Steve Wright (DJ)

Stephen Richard Wright (26 August 1954 – 12 February 2024) was an English disc jockey, radio personality, and occasional television presenter, credited with introducing the morning zoo format to British radio with a humorous collection of personalities. He presented Steve Wright in the Afternoon for 12 years on BBC Radio 1 and 23 years on BBC Radio 2, two of the BBC's national radio stations. He continued to present his Sunday Love Songs on Radio 2 until his death and, in October 2023, he took over as the host of the long-running Pick of the Pops chart show. On BBC Television, Wright hosted Home Truths, The Steve Wright People Show, Auntie's TV Favourites, Top of the Pops and TOTP2.

Wright won Best DJ of the Year, as voted by the Daily Mirror Readers Poll and by Smash Hits in 1994. In 1998, he was awarded TRIC Personality of the Year for his radio programmes. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to radio. He was described by Paul Gambaccini as being "among the all-time greats of radio".

Early life and career

Stephen Richard Wright was born on 26 August 1954 in Greenwich, and grew up in New Cross, in South London. He had a brother, Laurence. Their father, Richard, managed the Burton's store in Trafalgar Square.

After the family moved to Essex, Wright attended the Eastwood High School for Boys near Southend-on-Sea, where he broadcast a nascent radio show over the speaker system from the stock cupboard. Having finished school with only three O‑levels, he worked in maritime insurance and as a local newspaper reporter. He joined the BBC staff in the early 1970s working as a returns clerk in the Gramophone Library in Egton House, opposite Broadcasting House in London, before leaving to start broadcasting in 1976 at Thames Valley Radio Radio 210 in Reading, Berkshire where in the latter part of his tenure he would present the weekday breakfast show. He also presented a weekend 'double-header' with Mike Read called the Read & Wright Show. In 1979, Wright got his big break at Radio Luxembourg, where he presented his own nightly show. He was known for the characters he created, and referred to himself as DJ Silly Boi during the Friday afternoon Serious Jockin' segment of his Radio 2 programme in latter years.

BBC Radio 1

Wright joined BBC Radio 1 on 5 January 1980, taking over a Saturday evening slot before moving to Saturday mornings later that year.

Steve Wright in the Afternoon

Wright moved to daytime radio with Steve Wright in the Afternoon in 1981, later introducing the zoo format to the UK.

The first run of Steve Wright in the Afternoon was from 1981 to 1993 on BBC Radio 1. The show had a cast of telephone characters created and performed by Gavin McCoy, Peter Dickson, Richard Easter and Phil Cornwell. Like his mentor, Kenny Everett, Wright went out of his way to be irreverent, including stories taken from the Weekly World News. The success led to a hit single, I'll Be Back, released under the name Arnee and the Terminaters. In later years, the style changed, dumping most of the characters and instead having a "zoo" format with spoof guests and comedy sketches. A "posse" of producers and radio staff joined in. Another regular character was "Mr Angry from Purley".

In 1984 Wright took over a Sunday morning show entitled Steve Wright on Sunday, which meant he presented weekday afternoons Mondays to Thursdays, with Mark Page and Paul Jordan presenting Friday afternoon's show. In 1986 his Sunday morning show ended, and he returned to five afternoons a week.

The Smiths' 1986 hit single "Panic" was inspired by Wright playing "I'm Your Man" by Wham! following a news bulletin about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Johnny Marr and Morrissey were listening and were disturbed by the contrast in tone. The song's lyrics about the event finished; "Hang the DJ" and this slogan appeared on a promotional T-shirt above a picture of Wright. The DJ took it well and bought one of the T-shirts.

Radio 1 Breakfast

Wright and his Posse moved to The Radio 1 Breakfast Show in 1994. He resigned from the Breakfast Show in 1995 due to differences with the BBC Radio 1 management and a fall in ratings. This coincided with many of the more established DJs leaving, or being sacked, around this time.

Commercial radio

Wright was picked up by the new station Talk Radio in 1995, where he presented a Saturday morning show. He also presented a Sunday morning show, which was heard on a number of GWR radio stations around the UK.

