Wake Up to Wogan

Wogan originally took over the airwaves from Sarah Kennedy after the news at 7.00 am, but from 17 January 1994 until the end of the show's run, this was changed to 7.30 am (following the news headlines). He always finished with a hand-over to Ken Bruce at 9.30 am. WUTW was a music-based programme that included listeners' views and comments which were often light-hearted and whimsical. Traffic bulletins interrupted the programme at half-hour intervals and had until February 2007 been presented by that morning's newsreader. Similar to other programmes during the day the traffic bulletins are now delivered by a travel announcer.

The 1993-2009 incarnation of the programme had far more of an 'ensemble' feel to it than Wogan's first spell on breakfast. During the first spell, Wogan primarily read out letters from listeners, read the travel bulletins himself, made humorous observations about TV programmes and newspaper articles and featured segments such as 'Fight the Flab' and the daily racing tip 'Wogan's Winner'. There was a formal divide between the newsreader and Wogan, and interaction between them was rare. When the show returned in 1993, on-air interaction between Wogan and members of the production team became far more widespread, and from around the late 1990s, emails became the most prominent method by which listeners would contact the show.

The show was produced by Paul Walters for over 10 years; in addition to these duties, he traded banter with Wogan and the newsreaders on-air until his declining health, with an illness that had been diagnosed in November 2005, took him away from the studio in late January 2006. He did, however, continue to compile the music for WUTW until his death on 21 October 2006. Alan Boyd (Barrowlands) then took over production duties in Walters' absence, and following his death stayed for the remainder of the show's run. Boyd was at first rarely heard on-air, but often played a part in Wogan's "mini-dramas", usually as the dour Scottish soundalike for a Taggart character.

The newsreaders who contributed to the show are Alan Dedicoat ("Deadly"), Fran Godfrey ("Mimi", 1993–2008), John Marsh ("Boggy"), and Charles Nove ("Super/Bossa" 2007–09) who joined the team following John Marsh's semi-retirement in 2007. Each newsreader became a star in their own right, and John Marsh, along with his wife Janet, had their life "stories" told in four "Janet and John" CDs. All have been released to raise funds for the Children in Need appeal. The regular travel announcer was Lynn Bowles ('Traffic Totty' (2007–09), who joined the show following Marsh's retirement and a change in format. Wogan would often refer to Bowles and the newsreaders as his "underlings", "peons" and "numpties". This was a long-standing gag, used to make light of the fact that listeners who write into other Radio 2 shows (such as Steve Wright in the Afternoon) often address "the Team".

WUTW was one of the few Radio 2 programmes available which has edited highlights made available as a podcast, starting in 2006.

The show also had a mid-morning slot on Christmas Day from 2000 until 2008.

Regular listeners to the show were often referred to collectively as TOGs (Terry's Old Geezers / Gals).[3] A running joke on the show was defining what it takes to qualify as a TOG. Much humour was drawn from identifying stereotypical traits of the elderly, such as absent-mindedness, cynicism and befuddlement at modern society's habits, as being those of a true TOG. Wogan, as the archetypal TOG, was sometimes referred to as the "TOGmeister".

TOGs often took on pseudonyms, as did the newsreaders, prior to February 2007.[4]

In early 2007, John Marsh took compulsory semi-retirement at the age of 60, but still returned to the show every six weeks to read the news. Marsh's departure from the show caused a reshuffle of staff, and the introduction of a new Travel Announcer, Lynn Bowles, whom the TOGs often referred to as the "Traffic Totty". Charles Nove also nicknamed "Chassa", "Bossa", and "Super" later became a regular newsreader on the Wake Up To Wogan show, and was famed among TOGs for his impression of coughing sheep which became a running gag on the programme. Prior to Marsh's retirement, the travel bulletins were also presented by the morning's newsreader, and Bowles presented them in the shows either side of WUTW.

Younger listeners were sometimes called "TYGs" (Terry's Young Geezers/Gals); a frequent joke being that many TYGs were children forced to listen to WUTW in the car while being driven to school. Often, younger listeners getting in touch with the show were jokingly told to "get lost".

Wogan was noted for the amount of holiday leave he took, and had numerous presenters cover his absence over the years.

Originally, Dawn Patrol host Sarah Kennedy covered for him after persuading then Radio 2 Controller Frances Line that she was most suitable for the job. A couple of "dubious" moments whilst Kennedy was in the chair during the late 1990s under James Moir's reign, however, resulted in Ed Stewart or Alex Lester being granted the accolade. In the last few years of the show Johnnie Walker usually deputised for Wogan, although Richard Allinson also frequently took this role. Allinson tended to cover the show during Bank Holidays, and also during Walker's absence from the station (undergoing treatment for cancer) in late 2003 and 2004. Jonathan Ross also covered the programme for a week in 2004 and again in 2005.

During the Christmas break in 2007, Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond covered the show's slot for several days. From 2008 until Wogan's final holiday leave prior to his retirement from the breakfast show in October 2009, Johnnie Walker had been the usual stand-in for Wogan. Contributors often used to joke that Wogan was, in fact, the stand-in for Walker.

• Wake Up to Wogan official show page
• Official TOGs and Children in Need merchandise
• Chuffer Dandridge
• Tansy Whitebytts