Wogan takes things easily and tells fans 'it's been hell without you'

SIR Terry Wogan revealed he had received "various offers" when asked yesterday whether he would make a TV return after Jonathan Ross's exit.

The 71-year-old, who launched his new Sunday radio show, Weekend Wogan, yesterday morning, also said he was not ready to express an opinion over Chris Evans' progress as his replacement on the Radio 2 breakfast show.

Sir Terry said he was keen to take it a "bit more easily" when asked in an interview with Andrew Marr whether he would be willing to replace Ross, who recently said he will be leaving the BBC in July.

He told Marr's Sunday morning show: "I'm well stricken in years Andrew, it will happen to you as well.

"The thing is I have had various offers and I'm thinking about it but I'm 71 years of age, I'd like to take it a bit more easily.

"But I'm still open to doing interesting things."

He also said radio was no "quick fix" when asked how he thought Evans was progressing as his replacement on the Radio 2 early slot.

Sir Terry added: "People keep coming up to me and asking me what I think.

"I'd rather not give an opinion because radio is not like television. Television is a quick fix, radio takes an awful lot longer to establish yourself.

"So I say, if you ask me that question in about a year's time, I'll give you an honest answer and I'm sure it will be a favourable one," continued Sir Terry.

His new show, recorded live in a theatre, is "radically different" from his morning show, Sir Terry added.

Sir Terry, who left the breakfast show slot on 18 December after 27 years, had an average of 8.1 million listeners a week in the final three months of 2009, making Wake Up To Wogan Europe's most popular breakfast programme.

Although some of Wogan's Togs – Terry's Old Geezers and Gals – complained about his replacement, Evans received a warm response from reviewers after taking over the breakfast slot in January.

When asked about Weekend Wogan, Sir Terry said: "It has to be radically different from what I was doing in the morning.

"Obviously we will have listeners' letters but we will have live music and a resident band."

He added: "I've always been able to change and you have to change.

"Yes I could have gone on doing the morning show, I guess, indefinitely if my health held and my wit remained almost sane but there's always a time to live and a time to die, a time to enter and a time to exit."

Among the first live singers to perform on his new show was Norah Jones.

In his return to Radio 2, broadcast live from the BBC's Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, Wogan told his listeners: "It's been hell without you."

His show also featured an interview with Sir Ian McKellen as well as a performance from Jamie Cullum.