Like many top performers in many industries, his business creates a support network around him so that he can focus on his job and not be distracted by mundane tasks.

Like many top performers in many industries, he seems to be pretty obsessive about what other people in his industry are doing and how he can learn from this to better his own craft.

The piece seems to fall into the trap / tired cliche of seeing a divorced man who now keeps to himself as a sad and lonely comfort eater. BS. I may be wrong but I think he's had the weight issue for many years, not just post-split. And why on earth do we assume that someone who chooses a private life and is currently not known to be dating someone is lonely? It smacks to me of a) he won't talk to us so we'll make him out to be a weirdo; and b) lazy, knock-it-out-and-forget-it, piss-poor scribbling and nothing to do with good journalism.

He's a top class DJ who pulls in a large audience. It matters not a jot that I find a lot of his style irritating (talking over records, talking over what are clearly pre-recorded phone messages) and the music rather bland, the fact is he's a very, very accomplished DJ.

one way or the other, but that is one of the most mean-spirited pieces of "reporting" I've ever seen.

Never could stand Steve Wright. Talked too much to his hired chums, didn't play enough records, those brutally unfunny characters and then latterly when he did do a program where he did play music it was the truly ghastly Sunday Love Songs.

But even I don't think he deserves this treatment. So he has a face for radio (he always did...) : big deal. He has his ways : well don't we all? He spends loads of time on his show : well I don't like it, but clearly it works for somebody. He has narrowed his food options : however if memory serves so did Keith Waterhouse; in both cases they were men of a certain age who Knew What They Liked, but because KW ordered from Wilton's and Sheekey's and not Eat he was regarded as the quite the bon viveur. If anything after this article I think very slightly better of Steve Wright than I did yesterday.

Doesn't seem like a particularly 'weird' character to me - just a piece of spiteful journalism.

Long serving on air BBC "talent" is looked after by his team who aren't stupid and know that their interests are best served if he is generally happy. Meantime he himself doesn't do showbiz type things as he prefers a modest lifestyle which is nothing but his own business. Not only that but a man in his fifties struggles with his weight and has lost some hair? Knock me over with a feather, is that what happens in your fifties?

What a nasty, insinuating article. And I'm no fan of his shows at all, but he seems like a perfectly blameless individual, no odder than any other professional presenter.

Sounds like me, although they'd probably add "he works with computers" in my case, just to ramp up the weirdness and make me sound more sinister.

I am overweight.

I rarely go to showbiz parties and have rarely given interviews to the tabloids about my private life.

When I'm at work, I like a bacon butty or porridge.

When I get lunch I usually go to cafes near me, often going to the same local one repeatedly (it would seem odd to go and get lunch twenty miles away frankly). In fact, I think I'll go for a jacket potato today.

I call my old Mum at least once a week (although she is usually out as she has a much better social life than me).

I work in a job that can often be roughly 9 - 5.

The only difference between us is that he is a dedicated, good at what he does (it's not for me, but my Mum likes it a lot as do millions of others) and works hard at remaining good at it. I am bone idle.

never was - always disliked the entertainer DJ, prefer the music DJ.

However - what weird things does this article dig up ?

He's well off enough to travel for a few days without luggage, just, you know, buying what he needs.

He's busy and has to organise his time.

He likes the people working for him to maintain his schedule.

His divorce hit him hard, and he comfort eats.

Wow. What a weird life that is.....

misfortune to hear some of the Love Songs show he does when I was at my parents. Mawkish, horrible, ear-offending.
BUT.
Steve Wright does his job extremely well. That's what comes with years of experience at the top level. I couldn't care less how he lives his life, quite frankly, even if I was a die hard listener.
My favourite ever DJ was Peel and I was never interested in his daily habits and proclivities just his show.

I often listen to his afternoon show while driving home and enjoy it. Some decent music now and then - the odd new one on the playlist and cracking tunes on listener's non-stop oldies. He plays some interesting tracks from the past too and if they are long he plays the whole thing - stuff like Herbie Hancock and Al Stewart. Find him likeable and a good presenter. Couldn't stand the 80's show though - too manic and noisy. Much better now.

