July 4, 2023 • 43 mins
Trainspotting TikTok sensation, Francis Bourgeois, takes us to his university town of Nottingham, the place he first felt he could truly express his passion for trains. He talks about his incredible rise to fame, his love of electronic music and how trampolining with his brother inspired that famous camera angle.
Francis was ecstatic when we matched him with an Alpina B4 for a trip that included trainspotting at Ilkeston station, visiting his former university house in Beeston and stopping at the walkway where he was first spotted by a fan. Was it you who spotted Francis? He would love to hear from you and see the photo you took! Get in touch via the Auto Trader social channels.
You can also see exclusive video footage of the drive on Auto Trader’s social channels, and see the Alpina for yourself.
To find your perfect match, go to www.autotrader.co.uk
Show on the Road is a Fresh Air Production for Auto Trader.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Francis Bourgeois (00:00):
People have said to me now, because of your videos,
people actually who once bullied me are now saying that
my passion is cool, and that's really powerful for me.
Electronic music gets me going the same way that a train
does. It doesn't feel like fame really, it feels like
a bit of a glitch in the Matrix.
Alex Legouix (00:21):
This is Show On The Road, brought to you by
Autotrader. We are driving famous faces on a personalized road
trip, visiting the places that help shape them and hearing
how the locations turn them into who they are today.
We've matched each celebrity with a car chosen specifically for
them. So, join me, Alex Legouix, as we get this
(00:42):
show on the road. Today's journey takes me through Nottingham,
which was the university town of TikTok sensation, Francis Bourgeois.
In 2021, Francis took social media by storm with his
very charming and carefree trainspotting videos. But today we are
swapping a few hundred wheels for just four. We're in
(01:05):
the BMW Alpina B4, which is a very distinctive looking
car that oozes luxury. It does nought to 62 in 3.
7 seconds, so it's a pretty cool match for Francis, and
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what he thinks about
it. Okay, so, I am driving around to see Francis,
(01:30):
and he's actually got his back to us because being
such a passionate car guru as well as trainspotter, he
wants to work out what car it is just from
the engine. So, that's quite a nice test, let's see if
he can do it.
Francis Bourgeois (01:47):
I think I know. I think I know. Is it M4?
Alex Legouix (02:00):
Oh, very close.
Francis Bourgeois (02:01):
M3?
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Very close.
Francis Bourgeois (02:02):
Is it an Alpina?
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Yes.
Francis Bourgeois (02:02):
Woo. It's an Alpina.
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Which Alpina?
Francis Bourgeois (02:02):
Is it an Alpina B4?
Alex Legouix (02:03):
Yes. He's only gone and done it.
Francis Bourgeois (02:15):
This is wicked.
Alex Legouix (02:19):
So was it a good match?
Francis Bourgeois (02:20):
Fantastic match.
Alex Legouix (02:21):
Good.
Francis Bourgeois (02:22):
I'm a big Alpina fan.
Alex Legouix (02:22):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (02:22):
But yeah, for lots of people who know my stuff,
they know that I like the sounds of trains and the sounds of
the railway. In a similar way, I love the sounds
of cars, and it taps into the same sort of
joy that I get with the railway, to be honest.
Alex Legouix (02:41):
Amazing.
Francis Bourgeois (02:42):
I'm just going to set my seats, if that's all right?
Alex Legouix (02:44):
Make yourself comfortable, sir. All right.
Francis Bourgeois (02:47):
It's very comfy.
Alex Legouix (02:48):
Let the games begin. We are on our way to where?
Francis Bourgeois (02:51):
Ilkeston Station.
Alex Legouix (02:53):
Right. Why are we going there?
Francis Bourgeois (02:54):
The area of Ilkeston was an area, when I was
at uni and Nottingham, I frequented a lot because there's a lot of
railway activity and it's near the site of the old
Stanton Iron Works. But I used to visit with my
friend because it had had an interesting rail link, and
I've checked the schedule for the railway and I've seen
(03:18):
that there's a... Oh, that sounds brilliant, doesn't it?
Alex Legouix (03:22):
When did this passion start?
Francis Bourgeois (03:25):
I was really young, to be honest. I was absorbing
my environment and knew in myself that what I loved
was trains, just from the moment my memories were forming.
Alex Legouix (03:39):
What was Little Francis like?
Francis Bourgeois (03:41):
Bubbly, running around, doing normal toddler stuff, but also wanting
to look at trains and wanting to buy Hot Wheels
cars, wanting to look at exhaust pipes, wanting to, when I
was tall enough, look over the door into the window
to look at the speedometer and see how fast the
(04:03):
car could go.
Alex Legouix (04:04):
I imagine though that not all your friends were quite
on the same wavelength.
Francis Bourgeois (04:09):
No, not really.
Alex Legouix (04:11):
How was that?
Francis Bourgeois (04:12):
Okay, to be honest. When I was young young, I
was just happy being in my own world with my
trains and my cars, and my essentially early days engineering interest.
When I came through to secondary school and stuff, that's
when I didn't really feel like I had a place
(04:35):
to express my passion, especially for the railway in my
friendship groups and in school in general. That happily changed
going to uni because I was studying engineering and there
were people liked trains. I was like, wow. I met a friend called Luke,
we went to places like Stanton Iron Works, Ilkeston, Bennerley viaduct ,
(05:01):
where we're going now, Toton, Attenborough Nature Reserve. And we'd
be talking about trains in lectures, and we'd say, " Oh, should we
go to Toton Yard?" "Oh yeah..." Start talking about the DB Class
60s that are all lined up. And then one lecture,
someone that's sitting in front of us turned around and said, "
Do you like trains?" We were like, " Yeah." He's like, " Oh sweet. I
(05:23):
heard you talking about Toton. Yeah, it's pretty insane what
they got going on in Toton." And there you go, just
found another train nut.
Alex Legouix (05:32):
That's really nice.
Francis Bourgeois (05:32):
That was lovely. I think we're going to be seeing a
very rare Class 50, that should be coming through.
Alex Legouix (05:45):
So, what's going on for you right now, as we
come close to seeing-
Francis Bourgeois (05:51):
The 0050.
Alex Legouix (05:51):
50 0050. Okay, so that is the name of the train.
Francis Bourgeois (05:55):
It does actually have a name, I think it's called Furious.
Alex Legouix (05:59):
Oh, okay.
Francis Bourgeois (06:00):
Which is a bloody brilliant name for it, because it sounds furious when it
goes by.
Alex Legouix (06:03):
What does it sound like? Can you do the noise
for me?
Francis Bourgeois (06:05):
So it has more of a... Instead of a... It's
more of a... It has more of an odd firing order. So
yeah, this is passenger pickup and drop off point, could
be a good place to plunk this Alpina.
Alex Legouix (06:24):
Yeah. Okay. Pop in here then. What other bits of lingo do I need to know?
Francis Bourgeois (06:30):
Thrash.
Alex Legouix (06:31):
Thrash.
Francis Bourgeois (06:33):
When the diesel engine's giving it the full beans, and the
driver's just gone like that with the accelerator, the handle
being pulled all the way to full power, the engine
will basically fire into life, and then when you hear
it go by and it's going... That's thrash.
Alex Legouix (06:50):
What shall I say? Is there something specific that we
need to say when it comes past?
Francis Bourgeois (06:55):
If something is overwhelmingly brilliant, then I usually shout hell fire.
Alex Legouix (06:59):
Hell fire.
Francis Bourgeois (07:01):
But it has to be said with a huge amount
of conviction.
Alex Legouix (07:03):
Okay.
Francis Bourgeois (07:04):
So, hell fire.
Alex Legouix (07:06):
Okay, I can do this.
Francis Bourgeois (07:07):
If it's coasting, so if it's not thrashing, I won't
say hell fire. Even if it is thrashing, I might
not say it because I only say it when it's
really required. So currently it's at Beeston South Junction, which
is where I used to live when I was in Nottingham.
Alex Legouix (07:32):
Where do we need to stand then for funzies?
Francis Bourgeois (07:34):
So, I'd suggest we go a bit further down, because-
Alex Legouix (07:38):
I was going to say, when are you going to put your head cam on?
Francis Bourgeois (07:43):
This is when I get a bit nervous.
Alex Legouix (07:44):
Yeah, yeah, I can see that.
Francis Bourgeois (07:44):
Okay. Yeah, it's the 50.
Alex Legouix (07:49):
Can you see it?
Francis Bourgeois (07:49):
Yeah, be careful-
Alex Legouix (07:49):
Yes.
Francis Bourgeois (07:49):
...move behind the yellow line. It is the 50 luckily, and
you should start to hear it soon. Go on, please thrash.
Alex Legouix (07:55):
It's quite fast.
Francis Bourgeois (07:56):
Yeah. Yeah, I think it's on. Thank you.
Alex Legouix (08:03):
Hell fire.
Francis Bourgeois (08:05):
That wasn't quite hell fire.
Alex Legouix (08:07):
Wasn't quite hell fire. Oh, okay.
Francis Bourgeois (08:07):
See?
Alex Legouix (08:07):
Oh, it smells good.
Francis Bourgeois (08:11):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (08:11):
I've broken my trainspotting virginity.
Francis Bourgeois (08:13):
Yeah, you have. It was a real demonstration I think, of what it's
like to be a railway enthusiasts, in terms of the feelings.
