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BBC's Wogan bids farewell to "world's greatest international TV event" Lucerne, Switzerland, 6 May 2009 – Sir Terry Wogan, who has raised hackles in Europe for decades as the BBC's commentator on the Eurovision Song Contest, urged fellow commentators not to worry about giving offence in reporting Europe's most popular TV programme. Wogan's witty but often critical Song Contest commentaries have been a key to the show's ratings success in Britain. But his description of the two presenters of the 2001 Contest in Copenhagen, for example - he called them "Dr Death and the Tooth Fairy" - did not go down well in Denmark. Today, Wogan described the Eurovision Song Contest as “the world’s greatest international television event. … exciting, camp, foolish spectacular, fun …. the most brilliantly produced three and a half hours of live television ever seen.” For the first time since the early 1970s, Wogan will not be in the BBC commentary box for the Song Contest when this year's event takes place in Moscow next week. He will be replaced by Graham Norton, host of the recently created Eurovision Dance Contest Bjorn Erichsen, Director of Eurovision TV** at the EBU - the Geneva-based association of Europe's public service broadcasters - presented Wogan with a Swiss cuckoo clock as a token of appreciation. Wogan said he now regretted that he would not be able to take the clock into the commentary box this year. He urged the delegates in Lucerne to "keep the flames of friendship and song burning", and never to forget what the Contest was really about: "Nations coming together in a friendly musical competition.” Click here for Terry Wogan's full speech: My Long and Happy Journey with the Eurovision Song Contest. Note to editors: * Eurovision TV Summit: A record breaking 740 programme-makers in public service TV are at the Eurovision TV Summit in Lucerne from 4 to 8 May to attend meetings across all genres in public television. ** Eurovision TV is a brand of the EBU – the European Broadcasting Union The Geneva-based EBU is the largest professional association of national broadcasters in the world. It serves 75 active Members in 56 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East together with 43 associate Members around the world. The organisation operates the Eurovision and Euroradio networks. The EBU offers its Members technical, operational and legal services, and coordinates a growing supply of quality content for radio, television and new platforms. It works to secure recognition of the crucial role of public service broadcasters in the digital audiovisual landscape. More information on: www.ebu.ch Eurovision TV collaboration provides networking within all genres of television production. Some 75 coproductions are constantly in development or production, providing 1,900 hours of programming to Members annually, including animation, fiction, documentary series, competitions for young dancers and musicians, and, of course, the annual mega-show, the Eurovision Song Contest, for more information: www.eurovisiontv.com Press contacts: Karen Mazzoli Michelle Roverelli |
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"I’m a friend of this Contest, possibly it’s oldest friend. How do friends behave to each other? They don’t indulge in idle flattery. If a friend does something silly, you tell him so, and you laugh at him, just as he would at you," he told delegates at the EBU's annual Eurovision TV Summit* a week before the 54th Song Contest. "Just describe what you see and if you find it silly, say so!"