Everyone teared up at the Steve Wright tribute show – and rightly so
The man himself might be absent behind the microphone, but Steve Wright’s presence still echoes down the airwaves. As the broadcasting community continued to reel from the trailblazing DJ’s death six days prior, Sunday’s programming was raw with emotional tributes from Radio 2 presenters and listeners alike.
A tribute episode of Sunday Love Songs – the Radio 2 show that became the 69-year-old’s weekly calling card – was presented by Liza Tarbuck and moved many listeners to tears. Tarbuck was once part of Wright’s on-air “posse” and hails him as a broadcasting mentor. She proved the perfect choice for the special edition subtitled “Remembering Steve”, judging the tone just perfectly.
Her voice cracking, Tarbuck opened by saying: “This is Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs, but without the chief, without our genius friend. I make no apologies if I get upset over the next two hours and I don’t think you should either.” Between songs, she shared tributes from loyal listeners, many of whom had their dedications read out over the years. Wright was an incredibly private man yet had a gift for getting people to open up about their love. He set up a fair few romances, too.
One fan wrote: “We listened to Steve while getting ready for our wedding and amazingly got a beautiful mention which my parents had sneakily sent in. Our videographers added this soundbite to the special memories reel they’d made, so Steve is always going to be part of the ‘best day of our lives’. He created magic with his show.”
Tarbuck became audibly emotional while reading another poignant message: “On Sunday mornings, my husband – also called Steve – would dance in the kitchen while our two daughters cringed with embarrassment. When we were dancing last week, we never imagined it would be our last dance with the amazing Steve Wright. He was part of our family.”
It was all testament to the personal power of radio. Wright’s passion for the medium shone through and the love he got back from his listeners was palpable. Tarbuck had a tough assignment but did her pal proud, striking a balance which was tender but never mawkish. It led to calls on social media for her to be made his permanent replacement.
Liza Tarbuck doing an amazing job on Sunday Love Songs. The love for Steve from listeners is palpable. The loss of this great broadcaster is so huge and raw.
— Les Dennis (@LesDennis) February 18, 2024
The lunchtime programme Elaine Paige on Sunday continued the elegiac mood. Among her usual greasepaint-scented show tunes, the theatrical dame fondly described Wright as “irreplaceable”, admitting: “News of his passing hit me like a ton of bricks.” She said how “kind and supportive” he was, giving her tips as a relative radio novice. “Steve used to say to me: ‘You’re not in a theatre now, Elaine. You don’t have to throw your voice to the back of the stalls.’” She concluded: “He will be dearly missed by all of us and all of you.”
On Sunday afternoon, Johnnie Walker saluted “one of the greatest jocks of all time” and added: “God bless, Steve. Have a great time up there with all those other radio legends. You’ll probably be making some fabulous programmes together.” Walker then played Charlie Dore’s Pilot of the Airwaves in dedication.
It followed yesterday’s news that Wright’s son Thomas flew 5,000 miles from Los Angeles to care for his father in the days before his death. “It meant the world to me that I was able to get to know my dad in a way I never had,” he said. “I will cherish every moment we shared. God rest your soul, Dad.”
Former nightclub promoter Tom, 38 – whose middle name is Steven, after his famous father – revealed that he had suddenly lost his mother, the DJ’s American ex-wife Cyndi, in 2020.
Neighbours said Wright had become more withdrawn since the pandemic. Locals near his central London flat, a mere 10-minute walk from BBC Broadcasting House, said: “He shut down and stopped going out. He was a different person, even before his radio show ended.”
All week, it’s been evident from the on-air reactions of his colleagues just how loved and respected Wright was, both as a broadcaster and as a man. Should BBC bigwigs have been more appreciative while he was still alive? Almost certainly. On BBC radio for 44 years, Wright mastered the craft and became part of the nation’s pop-cultural fabric. He was set to receive his MBE for services to radio in the coming weeks.
There was outcry when Steve Wright in the Afternoon was axed in 2022. He was replaced by Scott Mills in a bid to attract a younger audience, but a million listeners instead tuned out – a mistake the Corporation duly repeated with Ken Bruce. Celebrity publicist Gary Farrow, Wright’s friend of 40 years, said the DJ was “devastated” to lose his slot after more than two decades. Others claimed Wright “died of a broken heart”.
He was certainly highly valued by fellow professionals. Drivetime presenter Sara Cox fought back tears on Tuesday as she broke news to listeners of Wright’s sudden death, confessing she was “devastated and shattered”. The following morning, Nicki Chapman – standing in for Zoe Ball on the breakfast show – shed tears as she read out tributes. “Everyone seems to have such fond memories of our Wrighty, because that’s how we viewed and listened to him,” said Chapman. “He was ours. He was our mate, talking to us in our homes, vehicles and offices, always in our hearts.”
Vernon Kay’s voice wavered and his eyes glistened at Maida Vale Studios when he introduced the BBC Concert Orchestra’s performance of The Steve Wright Theme. On Saturday, Gary Davies – a contemporary of Wright’s at Radio 1 during its 1980s pomp – stood in for his friend on the first Pick of the Pops episode since his death. Davies choked up as he dedicated the show to a “broadcasting giant and true radio pioneer”.
It’s a measure of Wright’s influence that the heartfelt tributes haven’t just come from fellow veterans. They’ve also come from the new generation. Greg James and Rylan Clark hailed him as an inspiration and guru. As his listener messages always began: “Love the show, Steve”. And keep on jockin’, no G.
