By Elliott West
“My job is to be a nice guy. No nastiness, no satire”.
Steve Wright on The One Show.
Introduction
If Steve Wright had been a chemical formula, it would have worked every time. Steve set a benchmark for his radio shows that will forever remain an envy of the airwaves. An effortless display of radio genius where his listeners were treated as friends and equals. Wright didn’t have a malicious bone in his body and his radio shows were just the ticket for a rainy day or to brighten up your life. That cup of tea made for you or the unexpected present. A mixture of guests, music, trivia, facts and constant laughter. The tonic to while away a traffic jam. An addictive form of broadcasting that became as familiar as a pint at the pub or a Sunday roast.
A Loved Institution
I first started listening to Steve Wright in 1986 when Steve had his weekday afternoon show on Radio 1. I remember listening to Doctor and the Medics’ cover version of Spirit in the Sky and from that moment I was hooked. By then Steve had already perfected his zoo format that he borrowed from USA airwaves and perfected. A type of radio that linked its agenda with music and made it seem that it was unscripted. A casual chat that flowed and regularly attracted an 8 million audience. A show that ran for 12 years on Radio 1 and 23 years on Radio 2 in various formats.
Steve loved to incorporate factoids on his show. An encyclopedic look at life and slip in a few famous people who were celebrating their birthday that day. Who can forget the hilarious phone calls to Mr Angry, Gervaise the hairdresser and Damian the social worker? Spoof calls that were voiced by actors but were made believable. You never knew whether Wright was interviewing a famous person because he used Phil Cornwell to impersonate famous voices including David Bowie, John Lennon, Robert Deniro, the Rolling Stones and others. Steve also liked a politician on his show, John Major being one such guest.
Greenwich Born
Born in Greenwich in 1954 and raised in New Cross, Stephen Richard Wright was the son of Richard Wright who ran a Burton’s store and his mother, June. Steve attended Eastwood School after a family move to Southend-on-Sea. An inventive student who set up his school radio station, broadcasting from a speaker in a store cupboard. Attaining three O-levels, Wright left school and went on to become a shipping insurance company clerk, telephone engineer and working backstage in a theatre. Joining the BBC in the early 1970s, Steve spent three years working in the pop record library, getting records ready for the DJs. He left the BBC in 1975 and went on to work for Radio Atlantis in Belgium, as a reporter and journalist for LBC, Radio 210 in Reading and Radio Luxembourg.
Wright returned to the BBC in 1980. He initially had an evening radio show on Saturday nights before moving to Saturday mornings later that year. A show that would adopt the zoo format. This would evolve into the recognised Steve Wright in the Afternoon. A show that ran on Radio 1 from 1981-1986. A breakfast show would materialise in 1994 but only lasted a year due to a difference with BBC management and dropping listening figures. He briefly switched to Talk Radio in 1995 before returning to the BBC, this time for Radio 2 in 1996. Here he would present Steve Wright’s Saturday Show (1996–1999) and Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs (1996–2024). His afternoon shows began in 1999. He also took over from Paul Gambaccini as the presenter of Pick of the Pops in 2023. He also presented Top of the Pops from 1980-1989 and TOTP2 1997–2004, 2006–2007, 2008, and 2009.
The Steve Wright Legacy
Steve Wright was a one-off, a radio gem who joined the ranks of Terry Wogan, Ken Bruce and Kenny Everett. Pat Sharp says that he owes his radio career to Steve, filling in for him in 1981 and a performance that Wright saw potential in. Steve was so special because he always saw the listener as his friend and surrounded himself with a family posse in the studio. He encouraged a new generation to become DJs and his voice never aged. As Scott Mills recalled, “Steve knew how to do radio that sounded big”.
Steve made his shows seem like everyday life, recalling what he had done with his wife Cyndi at the weekend or time with his children. Wright loved humour and music and entwined both into his work. His MBE was well-deserved for his tireless 40 years on radio. His shows were always fresh and we never tired of its format. Steve put a spring in your step and so it was such a shock to hear of his sudden death at the age of 69. Still broadcasting with a pre-recorded show the day before his death. There will only be one Steve Wright and rightly so. Whether at home, at work or in a car, his broadcasting style defined the best of British. A man who had a jingle for every day. He will be forever missed.
