Is Wogan on his way? 'I'll leave before BBC forces me to retire,' says Sir Terry

chris

It would be a serious blow to the TOGs - Terry's Old Geezers and Girls.

But Sir Terry Wogan has revealed he is considering quitting Radio 2.

The 70-year-old presenter has told the Mail: 'You really have to leave before they shut the door on you. The older you get the more conscious you become of that.'

Sir Terry has presented his two-hour weekday show on the station, Wake Up to Wogan, since 1993. It attracts 8million listeners a day, more than any other radio show.

The broadcaster has also amassed a devoted fanbase - including those TOGs, who pride themselves on their 'senior moments' and describe their favourite chat-up line as: 'Do I come here often?'

But despite his continued popularity, Sir Terry said that it might be time to consider his future.

At today's Oldie of the Year event in London, which he was hosting, Sir Terry told the Mail: 'This is a very crucial year for me. I mean, I'm 70 years of age.

'I have to get up at 20 past five every morning.'

And he referred to his decision last year to hand over presenting duties for Eurovision, which he has hosted since 1980, to Graham Norton.

'It is rather like the Eurovision Song Contest,' he said. 'I gave up Eurovision because it was time.

'You really have to get out the exit before someone starts leading you towards it.' He added: 'I hope I can continue as late as possible but you have to consider the way you feel - although I feel well at the moment.

'I'm going to have to look around and see, although it's too early to say. I've taken a one-year contract and at the moment with the way things are you can't expect any more than that.'

Sir Terry, who currently earns £800,000 a year for his Radio 2 show alone, is one of the highest paid presenters at the BBC behind Jonathan Ross, Norton, Jeremy Clarkson and Jeremy Paxman.

But he said he had accepted the BBC's announcement earlier this year that it planned to slash the salary of its highest-paid stars by a quarter.

He joked: 'I burst into uncontrollable tears when I heard. No, you can't argue with it. I have taken a one-year contract but it's the same for everybody else.'

He had previously argued that he was worth every penny of his £800,000 salary.

'I don't give a monkey's about people knowing it,' he once said. 'Nor do I feel guilty.

'If you do the maths, factoring in my 8million listeners, I cost the BBC about 2p a fortnight. I think I'm cheap at the price.'

Sir Terry, who in 1956 began a banking career before moving into newscasting and presenting for RTE, has become one of Britain's best-loved presenters.

He was awarded an OBE in 1997 and in June 2005 he was given a knighthood for his services to broadcasting.


Source:mailonline