Head of Radio 2 Helen Thomas Questioned About Axing Steve Wright in the Afternoon 

Steve Wright was the best - Ms. Thomas made an enormous mistake. Her shaky and weak defenses show that she knows it.

Scott Mills is dreary beyond belief. With his boring repetitive music and wet lettuce voice, two o’clock is now switch off time across the nation. Steve was and still is a fantastic presenter and his professionalism following his sacking is incredible.

The woman who destroyed Radio 2!

Mills is blander than over-cooked rice. Steve has a personality

I hope youre happy, Helen, Steve, R.I.P. you legend. Loved the shows!!!

So, Ms Thomas has ruined the afternoon for millions, yet is delighted with the result. Honestly, I despair sometimes.

I left Radio 2 a few years ago. Greatest Hits radio is the place to be.

Steve had his creative outlet cruelly removed which may well have contributed to his early death. However, he was incredibly dignified when he was sacked from his afternoon show and stayed loyal to the station. A great professional and thoroughly decent man. RIP Steve.

I enjoy the new radio 2 so much that I now listen to boom radio and greatest hits. I had listened to radio 2 everyday for 35 years

And he graciously called her his boss and his friend

Helen Thomas is totally out of touch. This was an awkward interview for her. I'm sure Scott Mills is a decent bloke, but as a Radio 2 dj, with the music he plays, he sucks. Rip Radio 2.

Radio 2 with Sara Cox, Scott Mills, Rylan and Fearne Cotton, it hasnt been a good station for years, more so since Steve Wright was sacked, Helen Thomas clearly wanted him gone.

This woman is turning radio 2 into radio 1 plus. And has been going on for some time long before they dropped Steve Wright. Increasingly, playing artists who belong on radio 1 , I mean Dua Lupa ? Mabel? And the endless dance music.

While I'm sure Scott also didn't want to move stations, I think the listener really should have been canvassed on this change? S. Mayo was basically pushed for a gender based agenda. Steve was reading a H Thomas retirement letter!! You don't see the BBC junking Sttictly cos it's still doing great figures????

Helen 'clueless' Thomas. Promoted way beyond her abilities. Frances Line, all is forgiven.

This is Mr Angry from Purley !! Sack Thomas, and Mills, and bring back Steve!!

Personally think Steve should go back to afternoons and Scott move to drive. There is absolutely a place for Scott on 2 but Steve is absolutely timeless and a staple in the afternoons

Ms Thomas is in complete denial. The listening figures don’t lie. Zoe Ball has lost over 3 million listeners since taking over, Vernon Kay has lost 1.3 million listeners, Scott Mills has not increased listening figures etc etc..

You took Steve Wrights life away ----Shame on you ---what were you thinking.

She said , we're so happy with what Scott mills is doing !! Just playing records and sending the Listener to sleep ! Steve did so much more , it was a real show, 3 hours used to fly by , now scott mills is only 2 hours but it feels like a month .

I'm not convinced by the disjointed narrative and poor excuses of Helen Thomas on here.. I personally think that she is trying to justify her own existence and not listening to the majority of the listeners complaints of which there are are many. Ms thomas should step aside asap.

The woman who killed Steve Wright , she needs to resign now.

The reports are in. Radio 2 have lost 1 million listeners after Ken Bruce left. Not going well is it?

Radio 2 has lost it’s soul.

Well Helen Thomas we’re all in a bad mood now Steve has been binned. You have got it so wrong. Got nothing to do with experience. It’s to do with CONNECTION.

Is she friends with Liz Truss?

Sorry Helen, dont buy your feeble answers... people have left radio 2 in their droves.... Now ken bruce, keep up the good work H.thomas....

