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Magic 1161 DJ and long time Rovers supporter Darren Lethem
In the latest of a series of interviews with people around Craven Park, I caught up with fans forum member Darren Lethem
Hi Darren and thanks for agreeing to take part in this interview. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi, no problem. I am a radio presenter in Hull and have done this now since 1997. Before that I was a travel agent. Virtually all of my life has been in Hull, except a 3 month sting in Pontefract, where I managed to replace the smell of cocoa and fish in my nostrils with licquorice. Believe it or not I was actually born on Hessle Road and have lived virtually all my life ( including now ) in the west of the city. I am the only non black and white supporter in the family, also have the highest IQ and am far and away the most intelligent......obviously. Ahem.
Ah, so you’re a west Hull boy who’s seen the light, what made you start watching Rovers? What affect did it have on the rest of your family?
Well the first rugby game I went to see was actually at the old Boulevard, it was Hull V St Helens, and I was bored rigid. It took a year or two before I started to appreciate the game. A schoolfriend of mine ( Mike Hewitt ) asked me what I was doing one Sunday. I said nothing so he suggested going with him to the old Craven Park. This was in 1979 and the Robins were at home to Hunslet. I went, we won and I was hooked. I barely missed a game that season. My dad thought it was just a passing fad and he still carried on going to Boulevard. As you can imagine during the early and mid 80’s we got some great games to support as rival fans.
You’re an established local DJ with a successful radio show, is that what you’ve always wanted to do?
Well at school I always wanted to get into radio but not necessarily as a presenter, I was more interested in producing shows. I was often told by the careers adviser that it was a silly idea and thousands wanted to do it but very few achieved it. That sort of spurred me on more and in 1984 I joined Kingstown Hospital Radio and started working on it from there. When I did start at Magic 1161 and Viking FM it was as a presenter, but then I went on to produce JK and Joel @ Breakfast, Hirsty’s Morning Glory and Foxy and Tom. Now I am back doing what people tell me I do best…spouting s…er rubbish.
We saw you and Neil Rudd on Eggheads recently, do you have a desire to get into television?
Not especially but I do like appearing on as many daytime tv shows as I can. It all started when my old mate Joel rang me as Granada were desperate for contestants for a new game show called The Biggest Game In Town, I went on and won. I was hooked so tried out and appeared on a few more. The Eggheads thing was a good laugh and we were very proud of our achievements. Ok, we didn’t win anything but we gave them a game.
How does a typical Rovers matchday go for you? Are you an EastStander?
Well I am on air on a Sunday morning between 6 and 10 so usually I go home for a strong coffee and a nice late breakfast/early lunch. Depending who I am going with can alter the time of arrival and the place I sit/stand. If I am going with my mate Nick Palmer from Kingstown Radio then I tend to sit in the press seats at the top of the stand and listen to Gwilym telling the world where everybody is going wrong. If I am with mates I will be in the East stand. I was there for the Warrington game and that has to be one of the best atmosphere’s I have ever encountered for any sporting event. Fantastic day.
How does this team compare to past Rovers teams do you think?
Hard to say as they are in a division lower. The team I grew up watching was the Rovers hey day of the early 80’s. Trophies were expected rather than wished for. Having said that we are certainly heading back in the right direction. This is the strongest Rovers team and set up for years and the pride is certainly back there now. Confidence is sky high and the team has a strong belief that they can win things and certainly not be disgraced in the Super League.
Who would you name as the most influential players over the years at Rovers?
One of my all time favourite players was David Hall. I used to think he was (well outside of Hull anyway ) vastly under rated and I cannot understand why he didn’t get more international recognition. Obviously you have to mention Roger and the impact he had on the club both on and off the field. Gavin Miller was a huge player who, if anything, we relied on heavily. Wembley 1986 springs readily to mind. Moving forward you have to look at Stanley Gene who we used to call Man of the Match, because he seemed to collect the prize every week. In the current crop, obviously James Webster springs to mind, but I am also a huge fan of Ben Fisher, his distribution and workload is terrific.
With this incredibly successful season, we’re as close to Super League as we’ve ever been – what do you think has been the reason for this season’s success?
Justin Morgan. He has never made a secret of the fact that he wants to coach a Super League side and I think he has driven that belief into the players. Let’s be honest, who at the start of the season expected us to be in the position we are in? Sure, top 3 was a strong probability, top 2 a good possibility but to win the minor premiership with games in hand is fantastic.
On a more personal front, what do you do when you’re not on the radio or watching Rovers?
Well I do admit to also making regular jaunts to the KC, but not for the rugby, to watch City. I love travel too, it was always my big passion and I like to visit as many different cities or countries as possible. Plus you can’t beat a couple of hours listening to a few CDs. U2, REM, Beautiful South and any 80’s compilation before you ask.
How would you fancy Neil’s job as on-field announcer at Rovers? (not that we want rid of him!!)
Neil does a great job and if you cut him in half you will see he is red and white through and through. You don’t really appreciate how good he is until you see other club’s on field announcer’s and how they just do it for themselves and not the club. That said I would love to have a go, so next time you fancy a day off Ruddy.
And finally, if all our dreams come true and we win the Grand Final, how will you be celebrating?
Traveling back from Warrington on the Sunday night, wish I could stay over but I’m at work on the Monday. Maybe a few cans or pints when back in Hull though….but I may be tempted to shave all my hair off and paint my head red….oh, hang on, somebody has beaten me to it.
Once again Darren, thanks for doing this interview and keep bigging up the red and whites on the radio!!
Darren can be heard on Magic 1161 each Saturday and Sunday morning between 6am and 10am.
