Steve Wright

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.

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.

Wright was educated at Eastwood High School for Boys, near Southend-on-Sea, Essex, where he broadcast a nascent radio show over the speaker system from the stock cupboard.

He originally 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.

In 1979, Wright got his big break at Radio Luxembourg, where he presented his own nightly show.

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

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".

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.

Wright won Best DJ of the Year, as voted by the Daily Mirror Readers Poll and by Smash Hits in 1994.

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.

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.

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 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.

Wright joined the BBC World Service on 5 January 1999, presenting a 1-hour programme, Wright Around The World.

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.

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.

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.