Steve Wright's show was under threat the minute Radio Times started publishing letters from bores who didn't like it. Like Brexit, the loud voices of small minds have held sway over the quiet tones of broader thinkers and our country is diminished. Steve was never political. He served all of us, across divides and differences, recognising what united poeple and giving us pleasure and fun. The BBC is cheerfully ruining itself and the ditching of Radio 2 mainstays is a clear sign of that. I'll tune into Michelle Visage and beloved Tony Blackburn, but nothing else. GHR might only play 20 songs on a loop, like all the hits stations, but the DJs are class acts. RIP, DJ Silly Boi. ❤

You lost Me . I started to record Streve wright in the afternoon as soon as he announced this shock in september. I was building my garage roof and had to stop what I was doing. Broke my heart. I love him I listen to the recordings at 2 o'clock Thursday and Friday afternoons ... I love Steve Wright Tim Smith and Janey Lee Grace... I miss him in the afternoon and his two cosy pals and his funny jokes and great sense of humour ❤ Still got him on Sunday mornings.... I'm gonna start recording those love songs on Sunday too just in case.. Because you never know what they'll do next .... No sense to Me at all Everybody loves Steve Wright in the Afternoon ❤

I think it must be very difficult to try and change things at a national Radio station. It's completely understandable why many people enjoyed listening to Steve Wright In the Afternoon on Radio 2, but I think that Steve wasn't just a popular DJ it was about what he as a person brought to the station and what he was able to create and the fact that he was just so good at it meant that any decision to change things was always going to be met with a degree of frustration and perhaps some hostility. But this is life and all good things must come to an end I suppose.

She pushed Mayo out and O,Grady . Listen to Ken then it’s turned off . We’ll done Helen🙄

That woman really has no idea,like many radio execitives.

Correction.....we USED to love Radio 2. Not anymore!

All seems a bit sad in retrospect

They did this in the late 80s when they had a big shake up of radio 1 what was a good station then. They got rid of all the good DJs and made a mess of it that's when I switched to radio 2 to here older music now They are doing exactly the same.leave alone what isn't broken.

I miss hearing that show starter at three minutes past two 😞

This woman has absolutely no clue what she destroyed for millions, and ultimately for Steve Wright himself. An absolute tragedy and it could have been so easily avoided, his afternoon show was legendary. I hate the BBC and its woke agenda, however, I’d always turn on to listen to Steve, it was simply the best way to end the working day. If it ain’t broke ………………………. RIP Steve Wright

About a year ago, I heard Radio 1 playing The Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Theme From Space Invaders" dating back to 1980. After it finished, I switched to Radio 2 which was playing Ed Sheeran's latest single....it beggared belief !. Radio 1 is supposed to play the latest hits & Radio 2 golden oldies. Abysmal

What a load of waffle from Helen Thomas. Steve Wright was very much still at the top of his game, he did not need replacing. His show had depth, humour and intelligence, all fronted with a warm voice by a man with a heart of gold. You didn’t know what you had, and now he has gone forever. How terribly sad 😞. Rest in peace Steve and thanks for being there for 40 years of my life ❤.

Fine get rid of Steve but cant Helen do better than Scott Mills, and now we have Vernon Kay in the mornings replacing Ken.. Can't Helen Thomas do better than this...its very disappointing indeed..

6 Music it is then, even if they don’t have Shaun Keaveny anymore and moved RadMac to weekend mornings

steve wright gave up part of his salary so women like her could fire a guy who forgot more about radio than she would ever know

DESPICABLE EVIL woman that Thomas woman should be SACKED immediately. Putting the unknown Scott Miles into STEVE'S SLOT. He is appalling I left R2 FOREVER!

Helen Thomas has absolutely no idea about radio....How the hell does she keep her job!🙈

Helen Thomas should be sacked. She has, completely butchered Radio 2. Ken Bruce axing is the icing on the cake. Let’s hope Steve goes to GHR too. Then, there will be no reason to listen to Radio2 at all. I already now switch off most of Radio2 these days due to the mess Ms Thomas has made of it.

Steve wright RIP radio 2 RIP !

