He's the Eurovision presenter that the rest of Europe loves to hate. Sir Terry Wogan reveals all to Viv Hardwick about his views on Johnny Foreigner

SIR Terry Wogan IS the Eurovision Song Contest. "I've always loved it," beams the presenter, who has commentated on the competition since 1973. "It's a wonderful event. You can decry it for its foolishness, but it's huge all over the world - they lap it up in Australia, for instance. It has a global audience of some 300 million. We adore the competitive element and the voting. But above all in this country we love the Eurovision Song Contest because it's the ideal opportunity to have a jolly good sneer at Johnny Foreigner and throw things at the telly. You can't beat that sort of entertainment."

So Terry is the perfect person to whip the crowd up into a frenzy of delight during the tour of Eurobeat, Almost Eurovision (Sarajevo) where he appears on a screen at strategic points during the evening.

In Eurobeat, the contest is taking place in sunny, safe and secure Sarajevo. It is hosted by former Olympic pole-vaulting champion, lifestyle programme presenter and cabaret performer Boyka (Mel Giedroyc) and children's presenter Sergei (Les Dennis) and highlights include Boyka's spellbinding rendition of I'm Sarajevo Taste Me.

The show was conceived by Craig Christie, a British passport holder, after he was denied the chance to write an entry for the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest because he happened to live in Australia.

Sir Terry is delighted to be associated with such a glorious, exuberant show. The 69-year-old presenter - who underlined his "national treasure" status by adding a knighthood three years ago - declares: "I was more than happy to get involved with Eurobeat. It's been a tremendous laugh.

"As you enter the theatre for Eurobeat, you've given a country to represent and you can't vote for that nation.

Mind you, if you're from Scandinavia or the Balkans, you might take an entirely different view.

When it goes out on TV, people up and down the country hold parties and hoot at all the contestants. Did you know that last year it got 11 million viewers in the UK?" Many, many of those viewers watch the Eurovision Song Contest purely to hear Terry's commentary.

He is famed throughout the world for his irreverent, mickey-taking remarks.

"I say what I see just before the viewers do - have you ever seen teeth like that?' 101 things occur to you when those clowns come on stage or when the local presenters start shrieking.

"People used to say to me, how come you are at this contest, if you don't like it?' But they were missing the point. I adore Eurovision. France has two commentators at the event and they're catty. But I'm never knowingly nasty - why should I be? You have to approach it in a spirit of fun."

The presenter, who has legions of devoted fans - known as TOGs (Terry's Old Geezers) - tuning into the nation's most popular breakfast radio show, BBC Radio 2, every morning, points out that our attitude to the contest is rather different to the rest of Europe.

"In France, they love Johnny Halliday - please. And on German TV, whole hours are given over to people in lederhosen slapping their thighs and playing the tuba. While in Spain, they broadcast variety shows that go on for four hours and include jugglers and comic sketches. In Europe, variety isn't dead. Different standards apply. We're not superior, but that doesn't stop us having a good old hoot at it all."

Someone wrote to him recently to say that in Germany they're advertising a festival and have represented England with a fellow wrapped in a Union Jack watching telly while everyone else dances round and taunts him.

"We're not averse to getting a good kicking from the rest of Europe, but luckily, we only speak English so we don't understand it," Wogan says.

He says the key to relishing the Eurovision Song Contest is not to take it the slightest bit seriously.

"Having said that, in most European countries I still have to go incognito."

* The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest is shown tonight at 8pm on BBC3 with the final following on Saturday on BBC1 at 8pm