Alex Legouix (08:29):
Yes. Your foray into the crazy world of social media
can't have been... Well, it must have been quite a
dynamic change.
Francis Bourgeois (08:38):
Yeah, I pretty much didn't have a clue what was
going on. I was just creating... I wanted this creative
outlet and made that for myself, and just continue focusing
on my degree whilst going out, seeing trains, and then
(08:58):
just happily editing it together and showing people. And it
was a real snowball effect, and there were points where my
learned school inhibitions, when it came to my passion, almost wanted
to kick back in again. You're showing 20, 000 people that
(09:23):
you like trains, are you sure? But I think after
seeing that... Oh my word.
Alex Legouix (09:31):
So, currently, we've slowed right down to a stop because there is
a mobility scooter, well, being driven, obviously.
Francis Bourgeois (09:43):
On the road.
Alex Legouix (09:43):
On the road, with enormous lorry behind it, and a trail of
traffic. So you just said there about, that realization that there
were 20,000 people that had looked at your video. I
guess there was a turning point then when you realized
that it was not just a bedroom video fun situation
(10:06):
for you and your mates... Or it was your brother,
wasn't it?
Francis Bourgeois (10:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Alex Legouix (10:09):
Initially, that was involved?
Francis Bourgeois (10:11):
Well, it remained that way up until about 250,000 followers
because it didn't feel real, it was like I was playing a game and I was randomly accumulating all
of these followers.
Alex Legouix (10:25):
Right. Hang on, take me back. It started off as you and
your brother, what sparked the idea of picking up a
camera and doing it that way?
Francis Bourgeois (10:33):
So, essentially, it was locked down, I was with my
brother... Well, I got a camcorder when I was younger and
we made videos and this kind of creative relationship has
always existed. I've always played with Ben, and always created
with Ben, so when it came to lockdown, we were together
again and we basically had time on our hands and
(10:56):
a freaky new kind of environment where nothing was going
on, but a whole load was going on around the world, and
everyone had to adapt to change. And fortunately, we were
in a place in the countryside where, when we had
our one- hour walk, I could go to the railway
bridge and wave at the freight trains. It became a
(11:18):
ritual. And I had this Instagram account called Screaming Valenta,
which is named after my favorite railway orientated engine. And
I was doing an update each day and I was
doing a tally of passenger train drivers versus freight train
drivers, which are most likely to give a tone. And I loved it, and I realized I was
(11:42):
truly reconnecting with my passion for the railway that had
laid dormant.
Alex Legouix (11:48):
And laid dormant because you felt like you had to
hide it?
Francis Bourgeois (11:52):
Yeah, during school, certainly. But when it came to university,
I had that year and a half when it was
a proper transitory period, where I went from keeping things
in to really letting them out. So that-
Alex Legouix (12:05):
How did it manifest when you were at school, keeping
it in? Because that's quite a difficult thing to contain.
Francis Bourgeois (12:10):
Well, essentially, I didn't talk to people about trains and
I just conformed to how people were in school in
general. And I think that's the case for so many
people that go to school, everywhere, it's just a form
of social survival. But after school, I used to love
going on my iPad and just watching car videos, train videos,
(12:35):
and that would come-
Alex Legouix (12:35):
And it's sad. It's sad to hear.
Francis Bourgeois (12:38):
Yeah, but at the time it felt like it was
the right progression into teenagehood and leaving behind what I
perceived at the time to be my childhood hobby. And
I had this vast model railway that ended up being
put on eBay. I didn't really make it public that
(12:59):
I was a railway enthusiast, however, cars are more universally appreciated.
Alex Legouix (13:11):
So, one thing we haven't spoken about at all is
your headset. Where did this idea come about?
Francis Bourgeois (13:19):
Well, I wanted to firstly show people how the railway
makes me feel. And I just thought, well, I can just do a
selfie and show people the train going by. And I didn't feel
like I was in the moment when I was doing
it. So I thought back to when I was younger
and I was experimenting with my GoPro and stuff, I filmed
(13:40):
my face whilst on the trampoline, having a helmet camera
flipped around. And then when I was thinking about solutions
to filming my face whilst being in the moment, I remembered this
GoPro angle and then I experimented and the rest is
history, really.
Alex Legouix (13:59):
I can't help but notice when you are talking, you have
the world's largest smile-
Francis Bourgeois (14:04):
thank you.
Alex Legouix (14:04):
... but also I can really see your genuine passion.
I am sure you are tired of answering this question,
but how do you cope with the backlash of it
not being a genuine passion?
Francis Bourgeois (14:21):
Well, when these allegations were first arising of the train guy, Francis, not
being a real person, or someone who is faking their
hobby, it was hurtful because I did have, in putting
(14:43):
myself out there and showing people my passion, it was
a step forward for me, quite a few steps forward.
And then for all of this to come at me
like a pack of dogs, it was a sad time
because I'm not someone who likes confrontation or negative situations,
(15:03):
and will do a lot to try and avoid them.
So, it was a difficult time, but I addressed it
with a video, just saying, well, you've seen pictures of
me where I have a shaved head and wearing clothes that you
don't associate with me now, but let me take you
(15:24):
to that time and I can show you exactly what my progression
in life is from then to now. And with that,
people saw that these allegations based on the fact that
I had a different appearance a couple of years ago,
were actually just quite ridiculous.
Alex Legouix (15:44):
And didn't we all? I think that potentially the backlash
is from the people who don't have the courage to
take off the mask in the way that you have.
Francis Bourgeois (15:53):
Yeah, quite possibly. But nowadays, I still get people saying,
oh, why don't people realize this guy's just an actor.
Oh, why don't people realize this guy's a fraud, kind
of thing. I see it and I just think, well, I'm
happy being myself, being a railway enthusiast, and I'm happy
with the fact that I can make so many people happy just
(16:16):
by sharing my passion, and actually the energy that I'm
seeing from my videos is massively positive and that's what
I'm happy to focus on.
Alex Legouix (16:29):
I sense that it all makes you feel quite emotional?
Francis Bourgeois (16:32):
Yeah, I'm naturally a very emotional person, both expressing it
in happiness in my videos and behind the cameras, sometimes
totally the opposite. And I think it also makes people
(16:53):
think when they see the videos, how is this guy so
happy all the time? This can't be real. Well, I'm
not happy all the time, I'm just showing the times
when I am.
Alex Legouix (17:02):
Yeah. What do your coping methods look like?
Francis Bourgeois (17:05):
Going home, being with my mum and dad, stroking my
cat, Smudge, being with my mum and dad's new dog
called Wolfstan, who is very, very happy all the time.
And it gets so excited that when he wiggles his
tail, the axis of movement is actually the center of
his spine, not his tail. So, he ends up being
(17:30):
a slinky, where his tail is actually hitting himself in
the face, and going back and being with that energy
is very relaxing, takes me back to basics. Also, being
with my girlfriend, relaxing with her, but just being with
myself as well. I don't do it often enough, but
(17:53):
just taking time to process and think and really meditate,
because a lot of the time my mind is going,
oh, what about that idea? Oh, what's running here? What
train's going on? I want to do some research on
this random bridge, but that's a coping mechanism I'm still
(18:14):
learning to really integrate into my life.
Alex Legouix (18:17):
Do you worry about the impact it has on the people around
you as well?
Francis Bourgeois (18:21):
Well, I don't really feel like it's had a huge
amount of an effect, apart from on my parents because
they're the ones who are caring for me the most.
And also my girlfriend too. And I think their emotions
are also tangled in it, in one way or another.
(18:42):
Especially Amy, my girlfriend, because she experiences going out with
me and people bumping into me, et cetera.
Alex Legouix (18:51):
And she's known you for a long time, as we'll
come onto. She's known you as Luke, so she's known
you pre- TikTok sensation and through it all.
Francis Bourgeois (19:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's been incredibly supportive. Yeah, when she was
getting to know me, she didn't know that I was going to make
a TikTok account, so I really thank her for being so supportive, really.
Alex Legouix (19:21):
Would you change it?
Francis Bourgeois (19:23):
I would not change it. But I think when I set up my account,
my original reasons for using the pseudonym Francis Bourgeois were
to... I was basically applying for jobs in the engineering
industry, so I wanted to have a creative outlet that
(19:45):
wasn't really going to be touched by my fears of
future employers seeing my videos. I wanted to have my professional side
slightly separate. And also, I wanted to have protection from
people that know me and know me through school. And
(20:05):
in using that pseudonym, I was able to have that protection,
and essentially, the reasons for using it... And that eventually
became completely inept, because the engineering company that I ended up
working at, everyone knew about my videos, and everyone at
(20:27):
school had found out about them one way or another.
So, in a way, the pseudonym and using a different
name is, the purpose of it, has become redundant. So
if I were to go back and do it again with the knowledge of how things
would progress, I wouldn't really feel as much of a need
to use a pseudonym. However, I like the name, and
(20:52):
who knows? Maybe it's had an effect on how I've
developed, that I'm not completely aware of, so I wouldn't touch anything in the process.
Alex Legouix (21:07):
The child you, that had to wear a mask to
a degree, through your school years, what would you say
to that child you know?
