It was alleged in the Dublin Evening Herald that Jonathan Ross's second period of covering for Terry in 1990 (23rd July - 3rd August) wasn't normal holiday cover, but instead there to give Terry chance to travel to the US in the hopes of getting bigger interviews.
The Evening Herald printed back on 26th July 1990 that this episode's Roseanne Barr was one of the targets: "Chat host Terry Wogan has been packed off to Hollywood in a secret bid to save his flagging show. Top of his list are roly poly funnygirl Roseanne Barr and screen heart-throb Mickey Rourke. A Wogan insider said: "If he fails, the show could be in real trouble." The Irish star was sent by BBC bosses to win back viewers by clinching interviews with big American names. Wogan has been consistently scooped by rival Michael Aspel in the last year. Elizabeth Taylor, Harrison Ford and even Prince Charles all snubbed Wogan in favour of ITV smoothie Aspel. Wogan stand-in Jonathan Ross has been ordered to keep quiet about the trip. He told viewers Wogan is having a restful holiday. A spokesman for the show said: "Terry is away for two weeks. I'm not prepared to say any more.""
The Evening Herald printed back on 26th July 1990 that this episode's Roseanne Barr was one of the targets: "Chat host Terry Wogan has been packed off to Hollywood in a secret bid to save his flagging show. Top of his list are roly poly funnygirl Roseanne Barr and screen heart-throb Mickey Rourke. A Wogan insider said: "If he fails, the show could be in real trouble." The Irish star was sent by BBC bosses to win back viewers by clinching interviews with big American names. Wogan has been consistently scooped by rival Michael Aspel in the last year. Elizabeth Taylor, Harrison Ford and even Prince Charles all snubbed Wogan in favour of ITV smoothie Aspel. Wogan stand-in Jonathan Ross has been ordered to keep quiet about the trip. He told viewers Wogan is having a restful holiday. A spokesman for the show said: "Terry is away for two weeks. I'm not prepared to say any more.""