Promoting the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest with Nicki French

The Radio 2 breakfast host criticised news and sport station Radio 5Live, suggesting its success compared with the old Radio 5 could be explained by different ways of presenting ratings figures.

"You can always fiddle the figures: 'All right, so we haven't got that many listeners, but what about our reach? And we don't want to be seen to be super-serving a middle-class minority, do we?"

Wogan, whose regular chat show ended in 1992, also attacked the general trend among TV producers to prime game show panellists with witty gags and anecdotes.

The original host of Blankety Blank said: "Celebrity Squares with Bob Monkhouse provided all the celebs with 'funnies' for every question, and the tradition continues, from the smart-asses of Have I Got News For You to the dunces of Dictionary Corner in Countdown."

A BBC Sport spokesman said of Wogan's attack on its output: "Terry's memory is clouded by the mists of blarney.

"Seven world-ranked golf championships, like the US Masters and the Open, are exclusive to BBC Sport.

"If a winter packed with top international rugby union and a summer packed with Wimbledon tennis, Euro 2000, Royal Ascot, open golf and the Olympics is only showing minority sport, then let's have more of it."

Wogan has become a persistent critic of his employers.

Earlier this year, he claimed the BBC was "dumb" to pay large wages to presenters such as Michael Parkinson and refused to rule out moving to Sky.