Francis Bourgeois (21:19):
Trains are awesome, trains are cool, and don't let anyone
tell you otherwise. And that's what makes you cool, being
different and having a unique hobby. And actually, whenever I
meet someone who's at school, who's a railway enthusiast, just
(21:40):
a platform or wherever, I'll say to them, don't forget,
trains are cool, and I know you might get a
hassle from school, et cetera, but please remember that. And
people have said to me now, because of your videos...
People actually who once bullied me are now saying that my
passion is cool. And that's really powerful for me because
(22:03):
I'm helping someone in a position that I was once
in. And I've even written it in my book, in
the prologue.
Alex Legouix (22:15):
So this is the Attenborough Nature Reserve. What does this
place mean to you?
Francis Bourgeois (22:21):
Attenborough Nature Reserve wow, listen to the birds , you can listen to the birds.
Alex Legouix (22:23):
You are a very senses driven person, I've noticed. And you picked
up on the geese flying over earlier, and obviously now
listening to the sound of the birds. What does it
do for you?
Francis Bourgeois (22:39):
It taps into my feelings. So, I can close my
eyes now and aside from that gorgeous straight- six engine,
I can hear birds and stillness. And it makes me feel calm and
happy and reminds me of being with my family, being
(23:01):
with my friends. And when I was studying at uni,
I'd come here every so often and I wouldn't really
come here for the nature reserve- y side of things,
more to do with the fact that the railway runs
through it. But, whilst waiting for the trains, it was
very meditative because I could just hear the birds, hear
(23:23):
the geese in the water, and wait for the trains
to come. But also there are some nutty memories with
this place. My friends and I were playing poker once, not betting
or anything, we were just kind of playing and we
stayed up rather late, got to about 4
the morning and I said, " Oh guys, well, do you
(23:46):
want to see the DB 60 on the steel?" And they were like, "
Well..." My friends in my flat at the time weren't
really that into the trains, but happily they obliged and
we cycled out on our bikes and saw the Class 60,
that was nice. And then we saw the sun was
rising, we thought, well, we took our bikes safely to
(24:06):
Attenborough Nature Reserve where we cycled until it was the
sunrise, which was beautiful. And we sat there next to
the railway line and watched the trains come in the
morning. We were waving and getting tones and it was brilliant.
And we ended up, all of us just lying down
on the tarmac, not on a road or anything, but
(24:28):
just lying there, and I was just like, oh, this
is brilliant. Then we went to McDonald's and got breakfast,
Egg McMuffin, it was just so nice.
Alex Legouix (24:37):
Wow, that's a fun experience.
Francis Bourgeois (24:39):
But this was after we'd finished our exams and things,
so we could afford to go to bed at 8
Alex Legouix (24:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (24:47):
But it was a very, very happy memory. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (24:53):
What other things would you find that could potentially give
you that same adrenaline rush as you get from the trains?
Francis Bourgeois (25:03):
Music.
Alex Legouix (25:04):
Okay.
Francis Bourgeois (25:04):
Live music.
Alex Legouix (25:04):
Okay. Any style in particular?
Francis Bourgeois (25:07):
Electronic music, and just stuff that's from quite a lot of people, very overwhelming
and difficult to listen to. Electronic music gets me going
the same way that a train does. I get goosebumps very
easily and get the...
Alex Legouix (25:24):
Yeah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (25:24):
The rush. And it happens the most with electronic music. And the
railway too. When I see a Class 37 pulling in,
I feel the shivers underneath my jacket. And even sometimes
the thought of a railway thing that's happened, that's given
me goosebumps, it gives me goosebumps.
Alex Legouix (25:44):
Wow. You have them right now?
Francis Bourgeois (25:47):
Kind of.
Alex Legouix (25:48):
I have goosebump envy.
Francis Bourgeois (25:51):
So I was thinking now, I was driving my Nissan Micro
just outside a place called Minffordd , in Northwest Wales,
where the road and the tracks run alongside each other.
And I'd planned it so that I'd see the 37 and 97, get
in my car, drive next to it. And I was driving and
(26:12):
I looked briefly to my right and I saw one
of the guys going, " Yeah," look at me, and they thrashed the engine, and I was going " Yeah," back.
And it was that exchange of energy, when he was
just like, look at me, going, " Yeah." And afterwards, I very, very,
very rarely get the feeling, but it's only actually happened,
(26:35):
I can recall, in this scenario that I've done twice,
where my legs and arms are totally... It's not goosebumps,
it's more adrenaline buzzing-
Alex Legouix (26:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (26:47):
You need to run because there's a dinosaur chasing you,
kind of electricity. But it's sustained, and it's the most amazing
feeling of-
Alex Legouix (26:58):
Wow.
Francis Bourgeois (26:58):
... I can't really liken it to anything really, apart from potentially getting electrocuted,
not severely-
Alex Legouix (27:06):
But positively.
Francis Bourgeois (27:08):
Yeah. Yeah, it's just an amazing sensation.
Alex Legouix (27:12):
You've spoken about music a little bit, but I know
that music means an awful lot to you, doesn't it?
Francis Bourgeois (27:17):
So I had a very happy gig in my first
year of uni. I went to see Channel One Sound System,
which are these two awesome guys who have had this
dub reggae orientated sound system for quite a while. And
(27:38):
they take it around the world, and it's this big
thumping heavy subwoofer system that is very enjoyable to listen to.
It's real music at its core, no frills or unnecessary
lights or anything, it's just the vinyl, the sound system,
(28:01):
and a couple of effects. And I saw that they were
bringing their sound system to Nottingham, I basically really bigged
it up to my friends for a couple of weeks.
I said, " We need to go." Managed to get about
12 people to come. And the warm- up act was
this spoken word artist. I appreciate spoken word, but sometimes
(28:24):
I find it just slightly awkward, and that was the
case when we walked in. I felt responsible for the people
who I'd brought along. And I said, " Look, please stick around,
they're not on yet." And then I went to the
loo and I had noticed it had gone quiet, then
I heard them start and I was like, yes, brilliant, okay, they're on.
(28:48):
The urinal that I was-
Alex Legouix (28:48):
Going to the loo.
Francis Bourgeois (28:48):
... engaging with, started rattling on the wall.
Alex Legouix (28:55):
Oh wow.
Francis Bourgeois (28:55):
It was going... And all the little lemon cube things were moving around, and it
was brilliant. I was like, okay, cool, now we're in action. And I
came outside and then I saw my friends coming away
(29:15):
from the bar to the sound system, and it was like they weren't
really saying anything, but they were all really bopping their heads,
and smiling and laughing, and that's all I needed to see.
Alex Legouix (29:27):
Amazing. Do you think it's the base that gets you?
Francis Bourgeois (29:30):
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Well, it's-
Alex Legouix (29:32):
All of it.
Francis Bourgeois (29:32):
... it's the whole spectrum.
Alex Legouix (29:35):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (29:35):
Primarily the base and the treble. The level crossing is
going down, come on. Oh, look at how sweet that is, there's a
kid and his parents.
Alex Legouix (29:46):
Oh look.
Francis Bourgeois (29:47):
Look. And they did a tone as well.
Alex Legouix (29:49):
Aw. Which one was that? Ah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (29:54):
Class 170. I think they did rear tones as well,
that there for him could be a formative memory that
gives him a passion for trains.
Alex Legouix (30:04):
Yeah. So, how did you feel when the big fashion
houses approached you, and has it affected your love of style?
Francis Bourgeois (30:18):
Whilst I was at uni, I was a model, and... Well,
it wasn't full time, but I did a couple of gigs here
and there, and getting approached by a high fashion brand, it's the
golden ticket essentially in the modeling industry, especially with brands
like Gucci and Dior, et cetera. So, when it first
(30:41):
came through... Yep, Gucci would like to work with you,
it was like, what? Because it had come from a completely different direction, from
approach via the model. It did go through the modeling
(31:04):
agency, but it wasn't so much of a modeling gig
per se, I was part of the campaign's story, and
I guess it helped that I had a modeling background.
Alex Legouix (31:17):
Yes. And very much a modeling frame.
Francis Bourgeois (31:21):
Thank you. And yeah, it was just a crazy whirlwind, this production that I was on.
Alex Legouix (31:30):
Do you have a good relationship with social media? Are
you on it a lot anyway, regardless of your own presence
and videos?
Francis Bourgeois (31:40):
Kind of. Most of my time on social media is
consumed by me reading everything and looking at how people
are engaging with my stuff. Because although I'm totally organic
with what I'm putting out, I like to see how
people are reacting to it, but with that in mind, I'm also
(32:04):
very conscious of not getting too bogged down in engineering
my videos for people to watch. Because there was a
point where I felt like I had to do that
in order to keep on going. And then I lost
touch of the real core of the passion.
Alex Legouix (32:20):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (32:23):
So, there was a bit of a full circle moment where
I thought, actually, do you know what? I'm just going
to not think about how I'm phrasing the intro, I'm
just going to say what's on my mind and then
just let whatever happens pan out, and however I react
to it, be the core of the video. And happily,
(32:43):
I now know that that is the ultimate formula, because I'm
happiest because I'm not overthinking my passion and these situations
that I love, and also people are getting the genuine
me in these moments. The turning point was, I've filmed
a video at Hemel Hempstead, and I said, " I can't
(33:06):
believe I'm saying this, but I'm about to see two
rail tours crossing over at exactly the same point." And
I was dead excited about it, and I was on the
wrong side of the platform. And then in the moment
I was like S- H- I- T. Take the camera
off the lamp post that I'd mounted it onto, and
I'm like, I'm not going to be able to see it here. And usually if I'd
(33:28):
had my, thinking about my video too much, I'd think,
oh, well, that's ruined now, people are going to be
uninterested in the fact that this has happened. But I thought, you know
what? I'll just keep it rolling. And I left it.
