squares,
New Faces and Blankety Blank. In recent years,
Terry has presented Wogan’s Island, Do The
Right Thing, Auntie’s Bloomers, Auntie’s
Sporting Bloomers and Points Of View as well
as the annual BBC Children In Need
extravaganza.
Terry rejoined Radio 2 to present Wake Up To
Wogan in January 1993 and was awarded an
honorary OBE in the 1997 New Year’s Honours
List. Terry’s name has become synonymous with
the Eurovision Song Contest which attracts over
300 million viewers worldwide each year.
He is married and has two sons and a daughter.
After two years of interviewing and presenting
documentary features, Terry moved to light
entertainment as a disc jockey and became the
host of television quiz and variety shows. His
first regular BBC Radio show was Midday Spin
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
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Biography
Jessica Garlick
Pop Idol Top 10 darling Jessica Garlick is
set to represent the UK in this year’s Eurovision
Song Contest in Estonia on Saturday 25
May. Twenty-one-year-old Jessica, from
Wales, has been taken to the nation’s hearts
since winning her way into Pop Idol’s final
10 earlier in the year. She had previously won
the Welsh Final of Star For A Night and
featured on Michael Barrymore’s My Kind Of
Music when she was 16.
chart-toppers including Samantha Mumba
and Blue.
The project was put together by executive
producer Rick Blaskey, who also represents
singing phenomenon Russell Watson. Rick’s
past successes include England’s football
anthem Three Lions and work with Whitney
Houston, Cliff Richard, Barry Manilow and
Tina Turner among others. Jessica was
recommended to him by Pop Idol voice coaches
Carrie and David Grant. Rick and Carrie had
successfully worked together on the 1983 UK
Song For Europe winner, I’m Never Giving Up
by Sweet Dreams, which featured the young
Carrie on her first professional job. Rick was
also executive producer for last year’s Song For
Europe winner, No Dream Impossible,
performed by Lindsay Dracass.
Says Jessica: “My idol is Madonna and my
ambition has always been to make records
and perform on TV. I’ve been so lucky to have
been able to fulfil some TV ambitions through
Pop Idol and Star For A Night. Representing
the UK in Eurovision and having a hit record
with Come Back is another ambition I hope
I can achieve.
Such is her popularity that she was immediately
invited to perform one of the final eight songs in
the BBC’s Song For Europe contest. The final
four were chosen on BBC Radio 2 in March the
public voted by a landslide for Jessica to
represent the UK in the 2002 Eurovision
Song Contest.
Jessica’s song, a power-ballad called Come
Back, was written by Birmingham airline pilot
Martyn Baylay. It is produced by the hit-making
team of Bill Padley and Jeremy Godfrey, who
produced one of last year’s biggest hits, Atomic
Kitten’s Whole Again. They also produce other
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
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