Foster and Allen have a special place in their hearts for the BBC. From Top of the Pops to several other shows, the Westmeath duo have been familiar faces across the water for close on four decades.

This love affair with our neighbouring broadcaster is set to continue when Mick and Tony feature on the game show Pointless, which is set to air on 18 January. This is one of the celebrity shows in the series.

“We have had an enduring friendship with the BBC and they have always been hugely supportive of us going all the way back to the 1980s,” says Tony Allen. “We have featured in several of their shows down through the years.”

One man Tony singles out above all others is the late Terry Wogan, the Limerick native who died on 31 January of this year at the age of 77.

“Terry was absolutely great to us. He had the biggest audience of any presenter on BBC Radio and his daily shows on Radio 2 were massively popular and influential. People liked Terry and you can’t buy that quality.

“He played a central role in the careers of The Fureys Brothers, Daniel O’Donnell, Brendan Shine and ourselves when it came to the UK. He attracted a mature audience who were very loyal and far less fickle than those of the pop stars. Many who came to see us because of the promotion that Terry gave us stayed with us over the years.”

Such was the bond that Foster and Allen became regulars at Terry’s Christmas Party on the BBC.

“TG4 is repeating one of our shows during the Christmas and Terry Wogan was our special guest. It was lovely to have him on board for that show. He was a tremendous ambassador for Ireland and was loved by millions.”

Gloria Hunniford also comes in for special mention.

“Gloria was another over at the BBC who has a special fondness for some of the Irish acts. We first met her when she was hosting Good Evening Ulster along with Eamonn Holmes. They were very good to us as well.”

Meanwhile, Mick Foster celebrated his birthday last week. One of the special joys of his life away from touring is the weekly trip or two to P Gunning’s pub in Rathconrath on the road between Mullingar and Ballymahon.

“You can’t beat the plain people of Ireland,” says Mick. “You ramble in there and enjoy the banter. We might have a few tunes and some songs now and again. This is my kind of place.”

Mick has been a regular at the All-Ireland Fleadhs for many years. Earlier in 2016, he served as an adjudicator at the Ulster Fleadh for the Piano Accordion competition.

Their upcoming Irish tour, which features 14 dates, will be followed by an extensive Scottish tour in April. Studio work is going to claim a decent amount of time over the coming weeks and there’s also a new album in the pipeline.

The Irish tour starts in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Tuesday 27 December. For further information on upcoming concerts, visit www.fosterandallen.ie

• Foster & Allen’s new dvd, We Owe It All To You, is out now.