The whole situation was part of the video. And I
was astounded by how well it did. And it's because
(33:51):
I didn't think at all about... I was just so in
the moment. And that's it, it's just passion and genuine, just being in
connection with what I love, and being in connection with
my feelings, that's just the formula that works. I'm sure,
can work for other video creators too. So, that house
(34:13):
over there, I lived in for two years, and here's
the university-
Alex Legouix (34:19):
Oh wow.
Francis Bourgeois (34:19):
... lovely green park. And I'd walk/ cycle along here,
I'd go up to the co- op on the corner
to get my little pasta ingredient. And I'd play Frisbee
with my friends in the park there, we'd have some
nice cold beers in the sun, when all of the
(34:41):
work's out the way. And then we're going to take
a left here.
Alex Legouix (34:44):
Oh, so we're actually going to be able to go
past your old flat, how exciting.
Francis Bourgeois (34:48):
Yeah. And there's an Nissan Micra that's exactly like my Nissan Micra.
Alex Legouix (34:51):
Oh yes, what's the name of your Micra?
Francis Bourgeois (34:54):
Lucy.
Alex Legouix (34:54):
Lucy. Why is it called Lucy?
Francis Bourgeois (34:57):
Because of the first two letters of the number plate.
Alex Legouix (34:59):
Oh.
Francis Bourgeois (34:59):
But it's very surreal to be here. I have happy
memories being here. And me and my friends used to, in the
evening, go in the garden, watch the planes come in
to East Midlands airport, because the flight path goes over the house.
And there'd always be a 747 that would fly in, in
the evening, from Cincinnati. And sometimes if we had a
(35:25):
bit more time on our hands, we'd go to the
airport itself to watch them come in.
Alex Legouix (35:32):
So, where are we right now?
Francis Bourgeois (35:37):
This is an industrial site in Nottingham where scrap metal
is put in these wagons and then transported to places
where they could be processed. I was just at the
bridge there once and I was filming a scrap train come out, when I
noticed a girl behind me standing there, and I thought, oh, it's
weird, carried on filming. And then she said, " Excuse me,
(35:59):
do you make train videos?" I was like, " Yeah." And then I
suddenly twigged, and she said, " Me and my boyfriend love
watching your videos." And it was the first time someone had said
that to me. And I was completely in shock, and
she asked for a photo. I would love to find
that photo out there somewhere. It was a moment of realization
(36:20):
that I'm not just putting stuff onto the internet and
then it sitting in isolation.
Alex Legouix (36:26):
It's obviously a really fond memory. Was or is fame important?
Francis Bourgeois (36:37):
The thing that I value is when I can see
how happy they are to see me, or when they say how
much my videos have helped them, whether it be through
lockdown or through school. And I can see the circle
of energy come from my videos and then almost back
(37:00):
to me, through their face. And that's what I value,
but sometimes it can quite easily get very overwhelming, having
lots of people saying hello and asking for photos, and
there are times where I just would really rather not
be recognized. And the fame has... It doesn't feel like
(37:24):
fame really, it feels like a bit of a glitch
in the Matrix. Because I haven't changed my lifestyle whatsoever,
apart from I take Amy out to nice restaurants and
things like that every so often. And I think because
I haven't changed my day- to- day, it does still
(37:46):
feel weird when someone says hello and stops me in
the street, but I'm slowly becoming used to it. But
I think because I spend so much time in other
people's minds thinking, oh, what are they thinking? Are they okay?
Da, da, da, da, da. I still have that preset in my brain. So,
I still treat people the same way. I don't take
(38:08):
it for granted, really. When I feel like I'm starting to
fall into being used to the fame, I guess, then
I'm plunked back into my normal patterns, with either something
that happens or just my normal behavior.
Alex Legouix (38:25):
You seem to have a lot of self- awareness.
Francis Bourgeois (38:27):
Yeah, yeah. I think now I've settled into it and
understand the position I'm in, I can make up my
mind, which would usually have otherwise been channeled to engineering
decisions, it's now applying the same skills that I've learned through engineering
to create solutions for what I'm doing with my work now.
Alex Legouix (38:49):
So, how was it having tripped down memory lane?
Francis Bourgeois (38:58):
It's been brilliant.
Alex Legouix (39:00):
Has it?
Francis Bourgeois (39:01):
Yeah. It doesn't feel like a year and a half
since I was last living here and studying here, but
feels like a lot more. I think because of all
the stuff that's happened in between. I think it's nice
that we've had a nice sunny day for it, and it's
really... I know the feeling of being in Nottingham, it
(39:24):
being a sunny day, looking forward to seeing my friends in
the afternoon, after doing stuff during the day.
Alex Legouix (39:31):
Yeah. Nice. Thank you for showing me the reins in the world of trainspotting. We
do, however, have one surprise up our sleeve.
Francis Bourgeois (39:41):
Oh really?
Alex Legouix (39:42):
Yeah. Would you like to drive the Alpina?
Francis Bourgeois (39:45):
Yes, please. I'd love to.
Alex Legouix (39:48):
Okay. Has it been a good match for you, do you reckon?
Francis Bourgeois (39:51):
Yeah, definitely.
Alex Legouix (39:51):
We did well?
Francis Bourgeois (39:52):
Yeah. I think the quirky rarity of Alpinas is something that I
really love, and how it's not just a BMW M4, it's a
real driver's and car enthusiasts car.
Alex Legouix (40:04):
Yeah. Agreed. All right. Ready? That suits you.
Francis Bourgeois (40:17):
Thank you. Happy days.
Alex Legouix (40:17):
Oh, it's quite nice to be driven for once. Enjoy.
Francis Bourgeois (40:29):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (40:30):
How does it feel?
Francis Bourgeois (40:31):
Great. I have to have a feel of it again, but
it's nice. Smooth, that's the word.
Alex Legouix (40:44):
Yeah, it is, considering it's a bit of a pocket
rocket. Are you thinking of getting a car?
Francis Bourgeois (40:51):
So, I've been browsing... I'm coming clean as an AutoTrader
regular browser/ addict amongst... Well, AutoTrader is the one I go
to the most.
Alex Legouix (41:04):
Oh, good.
Francis Bourgeois (41:06):
So, BMW M3 46, I'm constantly checking for new adverts. You
can really get excited about things because you can find
a good deal.
Alex Legouix (41:15):
So, we come to the end of our journey-
Francis Bourgeois (41:23):
Indeed.
Alex Legouix (41:23):
... almost. Have you enjoyed driving the Alpina?
Francis Bourgeois (41:26):
It's been a real treat. Just wish I could drive it back to London.
Alex Legouix (41:29):
Yeah, it'd be fun, wouldn't it? Thanks again, I've really enjoyed our chat.
Francis Bourgeois (41:35):
Yeah, I've loved it. It's been really nice. Been lucky with
the cars on the road as well, I've seen a
nice variety.
Alex Legouix (41:43):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (41:44):
And thank you for the lovely chat, I've really enjoyed it.
Alex Legouix (41:47):
Yeah, me too.
Francis Bourgeois (41:48):
But I'm taking us to Nottingham Station, as there's a
train coming through the station in a minute.
Alex Legouix (41:56):
I should have known there'd be some final train link.
Francis Bourgeois (42:01):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (42:01):
What train is it then?
Francis Bourgeois (42:03):
It's a Class 37.
Alex Legouix (42:06):
Okay.
Francis Bourgeois (42:06):
37 175, which is on a UTU test train. Stands for ultrasonic test unit.
Alex Legouix (42:13):
And what makes that train special?
Francis Bourgeois (42:15):
Because it sounds fantastic.
Alex Legouix (42:17):
So, you're excited again, I'm guessing?
Francis Bourgeois (42:19):
Mm- hmm.
Alex Legouix (42:21):
I hope you get to shout, hell- raiser.
Francis Bourgeois (42:23):
Hell fire.
Alex Legouix (42:25):
Oh, okay. I hope you get to shout, hell fire. Although, hell- raiser
would be good too. Right?
Francis Bourgeois (42:32):
Yeah. Maybe that's the American version that they're shouting.
Alex Legouix (42:37):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (42:38):
Hell- raiser. Darn, that steam train was hell- raiser.
Alex Legouix (42:43):
I feel like I've got a long way to go before
I'm an official trainspotter, the T- shirt just isn't enough,
is it?
Francis Bourgeois (42:48):
Nah. Well, I guess in neutral now. One final rev?
Alex Legouix (42:54):
Yeah, go on then.
Francis Bourgeois (43:00):
Hopefully I can get to drive an Alpina again in the future.
Alex Legouix (43:02):
Yeah, I hope so.
Francis Bourgeois (43:05):
Well, thank you.
Alex Legouix (43:06):
Thank you Luke, Francis. I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together.
Francis Bourgeois (43:10):
Thanks. Thank you.
