Steve Wright In The After...

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!

Serious Afternoonin’

Stephen O’Brien tries to come to terms with the end of the greatest radio show of all time, Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon

On a Friday afternoon in March 2022, my girlfriend and I were driving along the Llyn Peninsula in Wales, on the way to a well-deserved weekend away. As is customary when we go on holiday in the UK, we were being kept company by Steve Wright in the Afternoon aka The Big Show on the car audio system.

I’ve listened to Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2 since it started on that station in 1999. He’s kept me company driving home from work; he’s kept me sane whilst I grappled with almost-insurmountable coursework for my Computing degree; he’s kept me focused when doing deep work in my day job, and has cheered me up when I’ve been stuck on motorways in the summer.

 

And on this particular trip in Wales, it occurred to me that I’d better make the most of it as there will be a day when Steve stops doing the show. Let’s face it, I thought, Steve loves radio, but he is 67 and he’s spent 5 days a week for 24 years in that studio.

 

Well… I didn’t think it was going to come to an end that quick.

 

Just a few months later, Steve announced on-air on 1 July 2022 that he was leaving the afternoon slot on Radio 2 at the request of station management. Unlike some of his former Radio 1 colleagues in that station’s presenter cull in the 1990s, Steve appeared to take the news with great grace and acceptance. Unlike many of his ardent listeners who, like myself, were absolutely gutted.

 

It’s now September 2022 as I write this, and we are in the final weeks of Steve Wright in the Afternoon. (On Radio 2, at least…). So it’s only right and timely that I pay tribute to my favourite radio show whilst it’s still on air.

 

The original version of Steve Wright in the Afternoon was a huge hit on Radio 1 in the 1980s and into the 1990s. Steve took the US zoo format and recreated it with a British sensibility, with a real emphasis on humour (more so than in the Radio 2 version). Steve resigned from Radio 1 in 1995 having seen a number of his fellow established DJs being shown the door, but Robert Sellers’ excellent The Remarkable Tale of Radio 1 reveals that Radio 1 management had no intention of removing Steve and were devastated by his decision to go.

 

After a brief spell in commercial radio, Steve arrived at Radio 2 in 1996, initially in a Saturday morning slot and also on Sunday with his still-running Love Songs show, before being asked to resurrect Steve Wright in the Afternoon in 1999.

 

Steve is a wise old soul and knows radio inside out; he knew that he couldn’t do the same show he had done on the more-youth-skewed Radio 1, so he took a different approach. Sure, there were catchy and sometimes crazy jingles flying about here, there and everywhere, and the occasional funny character, but Steve came up with a warmer, friendlier – yet still energetic – show.

 

This is a key point. The show – even after 24 years – still fizzes with energy. If Ken Bruce’s mid-morning show is like a comfy old pair of slippers (and I mean that in a good way), then Steve’s show is like a pair of new Adidias trainers; fast, sleek and constantly updating slightly but you know what you’re getting.

 

The Big Show sounds like nothing else on UK radio; from Steve’s now classic opening theme (created, like all of his custom jingles, by the genius Anthony James of AJ Music Productions), it zips along with jingles, soundbites, and Factoids, but at its heart is a guy who loves what he does and knows how lucky he is to do it.

 

Legendary radio & TV presenter Tommy Boyd said, in an episode of David Lloyd’s brilliant Radio Moments podcast, that Steve has “the most fantastic iron resolve to do such a fantastic show as he does every day and then repeat it the following day… in many ways he’s the best broadcaster we’ve got at the moment”. That’s Steve’s real skill; he has done that show day-in day-out for nearly a quarter of a century, and yet he still makes every episode sound as fresh as the first.

 

The fact is that, whether you love him or hate him, Steve Wright is unbelievably good at what he does. He can do the fun stuff, but he can also do the serious stuff (as he has demonstrated on his recent shows following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II). He is always well-prepared in interviews, and can respond quickly to whatever is thrown at him whilst keeping completely cool. Often dissenters complain about his annual salary, but it’s worth pointing out that Steve doesn’t just go in for his show; colleagues say that he is there first thing in the morning, and sticks around after his show finishes at 5pm to start prepping the next day’s show. He takes his work seriously, and that comes across on air.