- he used to have geese in his studio - when he was broadcasting - used to get his assistants to shoo them out - weirdo.

of this article? It's just a dirty, greasy attempt to paint him as weird that will be even dirtier and greasier when its tomorrow's chip paper. Lazy hackdom of the worst kind. You'd think the papers would be falling over themselves to impress us with their sparkly wit and well written and researched journalism at the moment. Seems not. Drivel.

It just seems to describe what is a fairly normal life in a sort of sinister way. Do a job you love. Enjoy your food. Hang out with your son. Hoon around in a Lotus at weekends.

Sounds good to me.

that articles like this are "planted" by someone who wants to bring about the demise of the rag that sees fit to print them. I echo what's already been said here - in fact it's quite some time since I've noticed such unanimity on any thread on this blog!

As far as yer man is concerned, I do have happy memories of listening to him when I was at school and living in France immediately after that. It was always corny, but made me laugh sometimes. He never pretended to be mad about music, but would occasionally surprise me by digging out a fairly obscure (but very good) song like Elton John's 60 Years On, which I distinctly remember him pronouncing one of his favourite songs ever, and I believed him.

I occasionally listen to his show now, and he does most of the things that I loathe about radio presenting: talking over records; singing over records (where's my gun??); not back-announcing records; and constantly reading out compliments to his programme ("love the show" indeed). And yet despite all this I find his a generally likeable persona. He's very good at what he does.

A non-story trying to appeal to whom exactly? Not his fans and any one else wouldn't really give a toss.
Is it the journalist's fault or the snitchy source? Who approached who, I wonder?

(Apologies for any who/ whom mix ups, never quite got to grips with them)

Obviously phrase of the year for the tabloids is "a bit weird" thankfully costing them dearly in the courts last week!
Read it and came to the conclusion that to be weird you
work 9-5,
Like a bacon butty ,
Have assistants to get you what you need,
Love your mum,
Close to your brother,
Devastated after your wife of over twenty years leaves you,
Loves the radio.

Yea all sounds a bit weird to me.

Anyway I quite like him, he doesn't pretend to be a muso, just an entertainer on the radio. Ask Elvis always makes me laugh.

What is this, the Ladybird Book of Poor Hackery and Hatcheting? How about doing the dirty on Bates instead - there's got to be some top drawer skeletons for rattling on that one.

Liked Steve Wright on Luxembourg, but tired of the same format around the mid 80s. Although he never seems to have moved beyond that date - where does he find those cheesy keyboard beds..

And Sunday Love Songs - it's almost entirely unlistenable..

Just noticed at the bottom of the article.

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Now I know a lot of people don't care for Steve Wright but that's a bit strong.

I really can't stand hearing him. That's entirely based on the fact that I think he sounds really creepy and always has done since he first emerged on commercial radio in the 70s. I don't think I've ever been able to listen to anything he says long enough to form an opinion on his character or talent though.

Unless there's more to it that they suddenly couldn't print. There is - not that it's any of our business - the slightly odd detail about him staying in a hotel near work when he actually lives nearby. Although if I had a lot of cash in the bank I might do that for a change, especially if some of the rest is true. It stands out in the middle of the story as the only detail you would expect to find in a redtop scoop. The rest is fairly normal behaviour for a lot of people I know, including myself when I was single and lived on my own.

But it feels odd, like they were going to write something else and had to change it at the last minute. Either because it wasn't true, or because perhaps the story came from dubious reporting methods which wouldn't be a good idea right now. Can't ever believe that would ever be the case though can you?

Became interested in this solely from bad journalism point of view, as I had only a hazy idea who Steve Wright is. Entirely agree about the pointless spite. I mean, obviously he's NOTD, so what? Weird does seem too strong a word to describe someone whose lifestyle choices aren't one's own.

In a way it's a welcome, maybe healthy corrective to the fantasy image that people in 'the meejia' live lives of limitless glamour and indulgence.

Strange to recall that the Mirror once had some claim to be a campaigning paper of the left. What is British journalism coming to, A sad day ... etc etc.

that has backfired, going by the comments under it. There is obviously no story, the stuff about his personal life, like having scheduled meals and assistants to collect them for him, is pitiful.

Given the upcoming court cases that the Mirror (according to The Sunday Times) is about to face, I'd have thought they'd have better things to do than shovelling out shite like this article.

Feel the width. That dreadful story was just a shade under 1,500 words, which is probably the longest piece to run in The Mirror since Robert Maxwell's obituary.