BBC World Service

Wright joined the BBC World Service on 5 January 1999, presenting a 1-hour programme, Wright Around The World. This show ran every Saturday afternoon until the final show on 25 October 2003. This meant that he was now broadcasting on BBC Radio for seven days a week.

BBC Radio 2

Wright joined BBC Radio 2 in March 1996, where he began presenting Steve Wright's Saturday Show (1996–1999), Steve Wright's Sunday Love Songs (1996–2024, his death), and his afternoon show beginning in July 1999 until September 2022. In 2006, Wright was said to earn £440,000 a year at Radio 2. In 2018–2019, Wright's salary was between £465,000 and £469,000, making him the BBC's fifth-highest-earning presenter. He had taken an £85,000 pay cut from the year before, however, as part of an effort to equalise male and female pay.

Steve Wright in the Afternoon

In mid-1999 following a shake-up at Radio 2, Steve Wright in the Afternoon was revived, with Wright taking over this slot from Ed Stewart. Jonathan Ross took over Wright's Saturday morning slot.

Wright presented his Radio 2 version of Steve Wright in the Afternoon on weekday afternoons from 2pm to 5pm, alongside Tim Smith and Janey Lee Grace, who have both also occasionally appeared as relief presenters on the station, as well as traffic reporters Sally Boazman and Bobbie Pryor. Another frequent contributor, "The Old Woman", was played by Joyce Frost who died in November 2016. Smith and Wright would regularly present "factoids", described as "gleaming nuggets of information so incredible that they really shouldn't be true, but are!"

On 1 July 2022, Wright announced that the show would end in September, to be replaced by a new show with Scott Mills. Wright would remain on Radio 2 to continue hosting Sunday Love Songs, along with a new Serious Jockin' podcast, seasonal specials and other projects. The final show was broadcast on 30 September 2022, with Wright playing "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen as his last record.

Sunday Love Songs

Sunday Love Songs, which Wright presented solo on Sunday mornings on Radio 2 from 31 March 1996 until 11 February 2024, the day before his death, featured a blend of classic love songs, dedications and real-life romance stories. In 2013, the BBC Trust's editorial standards committee criticised the show for breaches of guidelines on accuracy and audience interaction, after media reporting revealed that the show was in fact recorded on Fridays.

Wright's final broadcast, on the day before his death, but recorded two days earlier, was a special Valentine's Day edition of this show. The following week, a special programme aired, hosted by Liza Tarbuck, reading out messages from people who had a dedication from Wright over the last 28 years of Sunday Love Songs, and playing a selection of Wright's favourite tracks. The show continued with temporary host Nicki Chapman from 25 February, and it was announced that Michael Ball would be taking over the programme on 2 June 2024.

Steve Wright's Summer Nights

Between 21st and 24th of August 2023, Wright took over the evening show for a week to host Steve Wright's Summer Nights between 7 and 9pm.

Pick of the Pops

On 10 August 2023, it was announced that Wright would become the new host of Pick of the Pops, from 14 October 2023, replacing Paul Gambaccini. He presented the show until 10 February 2024. On 15 April, it was announced that Mark Goodier would take over the show in July. Gary Davies took over this programme during the interim period.

Career outside radio

From 1980 to 1989, Wright was a regular presenter on Top of the Pops. Wright also presented a BBC TV series, The Steve Wright People Show, from 1994 to 1995. His next stint in television was as the narrator and writer of the retro pop show Top of the Pops 2 between 1997 and 2009. The last episode of TOTP2 he presented was the Michael Jackson special broadcast on 27 June 2009.

UK Chart Hits

Whilst a radio presenter on BBC Radio 1, Wright was involved in a number of UK chart hits with members of his Afternoon Posse (the drive time radio team) including the UK Top 10 hit "I'll Be Back" which featured Wright as one of the backing band, 'the Terminaters', on 29 August 1991 edition of BBC One's Top of the Pops.