AS a teenager, I was an avid Radio 1 listener. It wasn’t very cool back then, presented pretty much entirely by men in slacks and sweaters, but there was one DJ who made laugh.

Steve Wright and his zany characters, not least Mr Angry from Purley and Damian the Social Worker, got me through my exam revision. It was a funny show, I have fond memories of chuckling at it in my bedroom. I’ve listened to the radio ever since.

Yesterday we learned that the veteran broadcaster, one of the most familiar voices on the UK airwaves, has died suddenly, aged 69.

He hosted shows on BBC Radio 1 and 2 for more than four decades, with millions of listeners.

I didn’t care much for his soppy Sunday Love Songs show, but I liked hearing his voice on the radio. As Head of Radio 2 Helen Thomas said, Steve Wright “understood the connection and companionship that radio engenders better than anyone”.