Three Steve Wright tribute shows on Radio 2 to celebrate ‘master of his craft’
Programmes presented by Vernon Kay, Liza Tarbuck and Paul Gambaccini will celebrate the late radio DJ’s life and work.
A series of BBC Radio 2 tribute shows to the late broadcaster Steve Wright will celebrate him as a “master of his craft”.
On what would have been the DJ’s 70th birthday, Vernon Kay, Liza Tarbuck and Paul Gambaccini will each host a programme dedicated to Wright on August 26.
Wright died in February, aged 69, from a ruptured ulcer in his stomach caused by acute peritonitis.
Tributes will begin with Kay’s Steve Wright Remembered from 2pm until 4pm, in which famous faces, including former prime minister David Cameron and singers Billy Ocean and Barry Gibb, will share their memories of the former Radio 2 afternoon show presenter.
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.”
From 4pm until 6pm, Tarbuck will host What Steve Meant To Me: A Listeners’ Special, where audience members will share their memories.
Tarbuck said: “Steve Wright was a broadcasting legend who broke fresh ground throughout his career, and remains an inspiration to us all.
“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.”
Between 6pm and 8pm, Gambaccini will present Steve Wright In His Own Words, which will include BBC archive clips, with excerpts from Wright’s episode of the Radio Radio series which aired in 1986, plus a 2010 interview – much of it previously unaired – for the Radio 2 series Music In The Air: A History Of Music Radio.
Wright also speaks about his early love for offshore pirate radio in the 1960s, and his admiration for innovative DJ Kenny Everett and American music radio pioneers, such as Rick Dees and Scott Shannon, who popularised the Zoo radio format.
Wright joined Radio 1 in 1980 and was best known as the host of Radio 2’s Steve Wright In The Afternoon, Sunday Love Songs and Pick Of The Pops.
Kay’s programme will also be made available on BBC Sounds.
