How passion for music led Darren Lethem into a career in broadcasting
CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL: Darren Lethem presenting the Active School Awards
Chewing the Fat, out to lunch with Phil Ascough
This week’s guest: Darren Lethem
Venue: Solos Music Café
Lunching with Lethem. Multi-talented Darren. It would seem he’s overseen almost as many festive lights switch-ons as the National Grid. Helped more people Step into Christmas than Elton John, but then he is a Boxing Day baby.
Darren is passionate about sprinkling the glitter and making sure people leave his broadcasts and events with smiles on their faces. He’s perfected and polished the job spec of taking a thorough approach and maintaining the reputation as a cheery chappie who can be relied upon to deliver family-friendly fun.
So Darren, how did you start your career in entertainment. Santa? A shepherd, maybe? Even a wise man?
“I think it was the school nativity when I was about eight. I was King Herod.”
If I could spell a version of those “wrong answer” klaxons that you hear on radio quiz shows you’d be reading it now.
Darren’s upbringing didn’t provide a natural route to the world of showbiz. An old Etonian – in the sense that he’s from Eton Street, Hessle Road – Darren’s nativity role was at West Dock Primary School. Dad Tony was a fish-filleter. Mum Kath was a park ranger, and Darren remembers her working at Bude Road playing fields after they moved to Bransholme.
He loved school and he has fond memories of his best subjects at Bransholme High.
English: “I was a good talker.”
Maths: “I was very good at maths and I put that down to being good at darts. I had a darts board in my bedroom.”
Geography: “Different countries always interested me.”
And, importantly but not significantly enough for the careers teacher, music: “I have always loved music and I used to run home from school to listen to the Top 40 on a Tuesday lunchtime.
“I knew then I wanted to be on the radio. The careers officer asked me what I wanted to do and I said work in radio but they said that wasn’t going to happen. I never got the encouragement I was looking for.”
Darren went into the travel sector, working full-time at Thomas Cook in Paragon Street and then in Beverley, but even then broadcasting was in the background.
“I joined hospital radio when I was 16,” he recalled.
“It used to be in the Red Cross building on Beverley Road and then it moved to Kingston General Hospital. In 1996 one of my mates sent a tape to Viking Radio and they took him on so I sent one in February 1997 when they were launching Magic 1161, now Greatest Hits Radio.”
After starting out with weekend shows, Darren was soon on the air seven nights a week – five of them after finishing a full day in the travel business which opened the door for trips to the former the USSR, China, Hong Kong, South Africa.
ENTERTAINMENT GREATS: Darren with Cannon and Ball
We chat about transferrable skills but Darren admits: “I never fancied repping though because I could see they never switched off.”
He still has his own radio slot, recording a show for This is the Coast at his home every morning ready for broadcast to audiences across Whitby, Filey, Scarborough and Bridlington from 6pm until 10pm.
“The music tends to be 80s, 90s and 00s with a few current pieces,” he said.
“I also do the 3-2-1 quiz – three clues to one song. I enjoy it. They launched in 2020 and I joined during Covid. It started as weekend cover. The station is going from strength to strength.”
Darren spent about 20 years behind microphones at Magic, Viking and KCFM, reaching new audiences as he worked around the clock and building networks which brought invitations to take his talents outside the confines of the studio.
“Working on breakfast you were in demand for a lot of gigs,” he said.
“Christmas lights switch-ons with big crowds, and we also had the Magic Listeners Club nights on a Tuesday. We used to meet at the Minerva and other pubs around the region. They would provide free food, we did a big quiz and raffle and it didn’t cost the listeners a penny. They had a great night and we used to do four or five a year.”
Darren recalls his first gig being a hospital fun day in 1997: “I just had to tell people what was happening and keep them informed.”
24-HOUR PARTY PEOPLE: Darren with Shaun Ryder
This year his lights bookings have included Hull, Elloughton and Hedon. Before that there was bonfire night at Brantingham Park, and in between there have been corporate and charity events which get bigger every year.
As I reported on the HEY Smile Foundation Time2Volunteer Awards in October I couldn’t have been more impressed by Darren’s class and composure in making sure the recipients were the stars of the show for their stories of personal heartache and endeavour.
I had to ask if it ever becomes a bit too much, and Darren revealed: “Sometimes you get emotional. One of the winners of the Smile awards in 2023 was a breast cancer charity and that got to me because my mum died of that in 2004. I had to take a deep breath and a drink of water.”
