Marian Foster with Steve Weddle
Today [8th April 2020] is Steve Weddle’s funeral and from a distance I mourn the shocking devastating loss of a lifetime friend. In 1976 we were both new researchers, desk to desk in the hairy scary Dobson days of PM@1. All the producers and directors were male and all the researchers except Steve were female – that’s what it was like in those days. Never macho, Steve quickly became one of the girls to the extent that his name was on the office PMT wall-chart.
First and foremost, Steve was fun. He was of course talented and creative, wacky and wonderful and super sociable but he also had great empathy and kindness and was friends with one and all. He gave my daughter her TV break and passed on his Spurs programmes to my grandson.
Recently we had two lovely holidays at the Exotic Marigold Hotel in Menorca. Steve, a great holiday companion, suggested that we should travel as Hinge and Bracket.
Post Beeb we met up every month with our fellow Sagalouts to wine and dine down Memory Lane. In January we celebrated his 70th birthday. In February Steve talked about his latest book, not an autobiography exactly but drawing on his life in television.
That would have been a good read.
Stephanie Silk
I was shocked to read this post about the death of Steve Weddle. I think Steph has captured the personal and professional essence of the man. I worked with Steve between 1986 and 1992 when Pebble Mill (the building) was still buzzing with creativity and Steve was one of its leading lights. Pity the Lockdown has denied him the send off he so richly deserved.
Hello. This morning I was listening to Radio 4 and just before 9.00 Rory Kinnear continued reading from a long list of names that had been submitted by listeners of people they knew who had fallen victim to Covid 19. The name Steve Weddle jumped out from the list. An unusual name and one I have remembered all my life since I knew him, and last saw him when I was nine years old. He was one of two special school pals when I went to Keyse School in Sutton Coldfield. Then my family moved down to Bristol and I don’t think I ever saw him again. Anyway this morning after hearing his name I was drawn to put his name into Google and came across your blog. Mention of his 70th birthday last year tallied with my own age and seeing the old photo of him on the train confirmed that this was my early friend Steve. If I conjure up a mental picture of Steve when I knew him it was a boy with a ready dimpled smile, the same smile I see now in the picture. Although I haven’t seen Steve for more than 60 years it makes me feel sad that I never renewed our friendship even though from time to time I wondered what he’d done with his life. But thank you.
Good to read this tribute to my brother from Steph. I heard about it from my friend Peter Hodges who was a cameraman at Pebble Mill, hence it has taken me so long to access it.
With regard to the announcement about his death from Covid on the Today programme, I don’t know who provided this information. It is not the case. He died from a heart attack.
My husband and I met Steve during a holiday in Menorca 2019. We shared a few drinks with him and with Steph at our hotel opposite the marina. What a lovely man. He signed one of his books for me to take home and we shared one or two emails once back in England. We have planned to go back to Menorca this year and wondered if we may see him again as our hotel has many regulars. Sadly this won’t happen. Steve, may you rest in peace, very good to have met you.
I knew him and Biddy, but lost touch, and have tried tracking both, so saddened to hear of this
Sally Woodroffe (previously Sally James when I knew them)