The 77-year-old broadcaster passed away over the weekend following a “short but brave” secret cancer battle and his close friend Father Brian D’Arcy revealed that Terry’s health rapidly deteriorated after Christmas.
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“I grew up listening to him on the radio and watching him on TV”.
The one-hour special featured appearances from Chris Evans, who replaced Wogan as host of the Radio 2 breakfast show in 2010, and Graham Norton, who has presented the BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision song contest since Wogan stepped down in 2008.
The free show, one of the biggest in the North of England, also attracted a visit from actress Su Pollard, best known for playing scatty chalet maid Peggy in 80s BBC TV sitcom Hi-de-Hi!
Brian Pattinson, owner of The Book House in Thame said he “could not let everyone in” when the broadcaster, who sadly passed away yesterday (Sunday) came to the Town Hall for a book signing in 2009. “While we understand he will be missed by many, the family ask that their privacy is respected at this time”.
He said: “Terry truly was a national treasure”.
“I wasn’t sure if it was goodbye, but as soon as I saw Terry I knew it was the last time I was going to see him, and the shake hands was the last shake hands I’d ever have with him”.
“We were brightened by his wonderful personality and charm as he woke us up every weekday morning, becoming an essential and much-loved part of our lives”. Instead of answering nine million, which would have been accurate, he said: ‘Only one’.
Describing him as a “giant of entertainment broadcasting”, he continued: “There have been and will be few like him”.
The star – whose long-running Radio 2 breakfast show catapulted him to nationwide fame – was hailed as the country’s greatest broadcaster.
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He said: ‘I don’t think even he thought he was unwell, other than he had quite a seriously bad back, and wouldn’t have been able to stand for the entire show.
