The Trainspotter's Notebook: The unmissable book from TikTok's trainspotting sensation

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I don’t see myself stopping trainspotting any time soon,” he says. “It will be life-long, and I love making videos about it and making people laugh and feel happy.”

In late November 2021, Bourgeois registered Francis Bourgeois Limited as a private limited company. [30] In January 2022, he signed with the Books division of YMU, an international talent management company, [38] and he became a brand ambassador for GB Railfreight. [39] Shortly after, he shot an ASOS promotional video on a GBRf locomotive. [40] [41]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. Today at Dawlish, though, he is hoping that we’ll see two High Speed Trains (HSTs) cross over. In the hope of achieving this, we’re making our way along the coastal path between the sea and the railway line to scramble to a higher vantage point. Amos, Madeleine (16 August 2022). "This video from TikTok for Business has advice from Francis Bourgeois and Lady Leshur on how to promote music on TikTok and grow your brand". Route Note . Retrieved 16 August 2022. Now that his notoriety has hit critical mass, it’s only right that Francis Bourgeois has his own TV show of sorts. Trainspotting With Francis Bourgeois is a series of shorts for Channel 4 Digital, and sees Bourgeois accompany various celebrities through locomotive-based activities. It’s fun, but suffers from one huge central problem: nothing on the show is quite as interesting as Bourgeois himself.

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. Bourgeois, you see, has been accused of being a fake. His name, for better or worse, isn’t actually Francis Bourgeois. It’s Luke Nicholson, and late last year photos emerged of him looking like a normal boy. He wasn’t dressed like a dandy. He had gel in his hair. In one picture he was topless and flexing his muscles, which by all accounts is a deeply unBourgeois thing to do. And then there were the weirdly angled GoPro shots. Surely no serious trainspotter would do that to themselves. Surely it was a matter of time before Francis Bourgeois would be exposed as an elaborate, train-based Sacha Baron Cohen-style prankster.Klein, Ashleigh (28 November 2021). "Viral TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois' identity revealed". Ginx . Retrieved 20 January 2022. a b Cohen, Jamie (20 January 2022). "Gucci x The North Face and a Trainspotting TikTok Star". Marker by Medium . Retrieved 20 January 2022. Glenday, John. "After Gucci, TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois lands starring role in Paul Smith ad". The Drum . Retrieved 31 March 2022. He can understand very well the general public’s enduring, frustrated love for our overcrowded, late-running railways. Houston, Amy. " 'His passion is infectious': Highsnobiety on Francis Bourgeois's Gucci x North Face ad". The Drum . Retrieved 21 January 2022.

Hill, Jimmy. "Francis Bourgeois Answers Questions No One Wants To Know – Capital". YouTube. Capital FM . Retrieved 22 November 2022. a b Trevaskis, John. "Trainspotter Francis Bourgeois Breaks Down Famous Trains in Film & TV". YouTube. Penguin Books UK . Retrieved 1 December 2022. Browning, Oliver (2 November 2022). "TikTok star Francis Bourgeois attempts to identify a train just by hearing its horn". Independent TV . Retrieved 2 November 2022. Maidment, Adam (17 December 2021). "People 'can't cope' after discovering TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois' real name". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 17 December 2021. Goodkind, Summer (26 November 2021). "Derailed: TikTok train star Francis Bourgeois' real name is… Luke". The Tab . Retrieved 20 January 2022.

Bromley, Joe. "The world's best-dressed men: Street style at Milan's Menswear Fashion Week AW23". Evening Standard . Retrieved 16 January 2022. Goggins, Joe. "Francis Bourgeois rides scooter, performs tailspin on stage with Sam Fender". Rolling Stone. In March 2022, Bourgeois starred in Paul Smith's "What Makes You Happy?" campaign, modelling the PS Paul Smith Happy collection. [87] [88] [89] Henry Vines, the editorial director, said: “It is impossible to watch Francis’ videos without a huge smile on your face, and his book delivers an equal dose of joy and entertainment. It encourages its audience to reconnect with the passions we all held as children, and gives readers a fresh appreciation for Britain’s industrial landscape and the extraordinary world of the railway.” Related stories recommended by this writer: The Trainspotter’s Notebook by Francis Bourgeois is published on 27 October . Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois, produced by Untold Studios, is available on Channel 4’s YouTube Channel