BBC reveals tribute to Steve Wright on what can be his seventieth birthday
The BBC has announced a six-hour tribute to Steve Wright on what would have been his 70th birthday.
Three programmes dedicated to the late DJ will air on Radio 2 from 2pm until 8pm on Monday, August 26.
Vernon Kay, Paul Gambaccini, and Liza Tarbuck will each host one of the shows in celebration of the life and career of the legendary broadcaster.
Wright died aged 69 from a ruptured ulcer in his stomach at his £2million home in London on February 12.
It led to an outpouring of grief and tributes from colleagues and friends who hailed him as ‘one of the greatest exponents of the art of radio’ and a ‘lovely kind man’.
The BBC has announced a six-hour tribute to Steve Wright on what would have been his 70th birthday
Wright died aged 69 from a ruptured ulcer in his stomach at his £2million home in London on February 12 (Pictured in 2016)
Friends and colleagues led tributes to the legendary broadcaster who hailed him as ‘one of the greatest exponents of the art of radio’ and a ‘lovely kind man’ (Wright pictured in 1980)
Wright last appeared on air on February 11, one day before his death, hosting a pre-recorded special Valentine’s Day edition of his Love Songs programme on Radio 2.
The special marathon tribute on Radio 2 will start with a two hour show hosted by Kay with tributes from friends of Wright’s including Lord David Cameron, Richard Curtis, Dawn French, Emma Freud, Barry Gibb, Peter Kay, Billy Ocean, and Will Young.
Kay said: ‘Steve Wright was The Don of UK radio, the master of his craft and an absolute perfectionist, researching each guest meticulously to ensure he had the right question at the right time.
‘He put his guests at ease and, by doing so, teased out never heard before anecdotes and facts from them. Steve was always putting smiles on the faces of his guests as well as his listeners, so it’s an honour to present this celebratory programme, where we’ll hear tributes from some of the Big Show’s most famous guests.’
Tarbuck will then present a two hour-hour live broadcast to give listeners the chance to share their memories of Wright, such as having had wedding or anniversary dedications read out by him on Love Songs.
Vernon Kay (pictured), Paul Gambaccini , and Liza Tarbuck will each host one of three shows in celebration of the life and career of the legendary broadcaster
Gambaccini (left) will present a two hour programme which features archive recordings of Wright. A live broadcast presented by Tarbuck (right) will allow listeners to share their memories of Wright
‘Steve Wright was a broadcasting legend who broke fresh ground throughout his career, and remains an inspiration to us all,’ Tarbuck said.
‘To celebrate what would have been his 70th birthday, we want to offer a salute to this unique man who spent so much of his life making sure everyone had a better day. We have stories from all sorts of people who knew and worked with him, and we’d love to hear yours. It promises to be a gorgeous show. See you there.’
The marathon tribute will culminate with archive recordings of Wright chatting about his career, and features excerpts from his award-winning Radio Radio series that aired in 1986.
A 2010 interview, much of it previously unaired, for the Radio 2 series ‘Music in the Air: A History of Music Radio’ will also be played.
The two hour show will be presented by Gambaccini, who said: ‘I recognised in Steve one of the true ‘lifers’. Somebody who had dedicated his whole life to radio.
‘He cared about it. And, of course, Steve just kept doing the work for decades. He never got tired of thinking of a new programme and when that programme was over, he started thinking about the next one.
‘Radio was his life and that is why we are so pleased to salute the life of Steve Wright.’
Wright joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show before moving on to host Steve Wright In The Afternoon a year later until 1993.
Wright then fronted the Radio 1 Breakfast show for a year until 1995, and completed a stint at commercial radio stations.
Wright, who died in February at the age of 69, is pictured in his recording studio in 1994
Wright first joined Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show. He is pictured that year
Wright married Cyndi Robinson but they divorced in 1999. They are pictured at their wedding
He then returned to BBC Radio 2 in 1996 to host Steve Wright’s Saturday Show and Sunday Love Songs.
In 1999, he recreated Steve Wright In The Afternoon every weekday on Radio 2, with celebrity interviews and entertaining trivia featured in his Factoids segment.
Wright stepped down in September 2022, replaced by Scott Mills in a schedule shake-up, but Wright continued to present Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2.
Michael Ball took over as the host of a new Sunday love songs show in June, which was retitled Love Songs With Michael Ball.
Wright was made an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to radio.
