AN ICONIC Carlisle popstar has said a 'massive thankyou' to fans for messages after the release of a critically acclaimed BBC documentary series charting the rise of boybands throughout the 1990s.

Lee Brennan, frontman of global superstars 911, took to Instagram to post a video expressing his gratitude for the reception of Boybands Forever, a three-part series by Louis Theroux.

The films give a fascinating and at time, touching insight into the fame and struggles of the most famous boybands of the 90s.

Formed in 1995, the trio of Lee, Jimmy Constable and Spike Dawbarn quickly shot to fame, notching up ten UK top ten singles and acquiring a huge fanbase in Asia, before splitting in 1999.

In episodes two and three of the hit three-part series, Lee, now a still fresh-faced 51, speaks candidly about how he was plucked from relative obscurity in Carlisle to front the band, whose manager Steve Gilmour was looking for a lead singer.

"I'm just Lee from Carlisle, working behind a reception at a ten-pin-bowling centre", he joked on camera.

Lee Brennan spoke about his beginnings in CarlisleLee Brennan spoke about his beginnings in Carlisle (Image: BBC)

Lee emotionally recounted his childhood battles with cancer and how he overcame the disease twice to become one of the world’s biggest popstars at the time.

He posted on Threads: "This is such an important and revealing documentary about what it was like being in a boyband back in the day."

Alongside Lee and 911, the series features stars from Take That, East 17, Five, Damage, Blue, and Westlife.

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911 reformed in 2012 as part of ITV2’s The Big Reunion, and have since gone on to tour arenas and release new music, even returning to Asia to perform sell-out concerts in Malaysia, the latest of which were in October this year.

This Christmas season, though, 911 will play two gigs in Cumbria, firstly headlining the Workington Christmas Festival and Light Switch On at 4.30pm on Saturday, November 30.

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Lee and the 'boys' will then be performing at Carlisle’s Box Arena with Boyzlife, formed of fellow 90s legends Bryan McFadden and Keith Duffy, formerly of Westlife and Boyzone respectively on Friday, December 30, for the Boybands Forever Christmas Party Night.

For more details and to buy tickets, follow the link on Lee's Instagram page, @mrleebrennan.