In person, Bourgeois is only slightly less awkward than he appears online. It’s something he is happy to exploit for laughs, explaining that his childhood hero was Mr Bean. The depot viewed from the westbound North London line platform at Willesden Junction railway station It isn’t clear why he chose the stage name of Francis Bourgeois instead of his actual name of Luke Nicholson. The ‘real’ Francis Bourgeois was a landscape painter and court painter to King George III of the United Kingdom, who lived between 1753 and 1811. On 22 December 2022, Channel 4 released a one-off Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois Christmas special featuring Tom Daley. [70] After the success of the initial five episodes, the network commissioned three more episodes of Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois for production, which will air in 2023. [71] [72] Now retired, I discovered the diesel bashers at heritage railways without realising it's a cult until reading this. They're all younger than me though, but I instinctively knew about the thrash even if I didn't know the name.

Trainspotting With Francis Bourgeois, then, acts as a sly repudiation of this argument. His TikToks are a largely solitary affair, but here we see him interacting at length with people, which allows us to see a more well-rounded version of him. My conclusion, at least based on the first two episodes, is that Bourgeois really is the halting, posh eccentric he claims to be. Either that, or he happens to be a world-class actor who for some reason has chosen to harness his talents for the exclusive purpose of smiling at trains on the internet. Trainspotting isn't cool. In fact, these days even rail enthusiasts will normally shy away from using this term for themselves. Francis isn't having any of this - he is an open and proud trainspotter who encourages all rail fans to nail their colours to the mast. It's more important to be true to your passions than what anybody else thinks according to Francis and I agree strongly with this. On 27 October 2022, Bourgeois' autobiographical novel The Trainspotter's Notebook was published. [45] [62] An audiobook was also recorded, with seven hours of narration provided by Bourgeois. Throughout October and November 2022, Channel 4 released the five-episode digital series Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois, featuring Aisling Bea, Chloe Burrows, Jesse Lingard, Sam Ryder, and AJ Tracey. [63] On 15 November 2022, Spotify unveiled the Discover List 2022, their 2nd annual showcase of 50 influential creators on the platform across five categories; Bourgeois was categorized as one of five leading "icons." [64] [65] On 18 November 2022, Trainline launched a social campaign featuring Bourgeois and Craig David to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of traveling by train. [66] [67] [68] On 24 November 2022, he uploaded the first episode of his co-directed series Scooting & Chatting to his new YouTube channel, the first episode featuring Louis Theroux; in turn, the former was interviewed by Theroux for BBC. [34] [69] Over the summer, Bourgeois spoke at an Advertising Week Europe gathering about creating content that resonates with Gen Z audiences, [50] and he partnered with TikTok for Business to advise users on growing their brands. [51] In May 2022, he appeared at the British Book Awards to present Cressida Cowell with her award. [52] He also shot a series of promotional videos alongside British rapper Aitch for Spotify UK's #SpotifySmallTalks segments. [53] [54] On 8 May 2022, Bourgeois was sponsored by Williams Racing to attend the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, meeting Alex Albon and Lando Norris. [55] [56] [57] On 23 May 2022, Transport for London gave Bourgeois special access to promote London's new Elizabeth line, making him the first passenger to board the railway's Class 345 train. [58] In mid-July 2022, Bourgeois helped to promote British family film The Railway Children Return. [59] [60] On 9 July 2022, he promoted Percy Pig's 30th birthday, and he attended a related festival sponsored by M&S Food on 23 July 2022. In late July 2022, he participated in Ben Ainslie's safety training and operated a catamaran at the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth. [61]Blazeby, Miranda. "Tiktok Trainspotting Sensation Francis Bourgeois Says Racing an F50 Is 'Like a Movie' ". SailGP . Retrieved 31 July 2022.

Houston, Amy (17 January 2022). "TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois stars in The North Face and Gucci ad". The Drum . Retrieved 20 January 2022. We’re sensitive to preconceptions,” he says, alone again. “Whenever I put something out, I’m conscious about how I’m presenting my community – it’s a huge responsibility.” Initially, he worried about hostility from those more protective of their passion. “I used to be in forums and groups online, but a small proportion of people there didn’t like what I was doing. They felt I was taking the piss,” he says, audibly pained, “or taking something that we all often hold quite closely to ourselves into such a public domain.” Thankfully, he says, the vast majority of spotters have been more than supportive. It would probably have to be Pot Lane overbridge, just outside of Frome, it’s where my passion was revived. And my other one would be Willesden Junction, because that’s where it started.Any doubts over Bourgeois’ authenticity are put to bed after a few hours in his company. Soaking up the September sun on a quiet Bedford platform, he’s deep in conversation with fellow assembled enthusiasts. I sit and listen – not the faintest idea what’s happening. High Alphas? Ballasts? HSTS and Loram? Sharing his hobby with so many people has opened up a world of unexpected possibilities. So much so, that he made the tough decision to leave Rolls-Royce. His parents supported his decision, providing he finishes his degree – taking the module he needs to convert his bachelor’s degree to a master’s. If you like this content and want to see more from The Railway Magazine, take a look at our latest offers here. Win a signed copy of The Trainspotter’s Notebook

In defiance of trainspotting’s unglamorous reputation, celebrities from Thierry Henry to Joe Jonas contributed cameos to Bourgeois’s account. In January this year, despite no one quite knowing who he really was or where he had come from, Bourgeois fronted a North Face X Gucci campaign dressed as a train conductor.

3. How tall is Francis Bourgeois?

Goggins, Joe. "Francis Bourgeois rides scooter, performs tailspin on stage with Sam Fender". Rolling Stone.