‘Steve on the microphone was a force to be reckoned with’
I’m devastated to hear about Steve Wright’s death. For a long time, I was a member of the team responsible for comedy jingles featured on his show during his time at both Radio 1 and Radio 2. I was very proud to be Mr Food, performing And That’s Before Me Tea on his show as well as several others. Steve Wright on the microphone was a force to be reckoned with. Unstoppable. As well as interviewing all the stars on air, the Steve Wright I met off-air was a genuine, sincere and down-to-earth man who cared a great deal about people. One of the other jingles I sang on his show had the line: “Steve Wright in the Afternoon, always there but over too soon, makes you feel over the moon, Stevie in the afternoooon.” Over too soon … feels so sad to reflect on that now. David Sanderson, 57, Devon
‘Such a breath of fresh air’
I started listening to Steve in the 80s along with everyone else I knew at the time. His unique style and distinctive voice kept me entertained for years. Those characters were such a breath of fresh air on the radio. Everybody imitated Mr Angry and Sid the Manager – hilarious. I met Steve several times during when I worked as a DJ at a club in Bradford. He came to do personal appearances. He was always lovely – a real gent and quite humble. Bless him, he recorded a jingle for me on a cassette tape: “Hello I’m Steve Wright and this … is Richard Daniels” (my stage persona). I used it for years afterwards. Sadly lost now. Richard Wood, 61, celebrant, Saltburn-by-the-Sea
‘He helped us cope with the stresses of our demanding jobs’
Saddened to hear about Steve Wright passing. My former work colleague and I would have Steve’s radio show on a Friday afternoon blasting in the office to help us cope with the stresses of our demanding nursing jobs! I recall my colleague kicking her work shoes off at 4.15pm and dancing to Steve’s serious jockeying! Angela Baksh, 57, retired specialist nurse NHS, Whitley Bay
‘A constant thought the past 40 years’
I feel like I’ve lost a friend. He was a constant thought the past 40 years – we were virtually the same age; our lives tracked one another’s. I always listened to his show when I was in the car – all the characters, the posse, we all grew up together. I have never turned on Radio 2 again after his last show. It’s like losing a life-long companion. He will be so missed by so many. Lynne, 67, retired, Yorkshire
‘He spent the afternoon giving my housemate tips on radio presenting’
Steve was the morning DJ at Radio 210 when I lived in Reading. If I wasn’t cleaning my teeth by the time he played Sultans of Swing, I knew I’d be late for work! One Valentine’s Day, he asked if there was anyone who could accompany him to surprise some lucky listeners with a serenade. My housemate volunteered with her violin and a rendition of My Love is Like a Red Red Rose. After spending the morning racing around Reading, they went back to the studio where she told him her wish to become a radio announcer. He spent the rest of the afternoon giving her tips on presenting and explaining how broadcasting worked. My only regret? He picked her up at 6am and I just wasn’t out of bed in time! Judith Barton, retired, Surrey
‘Steve was very engaging and made us laugh’
It must have been in 1976 when Steve came to our primary school to do an outside broadcast for Thames Valley radio. Loads of kids were swarming around the van but I wasn’t interested – local radio wasn’t on my radar. Soon after, the school had a road safety quiz team and I was the captain of it. Steve’s producer got in touch as he was doing an evening discussion programme and that week the theme was kids and road safety. Our head wanted us to take part so our teacher took me and a boy from the team. We sat opposite Steve, behind his massive desk with what seemed to be hundreds of buttons and levers. He was very engaging and put us at ease, joking and making us laugh. He must have been pretty young but I didn’t realise that at the time. He was a grown up and seemed to me to be in charge of everything. Helen Zisul, 58, retired, Normandy, France
‘One of the best to ever grace radio’
Steve has been such a staple in my life as I grew up listening to him with my dad. From his afternoon show that played in the car while I came home from school, then college, and eventually work, to his Sunday Love Songs which soundtracked Sundays in my late gran’s living room. He was so full of laughter and care, and it genuinely feels like we’ve lost a good friend. One of the best to ever grace radio, I feel so lucky that he allowed us to spend some time in his world every day. Paige, 26, Durham
‘He pitched at the right level of seriousness following 9/11’
I was driving home down the M5 listening, as usual, to Radio 2 when the 9/11 attack happened. The event was reported live during the Steve Wright in the Afternoon show, first as a plane crashed into one tower then minutes later into the other. Steve continued his show punctuated with reflective comments that he pitched at the right level of seriousness. I still remember vividly that moment and how professionally he handled his show following the news. Paul Reynolds, 73, lace maker, Devon
‘Steve was part of the last set of DJs that were DJs first’
I was a latchkey kid and we lived quite far from my peers and my folks both worked all day. So I had six parents: Mum, Dad, Simon Mayo, Simon Bates, Gary Davies and Steve Wright! Every holiday off school I would listen from before breakfast until teatime. Whether optimistically trying for a tan in the Midlands, honing my football skills against the brick shed, mowing the lawn or trying to complete Wonder Boy on my Sega, Radio 1 was on the whole time. Of course the music was the key but I could get away with passing off news or some random nugget or a joke as my own from what I had heard during the day on the radio. Steve and co were my “summer school” teachers – the last set of DJs that were DJs first. Antony Train, 48, Tamworth, Event Manager, Staffordshire
‘Mum and I used to die of laughter listening to his show’
I’m the only child of a single mum and the shared cultural experiences of day-to-day life in 80s and 90s Britain with her are something I really treasure. Right at the top of this list would be both of us dying with laughter as mum tried to drive to the shops while listening to Steve Wright in the Afternoon. As a father now, I know how special it is when you and your kids are on the same wavelength, so when you both chime together it’s pure magic. Brett, 50, Dubai, UAE
