Purves blasts ‘ageist’ bosses after Steve Wright loses his Radio 2 slot
PeTeR PuRVeS yesterday accused the BBC of ageism over the ‘terrible decision’ to axe Steve Wright’s Radio 2 afternoon show.
The former Blue Peter presenter said there were plenty of opportunities for young people to ‘advance’ elsewhere in the BBC without cutting older names.
Wright, 67, who has fronted Steve Wright In The Afternoon on the station since 1999, announced the news on air on Friday. he will be replaced in the autumn by Radio 1’s Scott Mills, 49.
In 2014, Purves was axed from Channel 4’s coverage of Crufts after 41 years, saying bosses told him he was ‘surplus to requirements’. Speaking about the decision to cut Steve Wright’s show, he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘I think it is ageism. Yes change is important. But... audiences like to see the same thing. They get used to voices, they get used to faces. And they get very upset when it changes.’
Wright will continue to work for Radio 2 on shows including his Sunday Love Songs. A spokesman for the BBC said it ‘wanted to explore a new weekday afternoon schedule’ and ‘no other factors’ influenced the decision.