Steve Wright: ‘Shocked’ stars remember ‘gifted’ BBC DJ | Tributes to radio ‘legend’
Key points
- BBC Radio presenter Steve Wright has died at the age of 69He joined the BBC in the 1970s and went on to host shows on BBC Radio 1 and 2
Family releases statement A brief history of a remarkable 40-year career’We didn’t stop laughing for 24 years’: Colleague ‘falling apart”I’ve lost my hero’ who ‘changed radio’: Hammond’s moving tributeLive reporting by Jess Sharp
22:00:01 Goodnight
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To read more of the tributes to “legend” Steve Wright, scroll back through this blog.
Or, you can read about his life and legacy in our lead story below.
21:44:03 ‘Absolutely knocked sideways’, ‘amazing performing’ and ‘terrific broadcaster
Impressionist and comedian Jon Culshaw said he has been “absolutely knocked sideways” by the news of Steve Wright’s death.
Former BBC Radio 2 presenter Simon Mayo called the late Steve Wright “an amazing performer”
On X, formerly Twitter, he said: “One of the greats. Awful news.”
“Just watching his show was breathtaking. A fabulous creative whirlwind of a presenter.”
Meanwhile, Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair’s director of communications, said Wright was a “terrific broadcaster” and one of BBC Radio 2’s “brightest lights”.
20:46:34 ‘King of Jingles’ was ‘so damn good’
Greg James, the BBC Radio 1 DJ, has hailed Wright as the “King of Jingles” in his tribute on X.
He wrote: “Steve was always so excited and interested to hear about what was going on at Radio 1 whenever we chatted. And I felt so lucky to be able to nerd out about radio with him.
“He essentially started the ‘zoo format’ in UK that you now hear everywhere. A true pioneer.
“Oh my god and that theme tune – iconic. Long live THE BIG SHOW.”
Hugh Laurie, the actor and comedian, also paid tribute.
He simply wrote Wright was “so damn good”.
20:26:32 ‘Bigger tribute’ to be paid to Wright tomorrow, says The One Show
TV presenter Alex Jones said The One Show will pay “a bigger tribute” to Steve Wright during tomorrow’s programme.
At the start of the BBC One show, she said everybody will be feeling “shocked and upset” by the broadcaster’s death.
“Steve had such a strong connection with his listeners and has been a familiar voice in people’s lives for many, many years.”
She added: “We’re still in shock at the news really, and tomorrow we’ll pay a bigger tribute to Steve on the show.”
20:00:01 ‘My job is to be a nice guy’ – clip resurfaces of Wright being interviewed
A clip has been shared on X of Steve Wright being interviewed on The One Show in 2010
Asked by Adrian Chiles, who hosted the BBC programme at the time, if he ever found some love letters too “unctuous” to read out on his Sunday Love Songs radio show, Wright replied: “My job is to be a nice guy. No satire, no nastiness.
“A lot of this stuff is genuinely heartfelt and the show is a cosy show, and it’s a popular show.”
19:49:09 British DJ says she saw Wright just ‘days ago’
British DJ Jo Whiley has said it was “very strange” to be talking about Steve Wright’s death on her BBC Radio 2 show, given she had seen him “days ago.”
At the start of her slot, she said it was “extremely hard to know what to say”.
“To be talking about someone that you saw only days ago in this very studio where I am right now – doing a tribute show to that person just does not feel right,” she added.
“It’s very hard to find the words to say and to talk about someone in the past tense when it’s someone that you wish was very much still here. So it’s tough. The Radio 2 family are devastated.
“There have been many tears… we’ve all worked with Steve Wright for years and years and years, and it’s just very difficult to take in that he’s no longer here.”
19:32:24 ‘Steve Wright was the sound of my life’: Former co-host recalls laughing with ‘one of a kind’ for 24 years
For 24 years, Steve Wright appeared on the radio alongside Janey Lee Grace.
In a heartfelt interview with Sky News, she said she was “absolutely devastated” and had been “falling apart for the last few hours”.
Describing the broadcaster, she said he was an “unusual character” who threw himself into everything he did.
“He was just so funny and we really didn’t stop laughing for the 24 years we worked together,” she said.
“It is just such a loss because he really was such a legend.”
Grace said she had seen comments on social media calling Wright the sound of our lives, and she said “he really was”.
‘He really, really cared’
“He was a perfectionist and he really, really cared about what he put out there,” she added.
“He was incredibly relatable… he always fought so hard to make sure everything we ever did was completely relatable to everyone,” she said.
“He was one of a kind in terms of honing his craft. The stuff you heard on the radio had been literally hours and hours, if not days, in planning.”
19:15:13 ‘End of an era’ and a ‘one-man best-ever audience’
Singer Alison Moyet has said Steve Wright’s death “marks the end of an era”.
ITV News’ political editor Robert Peston said the broadcaster was an “extraordinary talent” and had a “great generosity of spirit”.
While comedian Jack Dee said Wright was a “one-man best-ever audience” and had a “rare gift of making being interviewed fun”.
19:03:40 ‘He will never be replaced’ – Gambaccini says Wright was ‘one of the all time greats’
Radio presenter Paul Gambaccini has paid tribute to the late Steve Wright, calling him “one of the all-time greats”.
In an Instagram video, he said: “He (Wright) was not only the best at what he did, he was basically the only at what he did.”
He added: “There had been zoo radio in the United States with Scott Shannon, but Steve really perfected it. And he is one of the all-time greats and will never be replaced, because he can never be replaced.”
Wright took over from Gambaccini on BBC Radio 2’s Pick Of The Pops in October 2023.
He became known for honing the zoo radio format, which saw him feature comedy sketches and a group of staff joining in with the show’s chatter on Steve Wright In The Afternoon.
18:56:20 Director says he was ‘starstruck’ by Wright
Director Edgar Wright has said he was “more than a little starstruck” when he met Steve Wright.
The Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz filmmaker described appearing on Wright’s Radio 2 show in his tribute to the “master DJ”.
“He was just as kind and funny off mic as he was on,” he said.
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