Lewis Smith from Spennymoor idolised radio presenters like football stars when he was younger – but never imagined that one day his voice would be one thousands would hear across the airwaves.
The 25-year-old was selected as one of 14 music lovers from across the country to present on the world-renowned station over the festive season, and took on presenting duties for BBC Introducing Rock on December 30 at 1am.
Lewis Smith, 25, from Spennymoor. (Image: LEWIS SMITH)
Following the opportunity, which he has described as “surreal”, Lewis is hoping he can get behind the microphone again in the future for other national stations.
He told The Northern Echo: “I never considered being a radio presenter as a real career opportunity until I began studying media at New College Durham.
“I was about to drop out, but one of my lecturers suggested I try doing radio as one of my projects. It was then that I just fell in love with it.”
This led Lewis to begin volunteering at community station Spark in 2021, based out of the University of Sunderland, where he was soon able to find his niche.
By September 2022, Lewis was presenting his very own show entitled ‘It Was Never a Phase’, focusing on nostalgic emo hits from the 90s to mid 2010s.
But when the opportunity came up to present on Radio 1 late last year, Lewis couldn’t resist having a go and had an agonising wait to find out whether he was successful.
The Aldi worker added: “I have gone for the Christmas presenter opportunities before, but haven’t been successful.
“Then, I got the call and it was so surreal and being down there in the studio where other presenters have sat was a massive pinch me moment.
“I dreamed of that ever since I decided that I wanted to be a radio presenter but never had the mindset that it was something I could make happen.
“It was the most exciting and rewarding experience and hearing myself say ‘it’s Lewis on BBC Radio 1’ has lit a fire in me that I didn’t think could burn any brighter.”
As he looks toward the future, Lewis is hoping his appearance on Radio 1 can act as a springboard for future opportunities and also inspire other aspiring radio presenters from the region.
Lewis added: “I would love it to open doors for me elsewhere, whether that’s Radio 1, 2, Kerrang, Radio X, it’s my goal in life to have a job where I can talk about rock music.
“For anyone else hoping to get into radio, I’d say don’t let being from the North East, or your accent, hold you back from going for it.
“Get in contact with community stations like Spark and get involved, and also, don’t be disheartened by your first ‘no’.
“Keep improving, keep going at it and keep the fire burning inside of you.”