Steve Wright was set for BBC Radio 2 comeback before his death

Steve Wright was due to make a comeback to BBC Radio 2 as part of a line-up for a 'pop nostalgia' spin-off station before his death. 

Bosses unveiled plans last week to introduce four new radio stations in an attempt to claw back alienated listeners to the BBC, including a new Radio 2 spin-off focusing on the music of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The station would've been the new home of the legendary DJ's Sunday Love Songs show, which he had been presenting on the channel since 1996, prior to his 'very sudden' death earlier this week.  

Fellow BBC Radio 2 host Paul Gambaccini, who is also set to appear on the spin off, revealed he and Steve were due to attend a zoom meeting to discuss the plans yesterday and both had no idea 'what it was going to be'. 




One BBC star told MailOnline that Steve had been 'talking to Radio 2 bosses just two or three days ago' and they were aware he was 'struggling with his health a bit but nothing that seemed this serious'.

Want to share your tribute to Steve? Email dan.woodland@mailonline.co.uk 





Wright seen in a recent photo from when he was out walking in central London 










Steve Wright, who has died at the age of 69, pictured in his recording studio in 1994 





The DJ, seen in 2003, was made an MBE for services to radio

Gambaccini told The Telegraph: 'I last spoke to him on Saturday. I had no idea that he was unwell. He mentioned to me that he'd had doctors' appointments but that doesn't transfer to being fatally ill so I was completely surprised, betogel - Paragraf.co.id - as well as saddened, by this devastating news.'

READ MORE: CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Snobby BBC execs cheated listeners out of the last 18 months of Steve Wright's life

 



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Another BBC star also revealed Wright's death was seen as 'very, very sudden' by colleagues, as he was in touch with bosses at the station within just the last few days.

They told the Mail: 'Steve had been talking to Radio 2 bosses just two or three days ago… we were aware he was struggling with his health a bit but nothing that seemed this serious.

'It has come as a huge shock. Nobody can believe it. 

'He was engaging with his colleagues so recently. It doesn't seem at all real.'

The Radio 2 spin-off will provide 'a distinctive take on pop nostalgia' from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the BBC said

It will employ 'some of the people who shaped the cultural landscape at the time' along with current presenters. 

The BBC added that it will 'bring heritage artist catalogues and stories to life in a much deeper and more richly textured manner than the main mixed-genre Radio 2 schedule can allow'.

The corporation said: '[It will] bring heritage artist catalogues and stories to life in a much deeper and more richly textured manner than the main mixed-genre Radio 2 schedule can allow.' 

The announcement of the radio shake up came as recent audience figures revealed that Radio 2 has continued to shed listeners since Ken Bruce's shock departure last year after three decades. 

It came after a string of older presenters either left the station or were sidelined. Steve Wright was replaced by the younger Scott Mills.

The listeners who have quit Radio 2 are thought to have defected to stations such as Greatest Hits Radio and Boom Radio. Bruce's show on Greatest Hits Radio boasts 3.8million listeners each week.









The legendary broadcaster presented Steve Wright in the Afternoon for 12 years on Radio 1 and a further 23 years on Radio 2. He is pictured in 1980 





Wright in a photo taken in 1995 





Wright with Bunny Campione at an event at Hamleys Toy Store in London on October 24, 2004 





The DJ was married to Cyndi Robinson until they divorced in 1999. They are pictured on their wedding day 







Steve 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.

READ MORE: Steve Wright's battle with weight: Radio DJ revealed how he was 18st at his heaviest and cut out crisps and chocolate in bid to get trim

 



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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 on Radio 2, 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 continued to present Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2 and since October last year, he presented the long-running show Pick Of The Pops, which had previously been fronted by Paul Gambaccini.

Earlier this morning BBC Radio 2 was 'inundated' with messages paying tribute to Steve in the first morning show since his death aged 69. 

The channel was overwhelmed with calls on Wednesday from 'devastated' listeners who revealed how the 'kind, funny, humble and loveable' star put a smile on their faces each week.

Fans shared their heartfelt memories with a teary Nicki Chapman while she sat in for Zoe Ball, who was absent for unknown reasons, in a special BBC breakfast show dedicated to the beloved broadcaster. 

The 'one in a million' radio presenter was adored by generations of families across the UK, with some saying he 'was like a friend' and others expressing how they are struggling to come to terms with his death. 




The DJ with Alice Cooper at the Sony Radio Awards at Grosvenor House Hotel on May 12, 2004





Wright being surprised in his studio by  Paul McCartney. Also pictured is his production assistant Dianne Oxberry







Nicki started the show by saying: 'It is so difficult to sum up what Steve meant to all of us. The devastatingly sad news has come as a complete shock.