Is It Me?: Terry Wogan - An Autobiography (BBC Radio Collection)

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Terry Wogan

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Pages: (Audio Cassette)

ISBN: 0563477296

Pub: BBC Audiobooks Ltd

Pub date: 2000-09-04

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 286238

Editorial Review:

From life with Ma and Da in County Limerick, with weekly packages of books, magazines and comics from his Auntie May filling his fertile brain with adventures and humour, Michael Terence Wogan reached the heights of broadcasting via the Royal Bank of Ireland and Radio Eirann and stayed there.
Displeasure in his working life seems minimal, though the BBC replacing him with the doomed early evening soap, Eldorado still chafes. Contented in family life with wife and three children, he speaks thoughtfully of its sad events: the death of his parents, and the loss of his firstborn.
On referring to the mystery that occasions success in show business he says, without rancour, "Nobody knows anything in our business which is what my friend Sir John Birt couldn't accept. An engineer by training he never grasped the essential imponderability of our game. He thought the inexactitude, unpredictability of public taste could be ironed out by reason, procedures, good management and focus groups--laudable but a waste of time."

Of his own competence he confesses, "I sit before the microphone every morning speechless, without an idea with which to bless myself". No such worries in this articulate, informative and most engaging reading. --Lyn Took

Reader Reviews:

It could only be him! (0/0 people found this helpful)

This is a really enjoyable read, not just for fans of Wogan but for anyone who enjoys a success story delivered with gentle self-deprecating humour, in the everyday language that has made its author and subject the popular figure he has remained over the last forty years. The stories of his early life in Ireland, and in particular his stint in the bank, are wonderful to read, and it is nice to see the Limerick of the age not portrayed as the hell hole it appeared to be in Angela's Ashes (noted too by Wogan himself). I hadn't realized how popular and big a celebrity Wogan was in Ireland before he came over to conquer the UK in the late seventies. From the outset, the whole story is established in the context of a great adventure, none of which was planned and very little detail of which was apparently recorded or remembered by the man himself. TW describes himself as a man of little emotion and it is this absence of depth of feeling that prevents the book from getting beyond a straight, if hugely enjoyable, narrative. Nonetheless, it's highly recommended for all Wogan fans.

Limerick"s finest (1/1 people found this helpful)

The great thing about Terry Wogan is unlike a lot of celebrites he doesn"t take himself seriously.He takes success as it comes and that is why he is so well loved.And this book shows he hasn"t changed one iota in his lifetime.From his upbringing in Limerick to his work in a bank in Dublin to his career in broadcasting this is a funny and heartwarming book

As always, entertaining (3/3 people found this helpful)

Had to purchase after reading his other book (mustn't grumble) and yes I enjoyed it as much, YOU CAN HEAR HIM SPEAK AS YOU READ THE WORDS, WRITEN ALMOST AS HE WOULD SPEAK. An image of Terry in short trousers as a lad, cycling his way around Island is a sight for sore eyes, I BET.
"The Who Shot JR?" campaign, when Dallas reached fever pitch? WAS SOME THING I STILL REMEMBER WITH A Smile, AND I WALKED DOWN MEMORY LANE WITHIN THE PAGES OF THIS BOOK. I still think the program Wogan was the icing on the cake for him, and once the public got to see this man on a weekly footing they could not get enough of his cheeky smile, or boyish grin. His interview technique amazed me, he was able to slip in a comment, or two, that others would not be able to get away with. A Wogan all grannies wanted to mother. It's a light hearted read taking you into the life of the man him self, HIS EARLY YEARS and later notoriety that he has worked hard to attain without using or dropping names. A man any one would be proud to introduce as a friend, or family member. Can any one be this perfect? Ummm...Only time will tell but I for one adore this national treasure and hope to meet him one day. Maybe interviewing me for my own biography.....there you go Terry, an invite you won't be able to resist!!!

Standards...decency (5/11 people found this helpful)

..just two of the words which could be used to describe this broadcasting legend. If youngsters today would try to emulate this man rather than 50 cent there may be some hope for them. Verdict: Inspiring

For Terry's old geezers (12/14 people found this helpful)

Wogan writes the way he speaks - whimsical, humorous, self-deprecating: but anyone who has listened to or watched him will recognise the intelligence behind it all.

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