Vanessa Feltz: Uncaring BBC 'suits' got rid of Steve Wright
We have now lost Steve twice over, once from our afternoons - in what was a casual, callous insult to a man who dedicated his life to the BBC, and now forever.
Steve Wright, DJ of our lives, is dead. We are sad, shocked and in mourning. Thousands of people have messaged me describing the void left every weekday when BBC Radio 2 bosses inexplicably saw fit to remove Steve from his vastly popular afternoon show. No one could understand the decision. Inside Wogan House, we, his colleagues, friends and fellow broadcasters heard all the whisperings and rumours.
“They’re trying to get rid of Steve,” they went. “They can’t be. They wouldn’t dare. Everyone loves him. His figures are through the roof. His approval ratings are supersonic. Why would they fire him? Well, controller Helen Thomas and director of music Lorna Clarke are determined to make their mark. They want a clean slate: younger DJs to attract a younger audience. Believe me, Steve’ll be out on his ear.”
I took little notice of this tittle-tattle. It’s easy to see who scores highly and which presenters fail to deliver on radio. Radio ratings – are delivered every 12 weeks. If a show’s a flop, the figures are there in black and white. Diminishing popularity can’t be glossed over but neither can consistent success.
Steve was a superstar. His show was an inimitable and innovative tapestry of characters, features, jokes, interviews, factoids and interaction with his posse, buoyed by his fascination with human behaviour and his determination never, ever to deliver a dreary or predictable programme.
He treated his three-hour afternoon show like a full-time job. He’d be in the studio at all hours of day and night perfecting, editing, inserting jingles and tinkering with pre-recordings until he and his producers achieved the multi-layered perfection he felt listeners deserved.
There was no bowling in two minutes before the show and spouting any old tosh into the microphone. Steve was a student of radio. Pals told me he spent chunks of holidays in hotel rooms in the United States deconstructing American shows to see what he could learn and incorporate.
The suits didn’t care. They took away his show. Steve told me himself he only retained the adored Sunday Love Songs spot after personally pleading his case to BBC Director General Tim Davie. Davie saw sense and had to order those in charge at Radio 2 to offer Steve that small nugget of work to keep him at the corporation.
What a way to treat an iconic radio genius. What a casual, callous insult to a man who dedicated his life to the BBC. What a cruel jettisoning of our friend on the airwaves, the voice which kept us company for more than 40 years.
We have now lost Steve twice over, once from our afternoons and now forever. He will live on in our hearts and minds. He was a legend, a man for all seasons and an irreplaceable friend. I am so sad and I know many of you are devastated too.
