A new memoir has been published offering an insider account of the making of Steve Wright in the Afternoon and its long-running impact on British radio.
Titled Steve Wright in the Afternoon – How We Changed British Radio Forever. Probably., the book is written by Jonathan Ruffle, who worked closely with Steve Wright during the programme’s most influential years on BBC Radio 1.
The memoir focuses on the work behind the scenes of the show, with Ruffle highlighting the effort, care and audience-first approach that defined Wright’s broadcasting style throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Ruffle says Steve Wright’s defining strength was his commitment to listeners, with the programme built around warmth, humour and a carefully crafted mix of characters, sketches and high-profile interviews that became a daily fixture for millions.
The book revisits the era when Steve Wright in the Afternoon aired between 3pm and 5.30pm, describing how the show’s tone and format helped lift the mood of the nation while also pushing creative boundaries within mainstream radio.
Alongside stories and showbiz encounters, the memoir is positioned as a technical and editorial insight for industry insiders, detailing Wright’s production techniques and the experimental ideas that shaped the programme’s distinctive sound.
It also addresses long-rumoured moments from the show’s history, including an interview with Elton John that had to be dramatically cut due to the singer’s rampant naughtiness, the editing approach that made the programme a must-visit for actors, comedians and musicians, and internal BBC tensions over elements of the format that proved popular with audiences.
The book has attracted praise from broadcasters who worked alongside or were influenced by Wright’s career.
Simon Mayo said there was “no one better placed to explain how this radio magic happened”, while Simon Bates described the memoir as the most accurate and informed account of Steve Wright’s work and legacy.
Comedian and impressionist Phil Cornwell, known for voicing characters including David Bowie and Mick Jagger, said Ruffle was “in the eye of the hurricane that was Steve Wright in the Afternoon”.
Steve Wright in the Afternoon – How We Changed British Radio Forever. Probably. is published via Amazon and is available now.