Alex Legouix (43:16):
Thanks so much to Francis Bourgeois for allowing me into
his fascinating world. You can see exclusive footage of the
drive by heading to the Autotrader socials. Look at the
episode page for links. You'll also be able to see
the Alpina B4, that Francis absolutely loved. And if you are
looking for a new vehicle, you can find your perfect match
(43:37):
at autotrader. co. uk. This is a new show and
I'd love you to follow on your favorite podcast platform.
Like what you hear? Rate and review, and make sure
you tell your friends, so you don't miss an episode.
Show On The Road is a fresh air production for Autotrader.
People have said to me now, because of your videos,
people actually who once bullied me are now saying that
my passion is cool, and that's really powerful for me.
Electronic music gets me going the same way that a train
does. It doesn't feel like fame really, it feels like
a bit of a glitch in the Matrix.
Alex Legouix (00:21):
This is Show On The Road, brought to you by
Autotrader. We are driving famous faces on a personalized road
trip, visiting the places that help shape them and hearing
how the locations turn them into who they are today.
We've matched each celebrity with a car chosen specifically for
them. So, join me, Alex Legouix, as we get this
(00:42):
show on the road. Today's journey takes me through Nottingham,
which was the university town of TikTok sensation, Francis Bourgeois.
In 2021, Francis took social media by storm with his
very charming and carefree trainspotting videos. But today we are
swapping a few hundred wheels for just four. We're in
(01:05):
the BMW Alpina B4, which is a very distinctive looking
car that oozes luxury. It does nought to 62 in 3.
7 seconds, so it's a pretty cool match for Francis, and
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what he thinks about
it. Okay, so, I am driving around to see Francis,
(01:30):
and he's actually got his back to us because being
such a passionate car guru as well as trainspotter, he
wants to work out what car it is just from
the engine. So, that's quite a nice test, let's see if
he can do it.
Francis Bourgeois (01:47):
I think I know. I think I know. Is it M4?
Alex Legouix (02:00):
Oh, very close.
Francis Bourgeois (02:01):
M3?
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Very close.
Francis Bourgeois (02:02):
Is it an Alpina?
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Yes.
Francis Bourgeois (02:02):
Woo. It's an Alpina.
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Which Alpina?
Francis Bourgeois (02:02):
Is it an Alpina B4?
Alex Legouix (02:03):
Yes. He's only gone and done it.
Francis Bourgeois (02:15):
This is wicked.
Alex Legouix (02:19):
So was it a good match?
Francis Bourgeois (02:20):
Fantastic match.
Alex Legouix (02:21):
Good.
Francis Bourgeois (02:22):
I'm a big Alpina fan.
Alex Legouix (02:22):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (02:22):
But yeah, for lots of people who know my stuff,
they know that I like the sounds of trains and the sounds of
the railway. In a similar way, I love the sounds
of cars, and it taps into the same sort of
joy that I get with the railway, to be honest.
Alex Legouix (02:41):
Amazing.
Francis Bourgeois (02:42):
I'm just going to set my seats, if that's all right?
Alex Legouix (02:44):
Make yourself comfortable, sir. All right.
Francis Bourgeois (02:47):
It's very comfy.
Alex Legouix (02:48):
Let the games begin. We are on our way to where?
Francis Bourgeois (02:51):
Ilkeston Station.
Alex Legouix (02:53):
Right. Why are we going there?
Francis Bourgeois (02:54):
The area of Ilkeston was an area, when I was
at uni and Nottingham, I frequented a lot because there's a lot of
railway activity and it's near the site of the old
Stanton Iron Works. But I used to visit with my
friend because it had had an interesting rail link, and
I've checked the schedule for the railway and I've seen
(03:18):
that there's a... Oh, that sounds brilliant, doesn't it?
Alex Legouix (03:22):
When did this passion start?
Francis Bourgeois (03:25):
I was really young, to be honest. I was absorbing
my environment and knew in myself that what I loved
was trains, just from the moment my memories were forming.
Alex Legouix (03:39):
What was Little Francis like?
Francis Bourgeois (03:41):
Bubbly, running around, doing normal toddler stuff, but also wanting
to look at trains and wanting to buy Hot Wheels
cars, wanting to look at exhaust pipes, wanting to, when I
was tall enough, look over the door into the window
to look at the speedometer and see how fast the
(04:03):
car could go.
Alex Legouix (04:04):
I imagine though that not all your friends were quite
on the same wavelength.
Francis Bourgeois (04:09):
No, not really.
Alex Legouix (04:11):
How was that?
Francis Bourgeois (04:12):
Okay, to be honest. When I was young young, I
was just happy being in my own world with my
trains and my cars, and my essentially early days engineering interest.
When I came through to secondary school and stuff, that's
when I didn't really feel like I had a place
(04:35):
to express my passion, especially for the railway in my
friendship groups and in school in general. That happily changed
going to uni because I was studying engineering and there
were people liked trains. I was like, wow. I met a friend called Luke,
we went to places like Stanton Iron Works, Ilkeston, Bennerley viaduct ,
(05:01):
where we're going now, Toton, Attenborough Nature Reserve. And we'd
be talking about trains in lectures, and we'd say, " Oh, should we
go to Toton Yard?" "Oh yeah..." Start talking about the DB Class
60s that are all lined up. And then one lecture,
someone that's sitting in front of us turned around and said, "
Do you like trains?" We were like, " Yeah." He's like, " Oh sweet. I
(05:23):
heard you talking about Toton. Yeah, it's pretty insane what
they got going on in Toton." And there you go, just
found another train nut.
Alex Legouix (05:32):
That's really nice.
Francis Bourgeois (05:32):
That was lovely. I think we're going to be seeing a
very rare Class 50, that should be coming through.
Alex Legouix (05:45):
So, what's going on for you right now, as we
come close to seeing-
Francis Bourgeois (05:51):
The 0050.
Alex Legouix (05:51):
50 0050. Okay, so that is the name of the train.
Francis Bourgeois (05:55):
It does actually have a name, I think it's called Furious.
Alex Legouix (05:59):
Oh, okay.
Francis Bourgeois (06:00):
Which is a bloody brilliant name for it, because it sounds furious when it
goes by.
Alex Legouix (06:03):
What does it sound like? Can you do the noise
for me?
Francis Bourgeois (06:05):
So it has more of a... Instead of a... It's
more of a... It has more of an odd firing order. So
yeah, this is passenger pickup and drop off point, could
be a good place to plunk this Alpina.
Alex Legouix (06:24):
Yeah. Okay. Pop in here then. What other bits of lingo do I need to know?
Francis Bourgeois (06:30):
Thrash.
Alex Legouix (06:31):
Thrash.
Francis Bourgeois (06:33):
When the diesel engine's giving it the full beans, and the
driver's just gone like that with the accelerator, the handle
being pulled all the way to full power, the engine
will basically fire into life, and then when you hear
it go by and it's going... That's thrash.
Alex Legouix (06:50):
What shall I say? Is there something specific that we
need to say when it comes past?
Francis Bourgeois (06:55):
If something is overwhelmingly brilliant, then I usually shout hell fire.
Alex Legouix (06:59):
Hell fire.
Francis Bourgeois (07:01):
But it has to be said with a huge amount
of conviction.
Alex Legouix (07:03):
Okay.
Francis Bourgeois (07:04):
So, hell fire.
Alex Legouix (07:06):
Okay, I can do this.
Francis Bourgeois (07:07):
If it's coasting, so if it's not thrashing, I won't
say hell fire. Even if it is thrashing, I might
not say it because I only say it when it's
really required. So currently it's at Beeston South Junction, which
is where I used to live when I was in Nottingham.
Alex Legouix (07:32):
Where do we need to stand then for funzies?
Francis Bourgeois (07:34):
So, I'd suggest we go a bit further down, because-
Alex Legouix (07:38):
I was going to say, when are you going to put your head cam on?
Francis Bourgeois (07:43):
This is when I get a bit nervous.
Alex Legouix (07:44):
Yeah, yeah, I can see that.
Francis Bourgeois (07:44):
Okay. Yeah, it's the 50.
Alex Legouix (07:49):
Can you see it?
Francis Bourgeois (07:49):
Yeah, be careful-
Alex Legouix (07:49):
Yes.
Francis Bourgeois (07:49):
...move behind the yellow line. It is the 50 luckily, and
you should start to hear it soon. Go on, please thrash.
Alex Legouix (07:55):
It's quite fast.
Francis Bourgeois (07:56):
Yeah. Yeah, I think it's on. Thank you.
Alex Legouix (08:03):
Hell fire.
Francis Bourgeois (08:05):
That wasn't quite hell fire.
Alex Legouix (08:07):
Wasn't quite hell fire. Oh, okay.
Francis Bourgeois (08:07):
See?
Alex Legouix (08:07):
Oh, it smells good.
Francis Bourgeois (08:11):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (08:11):
I've broken my trainspotting virginity.
Francis Bourgeois (08:13):
Yeah, you have. It was a real demonstration I think, of what it's
like to be a railway enthusiasts, in terms of the feelings.
Alex Legouix (08:29):
Yes. Your foray into the crazy world of social media
can't have been... Well, it must have been quite a
dynamic change.
