The 41 best shows to watch on YouTube
It is the world's democratised TV station, with videos uploaded by you and me, and no executives to act as gatekeepers (and, yes, that means there's a lot of nonsense too). There are an estimated 15bn videos on the service, with about 500 hours of content uploaded every single minute, so where do you start?
As an exhausted father-of-three trying to stay fit, sane and abreast of current affairs, YouTube can be a lifeline – dare I say, it educates, informs and entertains (and, when my children are in charge, utterly baffles).
I've pulled together a relatively skimpy list of excellent programmes and channels that I find useful, with everything listed below currently free to watch. All human life is there. Let the binge-watch begin.
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Old TV shows
The Addams Family
Amazon MGM Studios has episodes of the original and best adaptation of Charles Addams's New Yorker cartoon strip. Sure, it's creepy and kooky, but at its heart, it's one of the great US sitcoms from the golden era.
Watch here
The Prisoner
There are lots of lovely old things on the ITV Retro channel, including a super suave Patrick McGoohan trying to find his way out of Portmeirion, followed by a large balloon. Also in ITV Retro's collection – Thunderbirds, Stingray and Joe 90. A vault of nostalgia.
The Dick Van Dyke Show
You'll find most classic British sitcoms on the iPlayer or ITVX, but YouTube is terrific for older American shows. FilmRise Television has every episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as every episode of tawdry US reality show Cheaters, in case that's more to your taste.
Steptoe and Son
Matt's Shack has restored and colourised several episodes of the Galton and Simpson classic, along with episodes of On the Buses and Till Death Us Do Part. If that's not enough for you, Matt also has a host of videos of vintage television sets that he has lovingly restored – he also runs the Facebook page for the UK Vintage TV restorers. Captivatingly eccentric stuff.
Classic British Telly
Remember Mr Big? The 1970s sitcom starring Prunella Scales and Peter Jones. Or The Rough with the Smooth with Tim Brooke-Taylor and John Junkin? AP Herbert's Misleading Cases? Muck and Brass? The Kit Curran Radio Show? The deep cuts of British TV from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s can be found on the aptly named Classic British Telly. Enjoy.
Old films
The Kid (1921)
One of Charlie Chaplin's finest, as the Tramp takes in an abandoned baby (played by Jackie Coogan when he grows up a little). A US newspaper of the time called Chaplin's performance 'the best Hamlet alive today'.
Safety Last! (1923)
A silent film classic from Harold Lloyd with one of the most recognisable images in movie history – The Boy (Lloyd) dangling from the hands of a giant clock high above the Los Angeles traffic.
His Girl Friday (1940)
Howard Hawks's screwball comedy classic has Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell on the finest of form, and simply can't be beat. If there's anyone in your life who hasn't yet seen it, correct that as soon as you can.
A Study in Terror (1965)
There's rather a lot of Sherlock Holmes on YouTube should you do some digging about. This 1960s effort stars the great Shakespearean John Neville as Baker Street's finest, with Donald Houston as Watson, on the trail of Jack the Ripper.
Watch here
When Eight Bells Toll (1971)
Based on Alistair MacLean's novel, this espionage thriller starring a fresh-faced Anthony Hopkins was intended to rival James Bond. It didn't, but it's good fun watching Hopkins in action hero mode.
Self-improvement
Yoga with Adriene
Sure, it's all a little West Coast woo-woo (though Adriene Mishler is based in Austin, Texas), but this catalogue of instructional videos is unfussy, clear and supremely relaxing. And as a yoga newbie, I finally know my Corpse Pose from my Downward Facing Dog. Back still hurts though.
PBS Space Time
The internet is filled with 'gee whizz that's amazing' pop-science slop, which can make finding the real thing a little tricky. Nasa astrophysicist Dr Matt O'Dowd explains everything from black holes to the edge of the universe (and aliens) in short, engaging films, free from jargon or gimmicks. He's the coolest physics teacher you never had.
Veritasium
One if you'd like to look like a smarta--- down the pub. Australian Derek Muller takes seemingly simple science subjects – how bicycles work, gravity, the speed of light – then sets about proving why everyone is wrong about them. If it all makes your head ache too much, he does experiments as well – try Getting Buried In Concrete To Explain How It Works (and yes, that video does exactly what it says on the tin).