Helen Thomas "NEW CEO OF OCEAN GATE"

My god Helen you’ve broken a nations heart please leave your role and take Scott with you please!!!!!!

Now she has done the same to Ken Bruce. The bosses at the beeb wouldn’t even allow their “ valued presenter” finish his notice period and shifted him out 17 day early. Off to Greatest hits it is then do we can enjoy pop master and a brew with Bruce.

Totally clueless, how did this woman get such a job, so disconnected. She should be ashamed of herself. This woman should be sacked!!!

Sara Cox is a poor replacement for the other half of Steve Wrights slot and Scott Mills sounds too young for Radio 2

I hope this woman is happy with the new way radio 2 is ran she all but destroyed it 😢a she has no idea what she wants the listeners should be taken into account not some stupid idea she had floating around in her stupid head she's partly responsible Steve was heart broken over losing his radio2 slot i hope she sleeps ok at night steve was an absolute legend I like many others will miss him

Massive mistake. Radio 2 is unfortunately on the way out. Well done Helen

Has the BBC D.G listened to this inarticulate individual? ...you know, you know...thankfully the only thing missing was 'like'! There's NO mix, just continual non melodious wailing and virtual non comprehension of so called 'lyrics'. The Gershwins must be turning in their graves at the sheer banality of this output. Its goodbye 'Friday Night is Music Night' to 24 hours of nigh on drivel. At least my license payment still leaves me with Radio 4.

Let’s just hope she stays at the BBC. If she managed an actually company like this, we’d all be out of a job.

it was not just the music it was the interviews the factoids ask elvis mister angry the old woman jl grace, bobby tim smith .a really class show

SHE SHOULD BE SACKED BRING BACK "STEVE WRIGHT"

Helen talks utter dribble. Clearly not competent at running any radio station. Never once refers to her customers who pay her wages. In any other situation she would be sacked. Single handedly destroyed Radio 2.

The radio 2 family..if thats how she treats family, I'm glad I'm not one of them

I don't know why you would even bother with Radio 2 any more. Its been heading this way for a while now. Winkleman, Lycett, Dermot O Leary etc.. and that breakfast show yap yap yap, its celeb this celeb that. I can see what they are trying to do. Poach '30 somethings+ from Heart, GHR, the Hallam's and Metros etc I listen to Boom Radio now, its sort of along the lines of where Radio 2 should have been heading, but never will do now. They'll let her wreck it for a few years, loose a few million a week, then say a 'Very Big Thankyou' for creating a radio station future generations will be proud to listen to. This will happen!! 🤭

BBC radio 2 has lost millions of listeners and more to come because the best broadcaster are all gone to other radio stations. I m gladly following them. Sadly we lost Steve Wright. He will be greatly missed. 😢💔 Therefore I m no longer a bbc radio 2 listener after 17 years since I live in UK. . The new faces and voices of the station, as Helen Thomas has just mentioned are not near Chris Evans', Ken Bruce 's, Steve Wright s and Simon Mayo' s quality and standards of the shows. Today s younger generation do not tend to listen to the radio as much as we did in the 80' 90'.They are mostly glued to social media, Spotify.

I had to stop listening to Steve Wright after the "oldies" the past couple of years because it was obvious he was trying to appeal to the after-school younger generation. It seemed he was trying to sneak Justin Bieber into his conversation far too often, as though his Radio 2 Boss had put him up to it.

Helen Thomas did exactly what she says she would not do i.e." Not at the expense of the listeners". She was very one dimensional, she only wanted to reply to her own agenda and decision making. Interestingly, SOT60's is on so early. She's typical of the type of manager who wants to change the world, but does not know their audience, convincing herself she does.

