Steve Roberts

BBC Radio Merseyside announced on the evening of Friday 23 October 2026 that Roberts had died at the age of 75. The exact date and place of his death and the cause have not been made public. He had disclosed in 2026 that he was being treated on a clinical trial for a rare cancer diagnosed in early 2025, but no report has linked that illness to his death.

The station's statement read: "For over 30 years, Steve covered many sports, including rugby league, and presented the legendary Try Time programme alongside Ray French and Allan Rooney. Not only was he a brilliant broadcaster and a consummate pro, he was a great friend to many." Widnes Vikings, Rob Palmer, John Duggan and many former colleagues and listeners paid tribute. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Steve Roberts was born in Widnes, then in Lancashire and now part of the borough of Halton, in 1950 or 1951 (his exact date of birth has not been published). Widnes Vikings described him as Widnes born and a lifelong supporter of the club, and Roberts himself said in 2022 that he had lived in the town all his life.

In his own telling, his working life began far from a studio. In The Happy Copycat Podcast he explained that for the first 25 years of his working life he had just one job, as a carpenter, and that he really disliked it for most of that time. Over the next five years he had four jobs, moving from carpentry into pub management and then into sales, with each move making him happier. He credited the people he met along the way, and his habit of watching and copying what he admired in them, with making those changes possible.

Details of Roberts's schooling have not been made public. In later life he trained as a certified neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner and worked as a qualified change coach and life coach, offering mentoring and coaching sessions to individuals and groups through his Happy Copycat website.

Roberts's professional profile dates his freelance sports broadcasting for BBC Radio Merseyside to May 1988, and he recalled doing his first commentary on Widnes matchday videos in 1989. Rob Palmer, later of Sky Sports, said Roberts first came on board when BBC Radio Merseyside built a rugby league broadcast team alongside Ray French, Gerry Burrows and Allan Rooney.

Over more than 30 years at the station he covered many sports, with rugby league at the centre. He presented Try Time alongside Ray French and Allan Rooney, and hosted The Rugby League Club and Total Sport Merseyside. In November 2020 Widnes Vikings chief executive Phil Finney appeared live on Try Time with Roberts. In 2021 he used Try Time to support the BBC's Kit Out The Nation campaign, with Widnes RUFC acting as a collection point for donated sports kit.

Commentary listings record him presenting BBC Radio Merseyside Super League coverage until at least February 2024 (St Helens v London Broncos), working with commentators including Phil Kinsella, John Lawless, Ian Chisnall, Allan Rooney and James Gordon. Irish broadcaster John Duggan remembered him as the Liverpool voice on Today FM's Premier League Live for years.

Alongside broadcasting, Roberts held management roles including media manager at Knowsley Council and a post with the YMCA.

On 16 July 2022 Widnes Vikings announced that Roberts would join the club from BBC Radio Merseyside on 1 August 2022 as general manager. "Living in the town all my life, leaves me in no doubt about the passion and effort so many people are always willing to contribute to its success," he said. Chief executive Phil Finney called him "a talented, dedicated and honest man, who cares about his club and his community."

In 2023 he moved within the club's structure to become editor of Widnes TV, leading the club's video channel project, which he said continued his long effort to promote the club's profile. Among those interviews was a 2023 conversation with former Widnes forward Emosi Koloto.

In 2024 Roberts produced The Happy Copycat Podcast, seven short episodes titled Time for Change, Rapport, Fighting Your Fears, Legacy, Principles for Change, Inspiration and Not Young Enough to Know Everything. The series drew on his own journey from carpentry to broadcasting and offered simple principles for people who felt stuck in their working lives.

From March 2024 he also worked as a community engagement co-ordinator with the Transform Lives Company in Halton, organising work drop in sessions in Widnes and Runcorn.

Roberts lived in Widnes throughout his life. His social media biography described him as "Granddad to Harry, Georgia, Jack, Holly, Sam." Further details of his family have not been widely published; one former colleague's tribute sent condolences to "June and his family."

In early 2025, the same week he retired at 74, he was diagnosed with a rare cancer that affects around 600 people in the UK each year and has no cure. In March 2026 he wrote that he was on a clinical trial aimed at producing a sustained remission.

Roberts's outlook centred on change and kindness. The Happy Copycat name came from his belief that the best way to grow was to watch, listen to and observe people you admire and copy what works in your own way. His podcast episodes on rapport, fighting fears, legacy and inspiration set out that approach for listeners wanting to change their working lives.

Roberts's first and only novel, Not Young Enough to Know Everything, was published on 6 June 2026 by Steve Roberts Publishing (paperback, 114 pages, ISBN 9781036993375). Its title is drawn from an Oscar Wilde quote. RadioToday reported the book's release in July 2026.

His broadcast work also survives in online video, including Widnes TV interviews and clips of Try Time segments.

For listeners in Widnes, St Helens, Warrington and across Merseyside, Roberts was part of the soundtrack of rugby league for more than 30 years. Tom Clarke said he "would have done anything for Widnes, and did."

Former BBC colleagues including Rob Palmer, Jade Burns and Merryn Robin paid tribute, Palmer saying he filled the airwaves with his enthusiasm.

No formal broadcasting awards for Roberts have been documented in published sources. His recognition came instead from the station, club and colleagues he served: BBC Radio Merseyside described him as "a brilliant broadcaster and a consummate pro," and Widnes Vikings said everyone at the club was saddened by his passing.