Stevie Wonder's appearance received a positive review in The Liverpool Echo, particularly in contrast to the appearance of Shirley Temple on Episode #9.51 (1989). Columnist Gerry Corner wrote (15th May 1989): "Two show business legends showed their faces on Wogan (BBC 1) last week. It was no contest - Stevie Wonder may not be able to see but he sees life a lot clearer than Shirley Temple does."
This was the first edition of Wogan since Episode #9.51 (1989), with the Wednesday edition scrapped due to strike action at the BBC and replaced with a repeat of Episode #8.118 (1988).