He’s symptomatic of the modern Radio 2. I used to listen to the station a lot but got sick of presenters constantly wittering on about nothing and, even worse, talking over each other when there’s more than one there. I prefer Boom Radio these days where knowledgeable people play good music while keeping the chat to a minimum
Always liked Steve Wright, good for a laugh, I think DJ's are held in too high regard personally, most are self indulgent egomaniacs, the lad Mills that took over from SW is only happy when talking about himself, SW is up there with just a few in my opinion, Wogan, Bruce and Blackburn, the rest are getting paid money for old rope.
Whilst it’s sad that he died at a relatively young age, I found his show funny in the 80s, but whenever I was in my wife’s car when his Radio 2 show was on I used to plead with her to let me change the channel. I don’t like radio* anyway, as it’s usually inane ‘banter’ interspersed with rubbish records, but Steve Wright’s show, with his ‘posse’ was irritating beyond belief. “Hi Steve, love the show…” and all that. And don’t get me started on his ‘serious jocking’! *I made an exception for Sounds of the Sixties when Brian Matthew presented it (Tony Blackburn turned it into the office Christmas party) and the Popmaster bit of Ken Bruce’s show. I lost count of the amount of times I sat in the GP’s waiting room (the surgery had Radio 2 playing all day) and got called through just as Popmaster was starting. Was so tempted to ask him to call the next one through before me!
One that stuck in my head was the mad scientist, A particular sketch involved him crossing a tarantula with a donkey, When Steve asked what purpose it served the scientist replied "If it bites you you can ride it to hospital"
Maybe it’s an age thing but R2 is rapidly morphing into a R1 substitute. I’m sure most of the presenters think they’re in the wrong studio. It’s not for me any more apart from, as I said, following the likes of Tony Blackburn on his SOf60s show and occasionally dipping into another old favourite Johnnie Walker doing SOf70s. I gave Steve Wright a final listen this morning his last Sunday Live Songs show and there was a really sad bit at the end when he signed off with a promise that he’d be back next Sunday for another one…
I've been listening to Greatest hits radio for a few years now and as with anything that is a 'favourite', it can get on your nerves sometimes. Simon Mayo is on there at tea time (the same time as Sara Cox on R2), and he forces that Confessions garbage on us. I think he even did it briefly as a tv quiz type show in the early 90s, so hes clearly obsessed with it. I haven't listened to Scott Mills, but the comments on here against him sound unfairly harsh.
Mayo's 'The Album Show' on Sundays on GHR is brilliant. Loads of deep album cuts, record-collecting nonsense and that. Could listen to it all day.
I'm not doubting that and I do like Mayo as a presenter. But I only hear him on his tea time Mon to Fri slot. They have a few ex R1 presenters on there, Mark Goodyear and Paul Gambacini spring to mind at weekends.