Francis Bourgeois (08:38):
Yeah, I pretty much didn't have a clue what was
going on. I was just creating... I wanted this creative
outlet and made that for myself, and just continue focusing
on my degree whilst going out, seeing trains, and then
(08:58):
just happily editing it together and showing people. And it
was a real snowball effect, and there were points where my
learned school inhibitions, when it came to my passion, almost wanted
to kick back in again. You're showing 20, 000 people that
(09:23):
you like trains, are you sure? But I think after
seeing that... Oh my word.
Alex Legouix (09:31):
So, currently, we've slowed right down to a stop because there is
a mobility scooter, well, being driven, obviously.
Francis Bourgeois (09:43):
On the road.
Alex Legouix (09:43):
On the road, with enormous lorry behind it, and a trail of
traffic. So you just said there about, that realization that there
were 20,000 people that had looked at your video. I
guess there was a turning point then when you realized
that it was not just a bedroom video fun situation
(10:06):
for you and your mates... Or it was your brother,
wasn't it?
Francis Bourgeois (10:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Alex Legouix (10:09):
Initially, that was involved?
Francis Bourgeois (10:11):
Well, it remained that way up until about 250,000 followers
because it didn't feel real, it was like I was playing a game and I was randomly accumulating all
of these followers.
Alex Legouix (10:25):
Right. Hang on, take me back. It started off as you and
your brother, what sparked the idea of picking up a
camera and doing it that way?
Francis Bourgeois (10:33):
So, essentially, it was locked down, I was with my
brother... Well, I got a camcorder when I was younger and
we made videos and this kind of creative relationship has
always existed. I've always played with Ben, and always created
with Ben, so when it came to lockdown, we were together
again and we basically had time on our hands and
(10:56):
a freaky new kind of environment where nothing was going
on, but a whole load was going on around the world, and
everyone had to adapt to change. And fortunately, we were
in a place in the countryside where, when we had
our one- hour walk, I could go to the railway
bridge and wave at the freight trains. It became a
(11:18):
ritual. And I had this Instagram account called Screaming Valenta,
which is named after my favorite railway orientated engine. And
I was doing an update each day and I was
doing a tally of passenger train drivers versus freight train
drivers, which are most likely to give a tone. And I loved it, and I realized I was
(11:42):
truly reconnecting with my passion for the railway that had
laid dormant.
Alex Legouix (11:48):
And laid dormant because you felt like you had to
hide it?
Francis Bourgeois (11:52):
Yeah, during school, certainly. But when it came to university,
I had that year and a half when it was
a proper transitory period, where I went from keeping things
in to really letting them out. So that-
Alex Legouix (12:05):
How did it manifest when you were at school, keeping
it in? Because that's quite a difficult thing to contain.
Francis Bourgeois (12:10):
Well, essentially, I didn't talk to people about trains and
I just conformed to how people were in school in
general. And I think that's the case for so many
people that go to school, everywhere, it's just a form
of social survival. But after school, I used to love
going on my iPad and just watching car videos, train videos,
(12:35):
and that would come-
Alex Legouix (12:35):
And it's sad. It's sad to hear.
Francis Bourgeois (12:38):
Yeah, but at the time it felt like it was
the right progression into teenagehood and leaving behind what I
perceived at the time to be my childhood hobby. And
I had this vast model railway that ended up being
put on eBay. I didn't really make it public that
(12:59):
I was a railway enthusiast, however, cars are more universally appreciated.
Alex Legouix (13:11):
So, one thing we haven't spoken about at all is
your headset. Where did this idea come about?
Francis Bourgeois (13:19):
Well, I wanted to firstly show people how the railway
makes me feel. And I just thought, well, I can just do a
selfie and show people the train going by. And I didn't feel
like I was in the moment when I was doing
it. So I thought back to when I was younger
and I was experimenting with my GoPro and stuff, I filmed
(13:40):
my face whilst on the trampoline, having a helmet camera
flipped around. And then when I was thinking about solutions
to filming my face whilst being in the moment, I remembered this
GoPro angle and then I experimented and the rest is
history, really.
Alex Legouix (13:59):
I can't help but notice when you are talking, you have
the world's largest smile-
Francis Bourgeois (14:04):
thank you.
Alex Legouix (14:04):
... but also I can really see your genuine passion.
I am sure you are tired of answering this question,
but how do you cope with the backlash of it
not being a genuine passion?
Francis Bourgeois (14:21):
Well, when these allegations were first arising of the train guy, Francis, not
being a real person, or someone who is faking their
hobby, it was hurtful because I did have, in putting
(14:43):
myself out there and showing people my passion, it was
a step forward for me, quite a few steps forward.
And then for all of this to come at me
like a pack of dogs, it was a sad time
because I'm not someone who likes confrontation or negative situations,
(15:03):
and will do a lot to try and avoid them.
So, it was a difficult time, but I addressed it
with a video, just saying, well, you've seen pictures of
me where I have a shaved head and wearing clothes that you
don't associate with me now, but let me take you
(15:24):
to that time and I can show you exactly what my progression
in life is from then to now. And with that,
people saw that these allegations based on the fact that
I had a different appearance a couple of years ago,
were actually just quite ridiculous.
Alex Legouix (15:44):
And didn't we all? I think that potentially the backlash
is from the people who don't have the courage to
take off the mask in the way that you have.
Francis Bourgeois (15:53):
Yeah, quite possibly. But nowadays, I still get people saying,
oh, why don't people realize this guy's just an actor.
Oh, why don't people realize this guy's a fraud, kind
of thing. I see it and I just think, well, I'm
happy being myself, being a railway enthusiast, and I'm happy
with the fact that I can make so many people happy just
(16:16):
by sharing my passion, and actually the energy that I'm
seeing from my videos is massively positive and that's what
I'm happy to focus on.
Alex Legouix (16:29):
I sense that it all makes you feel quite emotional?
Francis Bourgeois (16:32):
Yeah, I'm naturally a very emotional person, both expressing it
in happiness in my videos and behind the cameras, sometimes
totally the opposite. And I think it also makes people
(16:53):
think when they see the videos, how is this guy so
happy all the time? This can't be real. Well, I'm
not happy all the time, I'm just showing the times
when I am.
Alex Legouix (17:02):
Yeah. What do your coping methods look like?
Francis Bourgeois (17:05):
Going home, being with my mum and dad, stroking my
cat, Smudge, being with my mum and dad's new dog
called Wolfstan, who is very, very happy all the time.
And it gets so excited that when he wiggles his
tail, the axis of movement is actually the center of
his spine, not his tail. So, he ends up being
(17:30):
a slinky, where his tail is actually hitting himself in
the face, and going back and being with that energy
is very relaxing, takes me back to basics. Also, being
with my girlfriend, relaxing with her, but just being with
myself as well. I don't do it often enough, but
(17:53):
just taking time to process and think and really meditate,
because a lot of the time my mind is going,
oh, what about that idea? Oh, what's running here? What
train's going on? I want to do some research on
this random bridge, but that's a coping mechanism I'm still
(18:14):
learning to really integrate into my life.
Alex Legouix (18:17):
Do you worry about the impact it has on the people around
you as well?
Francis Bourgeois (18:21):
Well, I don't really feel like it's had a huge
amount of an effect, apart from on my parents because
they're the ones who are caring for me the most.
And also my girlfriend too. And I think their emotions
are also tangled in it, in one way or another.
(18:42):
Especially Amy, my girlfriend, because she experiences going out with
me and people bumping into me, et cetera.
Alex Legouix (18:51):
And she's known you for a long time, as we'll
come onto. She's known you as Luke, so she's known
you pre- TikTok sensation and through it all.
Francis Bourgeois (19:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's been incredibly supportive. Yeah, when she was
getting to know me, she didn't know that I was going to make
a TikTok account, so I really thank her for being so supportive, really.
Alex Legouix (19:21):
Would you change it?
Francis Bourgeois (19:23):
I would not change it. But I think when I set up my account,
my original reasons for using the pseudonym Francis Bourgeois were
to... I was basically applying for jobs in the engineering
industry, so I wanted to have a creative outlet that
(19:45):
wasn't really going to be touched by my fears of
future employers seeing my videos. I wanted to have my professional side
slightly separate. And also, I wanted to have protection from
people that know me and know me through school. And
(20:05):
in using that pseudonym, I was able to have that protection,
and essentially, the reasons for using it... And that eventually
became completely inept, because the engineering company that I ended up
working at, everyone knew about my videos, and everyone at
(20:27):
school had found out about them one way or another.
So, in a way, the pseudonym and using a different
name is, the purpose of it, has become redundant. So
if I were to go back and do it again with the knowledge of how things
would progress, I wouldn't really feel as much of a need
to use a pseudonym. However, I like the name, and
(20:52):
who knows? Maybe it's had an effect on how I've
developed, that I'm not completely aware of, so I wouldn't touch anything in the process.
Alex Legouix (21:07):
The child you, that had to wear a mask to
a degree, through your school years, what would you say
to that child you know?
Francis Bourgeois (21:19):
Trains are awesome, trains are cool, and don't let anyone
tell you otherwise. And that's what makes you cool, being
different and having a unique hobby. And actually, whenever I
meet someone who's at school, who's a railway enthusiast, just
(21:40):
a platform or wherever, I'll say to them, don't forget,
trains are cool, and I know you might get a
hassle from school, et cetera, but please remember that. And
people have said to me now, because of your videos...
