Steve Wright dedicates his MBE to a special group of people

During his final Steve Wright In The Afternoon show last September, Wright said he had tried to provide “a little bit of light relief”

Veteran broadcaster Steve Wright said he wants to dedicate becoming an MBE “to all the people in broadcasting who gave comfort and public service during the pandemic”. Wright, best known for presenting his afternoon show on BBC Radio 2 over several decades, was honoured for his services to radio in the New Year Honours.

“I am grateful for this award,” Wright said in a statement to the PA news agency. “I love doing my radio shows and try to put in the hours to make them entertaining for listeners, although in the back of my mind I know there are people more deserving.

“My dad says, ‘accept the award with good grace and favour’.”

Wright added: “I also dedicate it to all the people in broadcasting who gave comfort and public service during the pandemic.”

During his final Steve Wright In The Afternoon show last September, Wright said he had tried to provide “a little bit of light relief” during the hardest moments of the pandemic when the nation was forced to stay at home. The broadcaster joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show before moving on to host Steve Wright In The Afternoon a year later until 1993.

Wright then fronted the Radio 1 Breakfast show for a year until 1995, and completed a stint at commercial radio stations before returning to BBC Radio 2 in 1996 to host Steve Wright’s Saturday Show and Sunday Love Songs. In 1999, he recreated Steve Wright In The Afternoon every weekday with celebrity interviews and entertaining trivia featured in his Factoids segment, before stepping down in September 2022.

Former BBC Radio 1 host Scott Mills took over the afternoon slot as part of the station’s schedule shake-up. Wright said he couldn’t “hold the slot forever”, but stressed he would not be retiring, continuing to present Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2 and since October has been the new presenter of long-running show Pick Of The Pops, which had previously been fronted by Paul Gambaccini.

Wright said in August: “Pick of the Pops is such a legendary show. Gambo brilliantly made it his own over the last seven and a half years, and now it’s my chance to give it a go! It’s a great privilege to present such an iconic show on Radio 2, and Pick of the Pops fans don’t worry – it’s going be the same and different at the same time.”

He has also fronted a variety of specials for BBC Radio, including Your Ultimate Kylie Song and Steve Wright’s Peter Kay Christmas Special, an exclusive broadcast with the comedian.