To commemorate the life and career of one of the UK’s most loved presenters, Sir Terry Wogan, the BBC has today announced plans to broadcast special tribute programmes on BBC One and BBC Radio 2 looking back at the life and career of the broadcasting legend. 

The programmes will be broadcast to tie in with a special service of thanksgiving that is taking place at Westminster Abbey in central London, on September 27 - a date which marks the 50th anniversary of Sir Terry’s first radio broadcast for the BBC.

BBC Director General, Tony Hall, says: “Terry Wogan was one of the nation’s most loved presenters. He had a unique and welcoming style combined with a mischievous sense of humour and his personality will shine through in these programmes.”

Radio 2’s Chris Evans will announce on his Breakfast Show this morning (September 6) that 250 pairs of tickets will be available for listeners to attend the service. Registration for the ballot opens at bbc.co.uk/radio2from 12.01am on Tuesday 6 September and closes at 7pm on Thursday 8 September 2016.

The memorial service - A Service Of Thanksgiving For The Life And Work Of Sir Terry Wogan KBE DL - will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 between 12-1pm and will be prefaced and followed by a special edition of the Jeremy Vine Show (11.30am - 2pm) - in which Jeremy will celebrate the life and times of Terry, speaking to listeners and hearing their memories of him.

On BBC Radio 2, Thank You For Being My Friend - A Tribute to Terry Wogan, (September 26 and 27, BBC Radio 2, 10pm) will trace the professional life of the much-loved broadcaster from Limerick to London via Eurovision, BBC Children in Need and his own TV chat show.

The programmes will feature original interviews with his friends and colleagues both on and off-air who reflect on his wit, humour, imagination, generosity, loyalty and love of the good things in life.

The shows, presented by Ken Bruce, will feature contributions from Chris Evans, Sue Lawley, Sue Cook, Claudia Winkleman, Esther Rantzen, Cheryl Baker, Nicky Byrne, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber as well as others including his producers, researchers and fans. They will also feature music from the artists he championed including Eva Cassidy, Katie Melua and Foster and Allen and the music he loved, from Nat King Cole to Peggy Lee.

Bob Shennan, Controller BBC Radio 2, 6 Music, Asian Network and Director BBC Music, adds: “Terry was a hugely important part of Radio 2 and we all had such fondness for him. These programmes are a fitting tribute to one of the UK’s most well-loved broadcasters and a wonderful way for us to celebrate his life.”

Sir Terry Wogan Remembered: Fifty Years At The BBC (w/t) on BBC One, which is being made by BBC Studios, will take viewers on a journey through the 50-year career of the true national treasure.

The programme will be an affectionate celebration full of classic moments, featuring much loved shows from Blankety Blank to the Eurovision Song Contest. It will explore the three facets of Terry: on television, on radio and as the charity figurehead for BBC Children in Need, and will also reveal the private side of a man whose values and beliefs laid the foundations for his extraordinary success.

The tribute will feature people who knew him best sharing fond, funny memories of one of the most-loved broadcasters of all time - including Jeremy Vine, Ken Bruce, Alesha Dixon, Michael Grade, Eamonn Holmes, Katie Melua, Dermot O’Leary, Len Goodman, Graham Norton, Fearne Cotton and Rob Brydon.

Phil Dolling, Head of BBC Events, BBC Studios, says: “Sir Terry Wogan is without doubt one of the most important broadcasters in the history of the BBC, his humour, his warmth and his ability to connect with his audience was second to none. It is no exaggeration at all to describe Sir Terry’s career as exceptional – he was the most popular man on television while at the same time being the most popular man on the radio. In this programme we look back at his five decades with the BBC and talk to those people who knew him and loved him.”

The Radio 2 website will also be offering a range of archive material and career highlights as part of the content.