Steve Wright Was surprised When BBC Scrapped His Afternoon Show

De Wikifliping

Steve Wright was 'surprised' that he had been axed by BBC bosses and the decision to cancel his beloved Radio 2 afternoon show had been a 'bolt from the blue', a close friend has revealed.

The legendary radio presenter was tragically found dead at his home on Monday - four years after his ex-wife passed away during Covid which had made him become 'extremely withdrawn'.

Mark Wells, the former controller of ITV entertainment, said being axed from his long-running BBC Radio 2 afternoon slot in 2022 had come as a big surprise which Wright struggled to comprehend.

In a wide-ranging interview, Wells also revealed how Wright had undergone heart surgery shortly after the show was axed - and that he was 'more ill than he'd let on'.

Addressing the BBC's decision to cancel Wright's afternoon slot, Wells told Colin Edmonds' Behind The Scenes podcast: 'He was extremely surprised that it happened, it came like a bolt from the blue and that's what he couldn't understand. 

'He felt that the show was still extremely popular, there had been no drop in the number of listeners that he was reaching.' 

Wells said his friend couldn't 'rationalise' the decision as the show 'felt as good as ever' and he 'was just shocked at the way it was handled, which I think was brutal.' 




The last picture of the legendary broadcaster shows him larking around and taking 'ironic selfies' with a friend in New York just weeks before his death





Mark Wells (pictured), the former controller of ITV Entertainment, said that Wright was surprised that his afternoon show was axed





Steve Wright was 'surprised' that he had been axed by BBC bosses and the decision to cancel his beloved Radio 2 afternoon show had been a 'bolt from the blue'

Despite being replaced by Scott Mills in 2022, bola online Wright stayed loyal to the BBC and turned down a number of big money offers to go to a rival commercial station.