Weekend Wogan was the incarnation of the Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 14 February 2010 to 8 November 2015. The show was presented by Sir Terry Wogan, which marked his return to the airwaves following his departure as presenter of the weekday breakfast show, in December 2009.
 | |
| Genre | Talk, music |
|---|---|
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 2 |
| Starring | Sir Terry Wogan Alan Dedicoat (2010–12) John Marsh (2010) Elio Pace (2010) |
| Produced by | Alan Boyd Anthony Cherry Ste Softley David Manero |
| Recording studio | BBC Radio Theatre (2010) Western House, London (2011–2015) |
| Original release | 14 February 2010 – 8 November 2015 |
| No. of series | 4 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Website | Official Website |
| Podcast | Official Podcast |
In its first year, the show was broadcast in front of a live audience in the BBC Radio Theatre, before moving to Western House, Radio 2's headquarters, where it remained until the end of its run.
Wogan hosted the show for the final time on Remembrance Sunday 2015, as his health was beginning to decline due to cancer. He died from this illness on 31 January 2016. The show's slot was filled with guest hosts until 29 November 2015 after which regular cover show Madeley on Sunday, presented by Richard Madeley, took over the slot temporarily, until it was initially assumed that Wogan would return. Michael Ball took over the slot on a permanent basis from April 2016, returning to the show he vacated in 2010 to allow Wogan to present.
The programme featured guests and live music from BBC Radio 2 studios at Western House in London. It was broadcast for approximately 40 Sundays a year, with the remaining 12 being taken by an interim show, which from May 2012 was Madeley on Sunday. Previously, until September 2011, the interim show was Michael Ball's Sunday Brunch.[citation needed]
History
editWogan confirmed to his listeners on 7 September 2009 that he would be leaving the breakfast show at the end of the year with Chris Evans taking over.[1] He presented his final edition of Wake Up to Wogan on 18 December 2009,[2] although by then it had been announced that Wogan would return to Radio 2 from 14 February 2010 to host a live weekly two-hour Sunday show, featuring live musical performance and guests, between 11:00 and 13:00.[3]
The three 2010 series took place in front of a live audience in the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House and had an original run of three months. Tickets for the first block of 12 shows had sold out within 24 hours.[4] Wogan's first guests on his new show were actor Ian McKellen and jazz singers Norah Jones and Jamie Cullum. In its first year, the programme also featured a house band, led by musician Elio Pace.[citation needed]
In 2011 the televised version was decommissioned[citation needed] and Weekend Wogan was hosted from BBC Radio 2's studios in Western House.
On 3 July 2012 the BBC Trust ruled that Wogan had breached broadcasting guidelines following an edition in January of that year in which he made comments that appeared to make light of the Costa Concordia disaster, which had occurred nine days earlier. After playing "Rock the Boat" by The Hues Corporation he questioned whether it was an appropriate choice of song and joked about the Costa Concordia's captain. The ship ran aground and partially sank off the Italian Coast with the loss of lives.[5]
Show format
editAiring from 11 am to 1 pm every Sunday, Weekend Wogan featured a mix of live and recorded music, together with guest singers. The show also included celebrity interviews, as well as contributions from Wogan's listeners and regular guests such as, in its first year, the newsreader John Marsh.[6] Features of the show included the infamous Janet and John stories featuring Marsh and which were a regular mainstay of Wake Up to Wogan. A podcast of the show was available online.
Wogan usually signed off the show saying "well, that's about the height of it" before thanking his guests and producers, previewing next week's show and playing his last record.
Throughout 2010 the show was also televised. Wogan was joined on stage by an eleven-piece house band led by musical director Elio Pace with backing vocals from Kirstie Roberts, Sue Acteson and Chloe Buswell. Video highlights of Weekend Wogan could also be viewed on the show's website from Mondays[4] and on the Red Button.
Televised episodes
editSeries 1
edit| # | Guests | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian McKellen, Jamie Cullum and Norah Jones | 14 February 2010 |
| 2 | Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Gray and Sharleen Spiteri | 21 February 2010 |
| 3 | Peter Alliss, Neil Sedaka, Beth Nielsen Chapman and John Barrowman | 28 February 2010 |
| 4 | Carly Simon, Craig David and Jonathan Pryce | 7 March 2010 |
| 5 | June Whitfield, Beverley Knight and Paul Carrack | 14 March 2010 |
| 6 | Natalie Imbruglia, Mick Hucknall and Griff Rhys Jones | 21 March 2010 |
| 7 | Timothy B. Schmit, Albert Lee and Sheila Hancock | 28 March 2010 |
| 8 | Elkie Brooks, Mica Paris and Debbie Reynolds | 4 April 2010 |
| 9 | Ringo Starr, Mika and Nell Bryden | 11 April 2010 |
| 10 | Ricky Gervais, Don McLean and Scouting for Girls | 18 April 2010 |
| 11 | Graham Norton, Billy Ocean, Richard Briers and Red Hurley | 25 April 2010 |
| 12 | Katie Melua, Glen Campbell and Justin Lee Collins | 2 May 2010 |
Series 2
edit| # | Guests | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Goldblum, Nerina Pallot and Des O'Connor | 13 June 2010 |
| 2 | Ronnie Corbett, Sandi Thom and Ben Montague | 20 June 2010 |
| 3 | Tony Hadley, Jodie Prenger and Rick Astley | 27 June 2010 |
| 4 | Maureen Lipman, Brian Kennedy and The Real Thing | 4 July 2010 |
| 5 | Bernard Cribbins, Gabriella Cilmi and Jon Allen | 11 July 2010 |
| 6 | Esther Rantzen, Richard Hawley and Joe Longthorne | 18 July 2010 |
| 7 | Tony Christie, Gretchen Peters and Kiri Te Kanawa | 25 July 2010 |
| 8 | Richard Wilson, Marti Pellow and Paloma Faith | 1 August 2010 |
| 9 | Sharon Corr, Ben's Brother, Leon Russell, and James Martin | 8 August 2010 |
| 10 | Brian May, Kerry Ellis, Fyfe Dangerfield and Robert Lindsay | 15 August 2010 |
| 11 | Kiki Dee and Incognito | 22 August 2010 |
Series 3
editReferences
edit- ^ "Sir Terry to leave breakfast show". BBC News. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ "Sir Terry Wogan bids farewell to show". BBC News. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ "Sir Terry Wogan to launch brand new Sunday programme on Radio 2 in 2010". BBC Press Office. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Sir Terry Wogan makes radio comeback". BBC News. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ "Sir Terry Wogan rapped by BBC for Costa Concordia 'Rock the boat' joke". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ "Synopsis for Weekend Wogan". BBC Radio 2. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ "OMD - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | news". Omd.uk.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.