So, it’s been almost a year since Steve Wright in the Afternoon came to an end. This popular Radio 2 show had been on air for nearly 24 years, and Steve Wright himself has been a constant presence on UK radio for nearly twice as long.
I thought it was worth me looking back on this end of an era one year on from that event, and also one year on from my own blog post at the time celebrating Steve & the show.
The main thing for me was to observe the genuine love and respect which came Steve’s way from famous people, peers, and the listeners as the show reached its final edition; like him or loathe him (and like the best presenters, Steve can be divisive), it was clear that Steve had made an indelible mark on people’s lives.
What was less pleasant was the vitriol aimed at Steve’s replacement Scott Mills and indeed at Radio 2 management. I get how passionately people felt about the situation – I loved SWITA and it was a big part of my life for 24 years – but some of the comments bandied about on social media were unkind and unbecoming. For me, I am grateful that we got 24 years of a terrific show and I understand that stations like Radio 2 must consider how they evolve.
That said, I think the thing that really rankled with fans of Steve about the whole affair was that it was not Steve’s choice to go. If Steve had chosen to leave of his own volition – as appeared to be the case with Terry Wogan – then I think people would have been more accepting of that. But no matter how delicately and honourably Steve explained it, it appeared to be a change forced upon him. And with Steve being someone who clearly loved the show and was still full of enthusiasm for it, it may have seemed to many as change for the sake of it.
Alongside the bitter disappointment being expressed, there was a lot of speculation as to where Steve may go next, even though he did say on his last SWITA show that he was staying at the BBC. Certainly, I made my own speculations on my previous blog post which (so far) were wrong.
Clearly, the big hope was that Steve would take SWITA to another station, with two stations coming up time and time again.
My own view on my previous blog post was that Virgin Radio would have been interested in Steve. Virgin had made investments in two big radio names – Chris Evans and Graham Norton – and I felt that the addition of Steve in the afternoon slot would surely further its ambitions to increase its profile and listenership. Not only that, but shortly after Chris’ move to Virgin, he had made comments to the effect that Virgin should make a bid for Steve. Of course, Chris would make many oblique comments suggesting a big name was coming to Virgin, which sparked hope in many (me included) that Steve was making the move. Alas, this has not happened.
The other station in the frame was Greatest Hits Radio, a station very much on the ascendant and one which features several previous Radio 1 & Radio 2 presenters. Of course, Ken Bruce has since moved to Greatest Hits which has done much to increase profile and listenership. The management at Bauer Media (which owns GHR) has been asked a couple of times about plans for further big signings; one in a recent episode of The Media Podcast and another in an interview in the i paper (which asked directly about Steve Wright) – whilst the responses were carefully non-committal, it certainly sounds like GHR is not done in terms of looking for other big names to bolster its already impressive schedule.
So, Steve has so far stayed put at Radio 2, albeit in a vastly reduced role. He continues to present Sunday Love Songs and has presented several Bank Holiday specials. More recently, he has launched the semi-regular Tell It to Steve podcast on BBC Sounds, combining archive interviews with new interviews – and the most recent news is that he will be taking over Pick of the Pops from October. Plus, he has just completed a 4-night run of evening specials on Radio 2 entitled Steve Wright’s Summer Nights.
The latter is especially noteworthy as the shows were live, and featured a lot of listener messages, as well as a few elements from SWITA; most of Steve’s recent output is pre-recorded and whilst he is a consummate professional at bringing life to a real-time pre-record, there is just a different energy when he is live. Listening to him this past week, you can tell how much he was loving it.
And this brings me to the main point of this post, I guess. In everything I have read about Steve and heard about Steve, he absolutely loves radio. And whilst no-one can underestimate the sense of freedom Steve must have now after 24 years of spending 5 long days a week preparing for and presenting a daily 3-hour show, I just don’t get the sense that he is done with regular live radio.
So, whilst he is clearly staying at the BBC for now, I still would not rule out Steve moving elsewhere for a daily show. I don’t say that to contribute to or re-spark any speculation, it’s just my gut feeling. (Or possibly wishful thinking).
The other possibility of course (and this is the view heavily outlined on various radio forums) is that Steve had every intention of moving SWITA elsewhere but a) a deal could not be reached between Steve and interested radio stations or b) Steve is enjoying being away from the daily grind and would prefer a lighter schedule. Certainly, there have been some suggestions that Steve is enjoying a well-earned break whilst considering what may happen next.
So perhaps Steve has decided to lighten the load permanently? Or perhaps he is taking a breather and thinking about what the next stage of his career could be? Who knows. What is good is that Radio 2 does appear to be actively finding things for Steve to do, although one wonders where the long-promised Serious Jockin’ podcast is up to.
I guess the biggest thing for me is that SWITA, love it or hate it, was quite unique and no-one else sems to do that kind of magazine-style radio show anymore, plus there does not seem to be any kind of comparable alternative afternoon show. Afternoons are a bit of a void for fans of that kind of radio show at the moment, I think.
So, here’s hoping for more Steve Wright, wherever and whenever that may arrive!
