Jeremy Vine, a presenter for BBC Radio 2, described how workers showed disrespect toward older staff members and ripped apart Steve Wright’s former studio.
BBC workmen ripped apart Steve Wright’s old studio in the very week that he died. The Radio Two presenter passed away in February last year aged 69 from a ruptured stomach ulcer.
Two years prior, he had been fired from the station’s wildly popular weekday show, which irritated his audience. He had continued to host his Sunday Love Songs program.
Now details have emerged that when the BBC moved out of Wogan House in London in the spring last year, their timing for tearing out rooms and removing equipment could not have been worse.
Radio 2 host Jeremy Vine has revealed: “Steve Wright – what an amazing man. “His studio was torn out in the week he died very sadly because they were changing offices and of course the way they tear these things out is not particularly respectful of the history of all the machines that were in there because Steve had asked for them.. that microphone was Steve’s microphone!”
When word got out that “Whitney” had passed away, according to Vine, who also hosts a Channel 5 daytime show, the station staff were crying.
And he had to comfort a newsreader who was close to him in particular, but a workman’s lack of compassion prevented that from happening.
He continued, “When he passed away, there was a particular news reader who was very close friends with him, and she was very upset because she was in the newsroom and she discovered that he had passed away because she had seen the script for it. Terrible .
We left, and I said, “Let’s go and talk about it.” We ignored the fact that this was all part of this significant office relocation, and there was a sign outside (his old studio) that read “Do Not Enter.”
We enter the studio, talk to each other, hug each other, cry, and then appear on camera as a man opens the door and says, “Excuse me, can you not read this sign?”
“I apologize, but I can see that my friend is about to launch a ballistic missile.” She responded, “This is our church! ” which is a fantastic line. How deep all this runs, I thought.
Vine, a former Strictly contestant, acknowledged that the BBC employs many younger employees who are unaware of the station’s history or the legendary radio presenters who contributed to the organization’s development. Vine also acknowledged that this was a depressing sign of the times. And he soon realized how easily well-known DJs can fade away as a result of a recent incident.
At the Bath Literary Festival, the author, who just released a murder mystery called Murder On Line One, explained that one of his producers, who are currently 22 or 23, had reportedly pulled this enormous lump of metal out as they were clearing out the desks in the former Wogan House.
“And it was a bronze bust,” the people asked, “Who the hell is this?” A man was wearing a collar and a tie. And I responded, “Look at the name!” And they turned it around and said, “Jimmy Young.” Who’s that? ‘
Guys, he’s been running the show for 29 years, I said. However, it served as a reminder of the generational gap, which is always present. And I suppose a lot of broadcasters are concerned about that.
On the same weekend that Steve tragically passed away, Radio 2 moved out of Wogan House and all the studios were shut down, according to a BBC spokesman. Steve’s microphone was saved, mounted on a stand, and prominently during the recent BBC celebration of his career. The event was captured on camera and will be broadcast later this year.