Less than a fortnight after the Time2Volunteer Awards Darren was back at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel to help the Sailors’ Children’s Society’s raise a record-breaking total of more than £100,000 from its annual sportsman’s lunch.
During the summer there was the Hull City player of the year awards night. More recently Darren has officiated at Hull City Council’s apprenticeship awards. The diary for 2025 is filling up already with big occasions including the HullBID Awards.
The Interkulture festival which brought choirs from around the world to Hull in 2023 will return in May, and August sees one of Darren’s favourites, Tribfest at Sledmere.
Which brings us back to our shared passion for music in the entirely appropriate setting of Solos Music Café. It’s in that parade which sits across the road from the Hop Pole pub and where over the years shops have moved out and food businesses have created possibly the best dining destination in the region.
That’s Amore was a big hit when we took the business supper club there a few years ago, and it’s neighbour Saffron is highly rated on the curry circuit, as is the more recent arrival Pop’Dom. Nu Bar has always had a decent food offer and all the venues are waiting to see what comes from a new cocktail bar and restaurant which is taking shape now.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: Darren at the Hull City Player of the Year awards
But Solos is different. Fran, who was in hospitality for more than 20 years before this project, looks after the food. Frank brought expertise from working fire and rescue for more than 30 years and in music for a lifetime. He ran weekly events at the Blue Bell in Cottingham and also presented a stage for ten years at the Springboard festival.
Solos has regular gigs and great food and was so busy on a Tuesday lunchtime that I’d advise anybody to book ahead. Best place to find out more is on Facebook. Recommendations? I had the homemade fish cakes followed by one of Fran’s special mince pies with mascarpone. All very good indeed but I was casting envious glances at Darren’s Thai green curry packed with chicken, and then his apple crumble with custard, custard and more custard. With two coffees and two soft drinks it all came in nicely under £30.
As we chatted about bands and records I was reminded that the Hop Pole was probably the first pub I visited in the Hull area, accompanying bands from Doncaster for all-night recording sessions at Fairview studio in the very late 1970s. After I moved to Hull in 1980 I found that Hull bands did the same, and break time brought the opportunity for a pint in the Hop Pole. It’s a fascinating story of small deals with big labels, but it’s one for another day.
While I was starting out writing about bands Darren, who is about ten years younger, was building the collection of records and CDs that would shape his career
“The first band I got into was The Police,” he recalled.
“Then there was U2, Simple Minds and the Housemartins. My favourite at the moment is Talking Heads – I don’t think I appreciated how good they were in the 80s. REM is another one but when they came to Hull I couldn’t go.
“I was working at Hull arena in 2004 when Oasis played. We went backstage to present the afternoon show and I took a wander into the auditorium with the presenter, Sam Haywood. There were only about eight people there and we saw Noel Gallagher walk onto the stage with his guitar and sing Don’t Look Back in Anger for a soundcheck. I was at their last gig at Bridlington Spa, but I couldn’t get any tickets for next year.”
Darren has another list of general entertainers who have impressed him with their professional encounters.
STARRY NIGHT: Darren, right, with Hull KR star Mikey Lewis switching on Hull’s Christmas lights this year
Tim Brooke-Taylor: “He wouldn’t be the first name to come to mind for many people but he was one of the best I interviewed. He was so nice.”
Jimmy Tarbuck: “I interviewed him twice. It was clear he knew the area, and he was so nice, funny and witty.”
Ken Dodd: “He was just amazing. We talked about his visits to visits to Bridlington and Withernsea, and he was asking if certain local landmarks were still there.”
There’s a soft spot for Cannon and Ball: “They were great. I’d gone to Blackpool to watch the World Matchplay darts and they were in the doorway of the theatre. I knew they were doing the panto in Hull that year so I went to shake their hands and ask them about doing an interview.
“That was July and they came to Hull in November. Bobby spotted me as they were saying their hellos and he shouted ‘Have you sobered up yet, mate?’”
As for worst experiences, that comes down purely to taste in music.
“I can’t bear Phil Collins,” Darren confessed.
“One day on Magic 1161 I played one of his songs and I said sarcastically ‘There’s a bloke who has never made a bad record.’ I got hauled over the coals!”
But he admits that his on-air success probably came against all odds: “When I was just doing hospital radio I probably gave up thinking that I would ever work in radio. I thought it was never going to happen.”