When was Steve Wright axed from BBC Radio 2? Timeline of late DJ's ouster from the Afternoon Show explored

Veteran BBC radio presenter Steve Wright's death was announced by his family on February 13, 2024, just days after he was heard on radio hosting his regular segments. The statement read:

"It is with deep sorrow and profound regret that we announce the passing of our beloved Steve Wright. In addition to his son, Tom, and daughter, Lucy, Steve leaves behind his brother, Laurence and his father Richard."

This news came just two years after BBC axed Wright from his beloved Afternoon Show slot on BBC Radio 2 in September 2022.

According to the Mirror, Wright continued to helm his other series, like Sunday Love Songs and Pick Of The Pops, and was reportedly in talks with the BBC to spearhead some new spin-offs before his death. Speaking at the time about his reduced air time, he said:

"Sometimes people want you, sometimes they don't. Sometimes there are changes and they give you another offer - and that's OK. I understand that, I really understand that. I've been offered loads of stuff at the BBC and I'm staying at Radio 2."

---

Steve Wright's Afternoon Show was axed by the BBC in 2022

According to BBC, Steve Wright in the Afternoon Show was launched on BBC Radio 1 in 1981. He entertained millions of people with his afternoon session till 1993, moving to a BBC breakfast show in 1994. He briefly left BBC later that year but rejoined in 1996, restarting his career on Radio 2 with a Saturday program and Sunday Love Songs.

In 1999, he relaunched Steve Wright in the Afternoon with an all-new distinctive zoo format, occasionally featuring celebrity interviews and entertaining trivia in his Factoids segment. The seasoned presenter held the slot for the better part of two decades.

According to the Mirror, Steve Wright in the Afternoon show was axed in September 2022, and fellow radio host Scott Mills took over the slot to try "something different." Wright's ousting vastly reduced his on-air time from six days a week to two and a half days a week. Speaking about this pivotal shift in his career at BBC, he said:

"What it actually means for me is rather than working six days a week, I'll be working maybe two and a half days a week. So maybe I can get lunch, maybe I can have a rest, whatever, for a little while."

---

Steve Wright signed off his last Afternoon Show, thanking his listeners

According to the Mirror, Wright, aged 69, signed off his last show with a heartfelt message to his viewers:

"I want to say thank you to you for your appreciation, our dearest listeners, smashing and loyal, for all the reaction and all the nice words. Thank you if you’ve ever seen your way to listening to us at any time. Thank you, thank you and thank you again."

He also reiterated several times that he was not retiring and would continue hosting Sunday Love Songs on Radio 2. According to The Guardian, his final words on his afternoon show were:

“I’m going to see you Sunday and every Sunday for ‘love songs’ and for all the many other programmes in the coming weeks and months; on behalf of the team, this has been Steve Wright in the afternoon.”

---

Tributes pour out following Steve Wright's death, with some of his colleagues hearing about his demise while on air. According to The Independent, fellow radio host Sara Cox announced his death during her BBC Radio 2 afternoon show, paying tribute to the "warm," "witty," and "extraordinary broadcaster."