She not answering the questions steve wright is a legend, he played anything from 1930,s Scott mills plays dance music who wants that in the afternoons, she hasn't listened to the listener's at all, how dare you knock Steve wright, radio 2 is now going downhill and its all your own doing, simon, ken, Vanessa, paul, tony, chris, Craig, Graham, and more have left and its your own doing, i can't see radio 2 lasting, as for listening to radio 2 myself like so many i don't listen in the afternoons anymore its truly damaged by helen Thompson

BBC Radio is a byword for bad management. They took a beloved network institution & have slowly hollowed it out from the inside using a bizarre range of excuses from budgetary to "need for change". As Danny Baker accurately noted, the BBC is now gone, it no longer exists as we once loved & remembered it, & can blame the pinhead & weasel management for this.

What a big mistake Scott Mills Bland & Boring How can one woman get it so wrong She tried to fix something that wasn’t broken and got it so wrong Listeners left Radio 2 in their thousands

Shift the music and you shift the listener's!.

Managing change.....I would like to manage change at Radio 2. First off - sack Helen Thomas!

Only Radio2 show I listen to now on fm is Johnny Walkers Sounds of the Seventies.

Boom radio for me once Steve wright was fired

never really answers the questions she should enter politics

If it ain't broke. Don't fix it

I wonder what she gets paid ? Hope its not more than 50p a week .

Helen Thomas the woman that ruined Radio 2. I hope she's happy now. Scott Mills is dreadful. RIP Steve - you were the best of the best!

I've no idea what the R2 afternoon play list is like as I stopped listening ..... Mills soppy delivery is enough to put anyone off. Fortunately he's only on for 2 hours

Steve was still at his very best, ridiculous

From what Helen Thomas is saying here, she just doesn't get it. That afternoon slot was so important for so many (millions) of people. It's not just "the music". She says "our listeners really like Radio 2". Of course they do. . . . . make that 'did'. Oh, and you have had your "6 weeks" now, plus a year. How many people are enjoying Scott Mills? The lacklustre replacement for Steve Wright, who had super personality, charisma, originality, inventiveness, experience and creativity. Scott Mills has very little if any of those qualities.

Absolutely - just another one trying to put their stamp on something for their own ego

CRIMINAL

Hellen Thomas did not give one straight answer in this whole interview. Just media-trained spin and corporate nonsense. Disgusting.

To drop Steve Wright’s show was just stupid, just as messing around with Simon’s drivetime show which was a near-perfect piece of radio. And to lose Ken Bruce? Miss Thomas has made some terrible decisions. “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone“

She should resign along with the wooden spoons she's brought in

Helen Thomas you need to go. You destroyed Radio 2.

This woman just doesn't get it AT ALL!

Has Radio 2 listening figures dropped? Radio 2 and Radio 4 each lost about one million listeners, with the latter down by almost 10 per cent. Radio 1, Radio 3 and Radio 5 Live also registered losses, as did the World Service.1 Feb 2024

Helen Thomas really does have her head in the sand. Completely useless

Helen knows nothing ...the killing of a radio icon

Helen Thomas you are wrong

I just hope now steve has left Radio 2 we can all boycott this station come on people let’s do it for Steve wright.

So you keep Jeremy Vine and get rid of the best broadcaster in Britain. No clue. RIP Silli Boi

stopped listening after Steve left

Steve wright

If it ain't broke......

She wanted and succeeded in increasing the number of presenters whos sexual preference is their own sex.

Sounds like get rid off the olds ones she telling us a lot off rubbish,been a fan off radio 2 27 years not now ,so she doing a good job one thing I fo noticed, radio 2 is not so popular as she thinks

What complete bollocks.

this woman makes me cringe

What a terribly poor interviewer. She lets Thomas get away with not answering any question directly and my guess is Thomas was given the questions in advance so propaganda BBC can look good at the end of it. I doubt anyone preferred Mills to Wright but now sadly they have no choice but to listen to that clown or switch as I have done to Greatest Hits Radio. When will Feedback grow some balls and question properly BBC executives?

BBC radio is finished to me hope this is not what caused Steve Wrights death i hear lived for radio

How about evolving and getting rid of Helen Thomas as she has ruined R2 9:10