A series of illustrations inspired by listeners to Terry Wogan's long-running Radio 2 breakfast show are going on display in three art galleries in the North West of England.
Created by Daily Mail cartoonist Stan McMurtry, they've been signed by the Togmeister himself and limited edition prints of the drawings will be sold.
Sir Terry's Old Geezers (and Gals) became a major part of his stint on the nation's biggest breakfast show. When he finished on the show almost a year ago, Wogan remarked how his early morning low spirits would often be lifted by a flood of "cheery, witty and yes, sometimes mildly insane, letters that brought a smile to my face, and more importantly for a broadcaster; words to my lips."
The new illustrations see Terry teaming up with fine art publishers Washington Green and the cartoonist – known in the Daily Mail as 'MAC'. The prints are being unveiled from this weekend (20 November) at [link=http://www.castlegalleries.com]galleries[/link] in Manchester and Chester.
Sir Terry said: "Those who would seek the origins of the ‘bon mots’ timeless phrases and telling epigrams with which this beautiful collection is bursting, obviously need to get out more and get a life! This is not some ancient work of deathless prose, unearthed like Roman coins in some farmer’s field, or ’neath a lofty pyramid in Ptolemy’s sarcophagus. Most of these fine-sounding words; all of them gems in the diadem of our beautiful language, and so elegantly illustrated by my mate, the matchless Mac, are not even my invention, although I have trumpeted them for years on BBC Radio Two as if they were."
He added: "Just think of the peace and quiet you might have enjoyed for years in the early morning…I’d blame the TOGS if I didn’t have so much to thank and love them for; their loyalty and their great work for Children in Need. I hope the words in this new and exclusive collection of signed limited edition prints bring back as many happy memories for you as they do for me."
MAC depicts the TOGs with his signatory dry wit. One image shows the pair of 'wrinklies' coming out of a tattoo and piercing parlour with the words 'TOGs' tattooed across their chests; whilst another features a TOG falling asleep at the wheel at the traffic lights, causing an infuriated traffic jam, entitled "I stop here for no particular reason". There's also the TOGs in a pub, in an art gallery and tied up in an uncompromising position, with the final image in the series of six featuring a TOG standing next to a fire extinguisher in a burning building accompanied by the words "I know I came here for something."