People actually who once bullied me are now saying that my
passion is cool. And that's really powerful for me because
(22:03):
I'm helping someone in a position that I was once
in. And I've even written it in my book, in
the prologue.
Alex Legouix (22:15):
So this is the Attenborough Nature Reserve. What does this
place mean to you?
Francis Bourgeois (22:21):
Attenborough Nature Reserve wow, listen to the birds , you can listen to the birds.
Alex Legouix (22:23):
You are a very senses driven person, I've noticed. And you picked
up on the geese flying over earlier, and obviously now
listening to the sound of the birds. What does it
do for you?
Francis Bourgeois (22:39):
It taps into my feelings. So, I can close my
eyes now and aside from that gorgeous straight- six engine,
I can hear birds and stillness. And it makes me feel calm and
happy and reminds me of being with my family, being
(23:01):
with my friends. And when I was studying at uni,
I'd come here every so often and I wouldn't really
come here for the nature reserve- y side of things,
more to do with the fact that the railway runs
through it. But, whilst waiting for the trains, it was
very meditative because I could just hear the birds, hear
(23:23):
the geese in the water, and wait for the trains
to come. But also there are some nutty memories with
this place. My friends and I were playing poker once, not betting
or anything, we were just kind of playing and we
stayed up rather late, got to about 4
the morning and I said, " Oh guys, well, do you
(23:46):
want to see the DB 60 on the steel?" And they were like, "
Well..." My friends in my flat at the time weren't
really that into the trains, but happily they obliged and
we cycled out on our bikes and saw the Class 60,
that was nice. And then we saw the sun was
rising, we thought, well, we took our bikes safely to
(24:06):
Attenborough Nature Reserve where we cycled until it was the
sunrise, which was beautiful. And we sat there next to
the railway line and watched the trains come in the
morning. We were waving and getting tones and it was brilliant.
And we ended up, all of us just lying down
on the tarmac, not on a road or anything, but
(24:28):
just lying there, and I was just like, oh, this
is brilliant. Then we went to McDonald's and got breakfast,
Egg McMuffin, it was just so nice.
Alex Legouix (24:37):
Wow, that's a fun experience.
Francis Bourgeois (24:39):
But this was after we'd finished our exams and things,
so we could afford to go to bed at 8
Alex Legouix (24:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (24:47):
But it was a very, very happy memory. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (24:53):
What other things would you find that could potentially give
you that same adrenaline rush as you get from the trains?
Francis Bourgeois (25:03):
Music.
Alex Legouix (25:04):
Okay.
Francis Bourgeois (25:04):
Live music.
Alex Legouix (25:04):
Okay. Any style in particular?
Francis Bourgeois (25:07):
Electronic music, and just stuff that's from quite a lot of people, very overwhelming
and difficult to listen to. Electronic music gets me going
the same way that a train does. I get goosebumps very
easily and get the...
Alex Legouix (25:24):
Yeah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (25:24):
The rush. And it happens the most with electronic music. And the
railway too. When I see a Class 37 pulling in,
I feel the shivers underneath my jacket. And even sometimes
the thought of a railway thing that's happened, that's given
me goosebumps, it gives me goosebumps.
Alex Legouix (25:44):
Wow. You have them right now?
Francis Bourgeois (25:47):
Kind of.
Alex Legouix (25:48):
I have goosebump envy.
Francis Bourgeois (25:51):
So I was thinking now, I was driving my Nissan Micro
just outside a place called Minffordd , in Northwest Wales,
where the road and the tracks run alongside each other.
And I'd planned it so that I'd see the 37 and 97, get
in my car, drive next to it. And I was driving and
(26:12):
I looked briefly to my right and I saw one
of the guys going, " Yeah," look at me, and they thrashed the engine, and I was going " Yeah," back.
And it was that exchange of energy, when he was
just like, look at me, going, " Yeah." And afterwards, I very, very,
very rarely get the feeling, but it's only actually happened,
(26:35):
I can recall, in this scenario that I've done twice,
where my legs and arms are totally... It's not goosebumps,
it's more adrenaline buzzing-
Alex Legouix (26:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (26:47):
You need to run because there's a dinosaur chasing you,
kind of electricity. But it's sustained, and it's the most amazing
feeling of-
Alex Legouix (26:58):
Wow.
Francis Bourgeois (26:58):
... I can't really liken it to anything really, apart from potentially getting electrocuted,
not severely-
Alex Legouix (27:06):
But positively.
Francis Bourgeois (27:08):
Yeah. Yeah, it's just an amazing sensation.
Alex Legouix (27:12):
You've spoken about music a little bit, but I know
that music means an awful lot to you, doesn't it?
Francis Bourgeois (27:17):
So I had a very happy gig in my first
year of uni. I went to see Channel One Sound System,
which are these two awesome guys who have had this
dub reggae orientated sound system for quite a while. And
(27:38):
they take it around the world, and it's this big
thumping heavy subwoofer system that is very enjoyable to listen to.
It's real music at its core, no frills or unnecessary
lights or anything, it's just the vinyl, the sound system,
(28:01):
and a couple of effects. And I saw that they were
bringing their sound system to Nottingham, I basically really bigged
it up to my friends for a couple of weeks.
I said, " We need to go." Managed to get about
12 people to come. And the warm- up act was
this spoken word artist. I appreciate spoken word, but sometimes
(28:24):
I find it just slightly awkward, and that was the
case when we walked in. I felt responsible for the people
who I'd brought along. And I said, " Look, please stick around,
they're not on yet." And then I went to the
loo and I had noticed it had gone quiet, then
I heard them start and I was like, yes, brilliant, okay, they're on.
(28:48):
The urinal that I was-
Alex Legouix (28:48):
Going to the loo.
Francis Bourgeois (28:48):
... engaging with, started rattling on the wall.
Alex Legouix (28:55):
Oh wow.
Francis Bourgeois (28:55):
It was going... And all the little lemon cube things were moving around, and it
was brilliant. I was like, okay, cool, now we're in action. And I
came outside and then I saw my friends coming away
(29:15):
from the bar to the sound system, and it was like they weren't
really saying anything, but they were all really bopping their heads,
and smiling and laughing, and that's all I needed to see.
Alex Legouix (29:27):
Amazing. Do you think it's the base that gets you?
Francis Bourgeois (29:30):
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Well, it's-
Alex Legouix (29:32):
All of it.
Francis Bourgeois (29:32):
... it's the whole spectrum.
Alex Legouix (29:35):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (29:35):
Primarily the base and the treble. The level crossing is
going down, come on. Oh, look at how sweet that is, there's a
kid and his parents.
Alex Legouix (29:46):
Oh look.
Francis Bourgeois (29:47):
Look. And they did a tone as well.
Alex Legouix (29:49):
Aw. Which one was that? Ah, yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (29:54):
Class 170. I think they did rear tones as well,
that there for him could be a formative memory that
gives him a passion for trains.
Alex Legouix (30:04):
Yeah. So, how did you feel when the big fashion
houses approached you, and has it affected your love of style?
Francis Bourgeois (30:18):
Whilst I was at uni, I was a model, and... Well,
it wasn't full time, but I did a couple of gigs here
and there, and getting approached by a high fashion brand, it's the
golden ticket essentially in the modeling industry, especially with brands
like Gucci and Dior, et cetera. So, when it first
(30:41):
came through... Yep, Gucci would like to work with you,
it was like, what? Because it had come from a completely different direction, from
approach via the model. It did go through the modeling
(31:04):
agency, but it wasn't so much of a modeling gig
per se, I was part of the campaign's story, and
I guess it helped that I had a modeling background.
Alex Legouix (31:17):
Yes. And very much a modeling frame.
Francis Bourgeois (31:21):
Thank you. And yeah, it was just a crazy whirlwind, this production that I was on.
Alex Legouix (31:30):
Do you have a good relationship with social media? Are
you on it a lot anyway, regardless of your own presence
and videos?
Francis Bourgeois (31:40):
Kind of. Most of my time on social media is
consumed by me reading everything and looking at how people
are engaging with my stuff. Because although I'm totally organic
with what I'm putting out, I like to see how
people are reacting to it, but with that in mind, I'm also
(32:04):
very conscious of not getting too bogged down in engineering
my videos for people to watch. Because there was a
point where I felt like I had to do that
in order to keep on going. And then I lost
touch of the real core of the passion.
Alex Legouix (32:20):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (32:23):
So, there was a bit of a full circle moment where
I thought, actually, do you know what? I'm just going
to not think about how I'm phrasing the intro, I'm
just going to say what's on my mind and then
just let whatever happens pan out, and however I react
to it, be the core of the video. And happily,
(32:43):
I now know that that is the ultimate formula, because I'm
happiest because I'm not overthinking my passion and these situations
that I love, and also people are getting the genuine
me in these moments. The turning point was, I've filmed
a video at Hemel Hempstead, and I said, " I can't
(33:06):
believe I'm saying this, but I'm about to see two
rail tours crossing over at exactly the same point." And
I was dead excited about it, and I was on the
wrong side of the platform. And then in the moment
I was like S- H- I- T. Take the camera
off the lamp post that I'd mounted it onto, and
I'm like, I'm not going to be able to see it here. And usually if I'd
(33:28):
had my, thinking about my video too much, I'd think,
oh, well, that's ruined now, people are going to be
uninterested in the fact that this has happened. But I thought, you know
what? I'll just keep it rolling. And I left it.
