Liz Kershaw: BBC 'dumped' Steve Wright and treats presenters like 'tins of beans on a shelf'

Liz Kershaw has accused the BBC of having “dumped” Steve Wright from schedules in the years before his death.

Kershaw, the veteran DJ, who spent three decades presenting on BBC radio, said it still made her “feel sick” that Wright had lost his daily show.

Wright, who was one of the BBC’s longest-serving presenters, having spent four decades on Radio 1 and Radio 2, died aged 69, his family said on Tuesday.

Responding to the tributes since Wright’s death, Kershaw told GB News: “It’s shabby, it’s hypocritical. They just dumped him.

“New management said we’re going to refresh the schedule – and they treat people like tins of beans on a shelf.

“I doubt that there was any follow-up, or any pastoral care, or any support for him. He didn’t need money as he has been one of the highest paid people on air.

“But, you know, I wonder if they considered how it affected him. There are some people for whom fame and attention are their oxygen. And he was one of those; it was absolutely his life.”

‘We miss him dearly’

He was last on air on Sunday with a pre-recorded Valentine’s special and was due to return next weekend. However, bosses replaced his long-running weekday afternoon show for Scott Mills, 50, a former Radio 1 presenter, in a controversial restructure in 2022.

A BBC Radio 2 spokesman said: “Steve was deeply loved by the Radio 2 family and listeners, and for almost three decades he hosted a raft of brilliant shows on the network enjoyed by millions. We will miss him dearly.”

In a statement, Wright’s family announced the death of their “beloved Steve” and spoke of “the millions of devoted radio listeners who had the good fortune and great pleasure of allowing Steve into their daily lives as one of the UK’s most enduring and popular radio personalities”.

There has been an outpouring of tributes, led by Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, who said: “All of us at the BBC are heartbroken to hear this terribly sad news. Steve was a truly wonderful broadcaster who has been a huge part of so many of our lives over many decades.

“He was the ultimate professional; passionate about the craft of radio and deeply in touch with his listeners.”

Wright joined Radio 1 in 1980 and presented his Steve Wright in the Afternoon show from 1981-93, pioneering the “zoo format” that would be much copied.

He moved to Radio 2 in 1996 and hosted the afternoon slot for 24 years. But he was removed in 2022 as the station aimed to attract a younger audience.

Wright remained as the host of Sunday Love Songs and became the presenter of Pick of the Pops. He was awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours list for services to radio.

Radio 2 schedules have lost some of their biggest hitters in recent years, including Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo who quit for Greatest Hits Radio.