In the rail enthusiast community, there have been some negative reactions to Francis, with some feeling he is making a mockery of rail enthusiasts and isn't a true rail-fan himself.

I’m not sure where Francis the character ends and Francis the person begins, but it doesn’t really matter. He has collaborated with public figures including Thierry Henry, Joe Jonas, Rosalia and Sam Fender, and brands such as Gucci and Spotify. Bourgeois is often characterised as recording himself through the fisheye lens of a GoPro mounted in front of his face [8] [9] [10] or by juxtaposing trainspotting with contemporary fashion. TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois responds to accusations that he's 'fake' – and people are emotional".He claims that certain aspects of his videos are staged, including a video of him falling out of his chair, explaining "I love absurdist humour, so I try to intertwine it. Bourgeois credits his Year 11 teacher for discouraging him from acting mischievously, and as a result, he began to excel in algebra and A-Level physics, which would set him on a path to pursue mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham. However, when you go round and see people are happy to watch someone be enthusiastic about trains, its some good soft power for the hobby as it will encourage people to look at them through a different eye and potentially join the hobby .

He also said that the "Bourgeois" name, which I'd assumed to be a rather odd social class reference, actually came from his having at the time visited an exhibition of sculptures by Louise Bourgeois. I then got 'it' and understood Francis simply loved trains and allowed the viewers into his passion on his terms. It rattles along amiably with a beatnik rhythm, full of locomotive trivia and lots of thrashing and screaming onomatopoeia. Bourgeois' initial TikTok posts consisted of fake "interviews" and comedic doctored videos of himself conversing with celebrities over Instagram Live, including British rapper Swarmz, drill artist Digga D, and alt-pop artist Billie Eilish, as well as Kylie Jenner, [32] which garnered him an early following.It happens in the end, but only after something much more momentous than you would expect from an 11-minute YouTube video. It felt amazing to be able to share my passion with my friends for my birthday, which was on the 9th July" – via Instagram. When he entered secondary school at the age of 15, he suppressed his interest in trains as a means to fit in better and sold his railway sets.

The book has been described as “funny and heart-warming, meditative and reflective, and always joyous”. Having read the book, however, I have no doubt whatsoever that Francis is 100% genuine in his love for railways. A signature component of Bourgeois' content is his incorporation of the GoPro fisheye lens, which distorts his face. 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.

I look down and pull up my sleeve: I've got goosebumps, making all the hairs on my arm stand on end. I've been on several charters that he was on (including the one he devotes a chapter to in his book) and he does seem to have some sort of cult following amongst youngsters (and they are without exception all late teens, early 20s). View image in fullscreen Two sweet, awkward men making small talk … Jesse Lingard goes trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois. 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. The train enthusiast will have his very first book ‘The Trainspotter’s Notebook’ published in October 2022.