The whole situation was part of the video. And I
was astounded by how well it did. And it's because
(33:51):
I didn't think at all about... I was just so in
the moment. And that's it, it's just passion and genuine, just being in
connection with what I love, and being in connection with
my feelings, that's just the formula that works. I'm sure,
can work for other video creators too. So, that house
(34:13):
over there, I lived in for two years, and here's
the university-
Alex Legouix (34:19):
Oh wow.
Francis Bourgeois (34:19):
... lovely green park. And I'd walk/ cycle along here,
I'd go up to the co- op on the corner
to get my little pasta ingredient. And I'd play Frisbee
with my friends in the park there, we'd have some
nice cold beers in the sun, when all of the
(34:41):
work's out the way. And then we're going to take
a left here.
Alex Legouix (34:44):
Oh, so we're actually going to be able to go
past your old flat, how exciting.
Francis Bourgeois (34:48):
Yeah. And there's an Nissan Micra that's exactly like my Nissan Micra.
Alex Legouix (34:51):
Oh yes, what's the name of your Micra?
Francis Bourgeois (34:54):
Lucy.
Alex Legouix (34:54):
Lucy. Why is it called Lucy?
Francis Bourgeois (34:57):
Because of the first two letters of the number plate.
Alex Legouix (34:59):
Oh.
Francis Bourgeois (34:59):
But it's very surreal to be here. I have happy
memories being here. And me and my friends used to, in the
evening, go in the garden, watch the planes come in
to East Midlands airport, because the flight path goes over the house.
And there'd always be a 747 that would fly in, in
the evening, from Cincinnati. And sometimes if we had a
(35:25):
bit more time on our hands, we'd go to the
airport itself to watch them come in.
Alex Legouix (35:32):
So, where are we right now?
Francis Bourgeois (35:37):
This is an industrial site in Nottingham where scrap metal
is put in these wagons and then transported to places
where they could be processed. I was just at the
bridge there once and I was filming a scrap train come out, when I
noticed a girl behind me standing there, and I thought, oh, it's
weird, carried on filming. And then she said, " Excuse me,
(35:59):
do you make train videos?" I was like, " Yeah." And then I
suddenly twigged, and she said, " Me and my boyfriend love
watching your videos." And it was the first time someone had said
that to me. And I was completely in shock, and
she asked for a photo. I would love to find
that photo out there somewhere. It was a moment of realization
(36:20):
that I'm not just putting stuff onto the internet and
then it sitting in isolation.
Alex Legouix (36:26):
It's obviously a really fond memory. Was or is fame important?
Francis Bourgeois (36:37):
The thing that I value is when I can see
how happy they are to see me, or when they say how
much my videos have helped them, whether it be through
lockdown or through school. And I can see the circle
of energy come from my videos and then almost back
(37:00):
to me, through their face. And that's what I value,
but sometimes it can quite easily get very overwhelming, having
lots of people saying hello and asking for photos, and
there are times where I just would really rather not
be recognized. And the fame has... It doesn't feel like
(37:24):
fame really, it feels like a bit of a glitch
in the Matrix. Because I haven't changed my lifestyle whatsoever,
apart from I take Amy out to nice restaurants and
things like that every so often. And I think because
I haven't changed my day- to- day, it does still
(37:46):
feel weird when someone says hello and stops me in
the street, but I'm slowly becoming used to it. But
I think because I spend so much time in other
people's minds thinking, oh, what are they thinking? Are they okay?
Da, da, da, da, da. I still have that preset in my brain. So,
I still treat people the same way. I don't take
(38:08):
it for granted, really. When I feel like I'm starting to
fall into being used to the fame, I guess, then
I'm plunked back into my normal patterns, with either something
that happens or just my normal behavior.
Alex Legouix (38:25):
You seem to have a lot of self- awareness.
Francis Bourgeois (38:27):
Yeah, yeah. I think now I've settled into it and
understand the position I'm in, I can make up my
mind, which would usually have otherwise been channeled to engineering
decisions, it's now applying the same skills that I've learned through engineering
to create solutions for what I'm doing with my work now.
Alex Legouix (38:49):
So, how was it having tripped down memory lane?
Francis Bourgeois (38:58):
It's been brilliant.
Alex Legouix (39:00):
Has it?
Francis Bourgeois (39:01):
Yeah. It doesn't feel like a year and a half
since I was last living here and studying here, but
feels like a lot more. I think because of all
the stuff that's happened in between. I think it's nice
that we've had a nice sunny day for it, and it's
really... I know the feeling of being in Nottingham, it
(39:24):
being a sunny day, looking forward to seeing my friends in
the afternoon, after doing stuff during the day.
Alex Legouix (39:31):
Yeah. Nice. Thank you for showing me the reins in the world of trainspotting. We
do, however, have one surprise up our sleeve.
Francis Bourgeois (39:41):
Oh really?
Alex Legouix (39:42):
Yeah. Would you like to drive the Alpina?
Francis Bourgeois (39:45):
Yes, please. I'd love to.
Alex Legouix (39:48):
Okay. Has it been a good match for you, do you reckon?
Francis Bourgeois (39:51):
Yeah, definitely.
Alex Legouix (39:51):
We did well?
Francis Bourgeois (39:52):
Yeah. I think the quirky rarity of Alpinas is something that I
really love, and how it's not just a BMW M4, it's a
real driver's and car enthusiasts car.
Alex Legouix (40:04):
Yeah. Agreed. All right. Ready? That suits you.
Francis Bourgeois (40:17):
Thank you. Happy days.
Alex Legouix (40:17):
Oh, it's quite nice to be driven for once. Enjoy.
Francis Bourgeois (40:29):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (40:30):
How does it feel?
Francis Bourgeois (40:31):
Great. I have to have a feel of it again, but
it's nice. Smooth, that's the word.
Alex Legouix (40:44):
Yeah, it is, considering it's a bit of a pocket
rocket. Are you thinking of getting a car?
Francis Bourgeois (40:51):
So, I've been browsing... I'm coming clean as an AutoTrader
regular browser/ addict amongst... Well, AutoTrader is the one I go
to the most.
Alex Legouix (41:04):
Oh, good.
Francis Bourgeois (41:06):
So, BMW M3 46, I'm constantly checking for new adverts. You
can really get excited about things because you can find
a good deal.
Alex Legouix (41:15):
So, we come to the end of our journey-
Francis Bourgeois (41:23):
Indeed.
Alex Legouix (41:23):
... almost. Have you enjoyed driving the Alpina?
Francis Bourgeois (41:26):
It's been a real treat. Just wish I could drive it back to London.
Alex Legouix (41:29):
Yeah, it'd be fun, wouldn't it? Thanks again, I've really enjoyed our chat.
Francis Bourgeois (41:35):
Yeah, I've loved it. It's been really nice. Been lucky with
the cars on the road as well, I've seen a
nice variety.
Alex Legouix (41:43):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (41:44):
And thank you for the lovely chat, I've really enjoyed it.
Alex Legouix (41:47):
Yeah, me too.
Francis Bourgeois (41:48):
But I'm taking us to Nottingham Station, as there's a
train coming through the station in a minute.
Alex Legouix (41:56):
I should have known there'd be some final train link.
Francis Bourgeois (42:01):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (42:01):
What train is it then?
Francis Bourgeois (42:03):
It's a Class 37.
Alex Legouix (42:06):
Okay.
Francis Bourgeois (42:06):
37 175, which is on a UTU test train. Stands for ultrasonic test unit.
Alex Legouix (42:13):
And what makes that train special?
Francis Bourgeois (42:15):
Because it sounds fantastic.
Alex Legouix (42:17):
So, you're excited again, I'm guessing?
Francis Bourgeois (42:19):
Mm- hmm.
Alex Legouix (42:21):
I hope you get to shout, hell- raiser.
Francis Bourgeois (42:23):
Hell fire.
Alex Legouix (42:25):
Oh, okay. I hope you get to shout, hell fire. Although, hell- raiser
would be good too. Right?
Francis Bourgeois (42:32):
Yeah. Maybe that's the American version that they're shouting.
Alex Legouix (42:37):
Yeah.
Francis Bourgeois (42:38):
Hell- raiser. Darn, that steam train was hell- raiser.
Alex Legouix (42:43):
I feel like I've got a long way to go before
I'm an official trainspotter, the T- shirt just isn't enough,
is it?
Francis Bourgeois (42:48):
Nah. Well, I guess in neutral now. One final rev?
Alex Legouix (42:54):
Yeah, go on then.
Francis Bourgeois (43:00):
Hopefully I can get to drive an Alpina again in the future.
Alex Legouix (43:02):
Yeah, I hope so.
Francis Bourgeois (43:05):
Well, thank you.
Alex Legouix (43:06):
Thank you Luke, Francis. I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together.
Francis Bourgeois (43:10):
Thanks. Thank you.
Alex Legouix (43:16):
Thanks so much to Francis Bourgeois for allowing me into
his fascinating world. You can see exclusive footage of the
drive by heading to the Autotrader socials. Look at the
episode page for links. You'll also be able to see
the Alpina B4, that Francis absolutely loved. And if you are
looking for a new vehicle, you can find your perfect match
(43:37):
at autotrader. co. uk. This is a new show and
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Show On The Road is a fresh air production for Autotrader.
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