 

A word too for his regular and most durable co-hosts, Tim Smith and Janey Lee-Grace (pictured below). In an industry where “sidekicks” can be overpowering, Tim and Janey are reassuringly calm yet enthusiastic. They both come across as genuinely decent people, and they complement Steve really well. The show is often at its best when all three are on at the same time; there is a real sense of camaraderie and fun, which reinforces the feeling listening to the show is like being part of a family. Since lockdown, Tim and Janey aren’t in the studio as much as previously, and their contributions seem a little reduced these days, which is a shame. (A quick mention too for Bobbie Pryor, who mainly does the traffic and travel but also acts as a great co-presenter alongside Tim and Janey).

Of course, Serious Jockin’ has been the big item of the show in recent years. The Jockin’ is all good fun and a great way to set people up for the weekend, but I must admit I miss the days when Steve resurrected the old Radio 1 Roundtable record review for his Friday shows in the early 2000s. Let’s not forget also the Webcam of the Day feature with Miles Mendoza, the Old Woman, and of course, the brilliant Ask Elvis with Mitch Benn as The King answering stupid questions with hilarious answers. Of course, Steve still has a good dose of humour in the show, courtesy of Lewis McLeod’s excellent impersonations of Jeremy Vine, Paul McCartney and Alan Bennett.

 

Steve has tons of jingles, and I can’t be alone in thinking that he has the best suite of jingles in British radio. My favourite - which is below - is the “top of the hour” jingle which starts with a dramatic rising violin-led soundbed (over which Steve tells us what is coming up) then pauses with a sung “Steve Wright in the Afternoon”, followed by a rising orchestral swell and culminating in a needlessly dramatic cry of “GREAT BRIT-AIIIIIIIIN”. Love it.

Below is a great video from AJ Music Productions’ YouTube channel of how the Steve Wright in the Afternoon theme is put together; the effort that has gone into a 40 second theme for a radio show is fascinating. Three violin players, two viola players, one French Horn player, two guitarists, one bass player, one cellist, one trumpeter, one trombonist, one keyboardist and one drummer. It’s a whirling, thrilling and pounding piece of music, and it always gets me in the feels whenever I hear it.

In the old days, Steve used to close the show with the coda to Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell; a really evocative use of that music. In more recent years, this was replaced by an original AJ Music Productions composition called Starfield (you can listen to it below); it has a very similar vibe to what came before it, but quite a moving piece of music.

And on that note, I have no doubt that the final play of Starfield on the final show will be quite emotional. 24 years, guys. 24 years I’ve listened to this show and it’s been a constant friend to me through all that time.

 

So what happens once the show ends? You know, Steve is approaching 70 and has undoubtedly earned the right to take it a bit easier. The official line is that Steve will continue with Sunday Love Songs and other special projects for the BBC, but as former Radio 1 boss Trevor Dann said recently on the terrific Word In Your Ear podcast, Steve’s “got so much energy… this is what he does so I think he might still be around doing stuff”. Social media is awash with suggestions of going to Greatest Hits Radio or Boom, but you know, I would not be surprised if Steve ends up taking The Big Show to Virgin Radio. They have deep pockets, they have the resources to do a show like Steve’s and they would probably give him the freedom that perhaps Greatest Hits Radio wouldn’t. It is also worth noting that Chris Evans is a huge fan (and friend) of Steve Wright and has previously commented that Steve should move to the station. In recent weeks, Chris has made a few cryptic comments about Steve and Virgin Radio; most recently, he played the Steve Wright in the Afternoon theme (to compare it to the opening bars of All These Nights by Tom Grennan) and made a comment about leaving the theme on the Virgin Radio system. Now Chris Evans may just be being mischievous… but just imagine if The Big Show got yet another lease of life. Imagine!

 

It’s sad to see The Big Show come to an end on Radio 2, but now I know how the previous generation of Radio 2 listeners felt when younger listeners like me turned up to listen to a bunch of new presenters and a baffling new playlist!

 

Whatever Steve does next, I wish him well. Thank you Steve and the team for your company all these years, it’s been an absolute pleasure.