Chris Tarrant is on Dickie Bacon putting the absolute shoe into The Mirror for all the reasons listed above.

My opinions on Steve Wright: Absolutely loved him on R1. Was delighted when I heard he was coming back to the BBC on R2. Listened. Hated it for all the reasons everyone else hates it. But, as everyone has said, lots of people do love his show and no-one forces us to listen.

The Mirror should be ashamed. But these are the sort of stories you have to write when you can't get juicy stuff by tapping phones any more.

At the bar of the Groucho club (I was there for a book launch). I was surprised how tall he was - nearly as tall as me and I'm tallish. So if he has sometimes ballooned to nearly 18 stone and that's described as a struggle then I'm done for - I can't remember when I was last under 18 stone.

Other than that he seems to lead a fairly normal life - probably pretty much what I would do if I was him.

The best example of the article making the "best" of its thin source material was the mention of the shabby garage under his million pound flat, where he keeps his Range Rover - definitely desperate to say anything negative they could think of.

Like many others, I'm no fan of Steve Wright but Ryan Parry and the editor of the Mirror should be ashamed of themselves for this. The sheer nastiness of it surprises me, but this seems to be what passes for normal now in tabloid land. Similar to the snide and mean spirited article attacking actress Emily Lloyd recently in the Mail. Wouldn't it be nice if these victims got a right of reply of equal prominence and also got 30 minutes alone with their 'accusers' to tell them what they think of them.

I'd quite like his life. He's divorced and, like me who;s also divorced, seems to have decided he's fairly happy doing things on his own and leading a nice quiet life while he's doing a job he likes. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

I'm ambivalent about his show. It's a bit like fast food: nice for a snack on, but not profound or massively nourishing. It's entertainment, which i enough.

And he's a middle-aged man doing a job that doesn't involved a huge amount of cardiovascular exertion. Might explain some weight gain. But is that anyone else's business? No, so why can't they leave the poor bugger alone?

"The break-up hit him hard, causing him to start losing his hair" WTF? I seem to have managed to lose more hair than him without ever getting married OR divorced.
It's an hilarious article. The writer should be ashamed. I agree with the general gist of people's comments here - daft show but world would be slightly sadder place without it.

Some hack must have spent months over that. But they go a long way to explain why I don't read the Mirror.

Shameless spiteful article apparently written by a ten year old. I hate the tabloid press.

Besides: he looks all right to me. Is he meant to look like a "weirdo" in that photo?

Not Steve Wright, the article. A true waste of paper and ink
He's over fifty - and?
He's divorced - and?
Likes food - and?
Has a set routine - and?
Good at his job, and looks to be striving to constantly evolve/improve - and?

Nothing weird about any of that.
The 'weirdness' seems to come from the point that he doesn't "play the celebrity game"

What a truly pointless, wasteful and spiteful piece of journalism.
That article annoys me

Is listening in to private phone messages, hanging around outside the houses of victims of crime, rummaging through peoples bins...I could go on. Tabloid journalists are often overweight, alcoholic divorcees but we rarely hear about their "bizarre" lifestyles -well not until another hacking scandal lifts the lid on these parasites behaviour. Wrights show is a radio equivelant of background music which does it's job well. Mind you that "ask elvis" section of the show is tired. I also noticed last time I had his programme on the "old woman" has disappeared. Is she "'the source" or has she just retired?

tawdry piece of hack scribbling? Tonight, somewhere in newspaper land, a "journalist" and an "editor" are calling for a second bottle of red, and the cigars, while justifying the piece on the grounds that, "It's better to be talked of badly than not all... and look at all the publicity it's got us." Let's have a third bottle, eh?

This has the stink of a junior member of the production team trying to sell 'the inside story' on one of the nation's most popular broadcasters to a red top. Completely without merit and symptomatic of much that is wrong with tabloid journalism. Nasty.

in the Grauniad

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2011/aug/04/steve-w...

"he studiously listens to other shows, seeking to pick up tips and ideas"
So that's what he calls it. Bet Danny Baker has other words for it.
Horrible article.
Not a fan at all but this attack on Steve Wright is uncalled for. Who cares what he eats unless it's raw endangered species or babies.
There are much more unsavoury characters in public life and in the media, Yes you,DLT.