Watch here
Math Queen
Depending on the level of your maths confidence, you'll either find German Susanne Scherer completely delightful or terrifyingly impenetrable. Susanne sets advanced mathematics challenges before walking through how to solve them. If you have kids eyeing up science at Oxbridge, get them onto the Math Queen.
Watch here
Proper DIY
There are a huge amount of DIY channels on YouTube, but most of them are too bombastic and too, well… American. Stuart Matthews stands out because he's exactly the sort of bluff, middle-aged British bloke you'd trust to replumb your bathroom or advise you on drills – he even shows you how to build Ikea furniture properly. Great DIY advice, terrifying father-in-law material.
Cooking shows
Iron Chef
To understand modern cookery shows, you have to understand the frankly bananas early-1990s format Iron Chef. Fronted by the panto aristocrat Chairman Kaga (Takeshi Kaga), the Japanese series pits top chefs against a troupe of selected 'Iron Chefs', in a format that is not dissimilar to The Power Rangers. An enjoyable throwback, complete with terrible American dubbing.
Babish Culinary Universe
Skip the silly, influencer-tinged videos (eating Oreos, rating vending machine snacks) and zone in the USP of deadpan chef Andrew Rea and his Binging with Babish videos, in which he recreates dishes from TV and film. Think ' Spa-Peggy and meatballs' from King of the Hill, Breaking Bad's Pollos Hermanos chicken, Ned Flanders's hot chocolate from The Simpsons, and the ratatouille from Ratatouille. No meal is too grotesque.
Pasta Grannies
A genius concept. Finding and filming real-life nonnas (and the occasional nonno) in Italy who divulge their family's secret pasta recipes. Cheering, wholesome, delicious – and the vast majority of the chefs are over 90. I recommend 99-year-old Battina's potato and cheese culurgiones. The best thing? Jamie Oliver is nowhere in sight.
Bon Appétit
The food magazine's channel is pretentious foodie heaven. There is the usual plethora of recipes, from the simple (brownies, meatballs) to the convoluted (40-hour Peking duck), plus a series on how New York's most revered eateries create their iconic dishes. Best of all however are the timelapse videos recording a pass in various restaurants or following someone's entire shift at a Philly cheesesteak joint or a Chicago deep-dish pizza place. A must for fans of The Bear.
Watch here
Flavour Hacking
Okay, so there are only six episodes and it's content made by, of all things, San Pellegrino, but Flavour Hacking is so good you'll want 60 episodes (and, possibly, some San Pellegrino). Each short episode takes one basic ingredient – eggs, rice, tomatoes, potatoes, beef and salad – and shows you simple but ingenious ways to improve your cooking (ie, never salt raw eggs).
Watch here
History and archive
History Hit
Dan Snow's all-conquering history-doc empire has an impressive roster of content, from full-length documentaries and whimsical 'deep dives' into the accuracy of films (Braveheart, Gladiator, Monty Python and the Holy Grail) to on-location essays and, that old online favourite, 'challenges': ' Could you Survive in the Duke of Wellington's Army? ', and the like. It turns out, I could not survive in the Duke of Wellington's army. Awful business.
British Pathé
An absolute treasure. Some of the news archive is behind a paywall (subscription is £1.99 a month), but most of it is free. Pathé has curated some interesting compilations – ' 8 Beautiful Vintage Travelogues ', ' 10 Mesmerising Manufacturing Films from the 1950s ' – but the real joy is in trawling through the archive and alighting on curios. I recommend Men Will be Boys, a three-minute video about model railways and boats, and their middle-aged builders. Now there's mindfulness.
Watch here
BBC Archive
An online museum of Britain. You could lose days here, but I suggest heading to the Classic Interviews section (Paxman and Bowie from 1999, Orson Welles on making Citizen Kane, Robin Day grilling Fidel Castro in Havana) or Voice of the People, a quite fantastic collection of vox pops from over the decades. The British people, it seems, are quite, quite mad.
Thames TV
Another wonderful archive to bring out your inner Adam Curtis. The Thames TV collection has a heavy emphasis on interviews and news footage, but it's none the worse for that. Highlights include Kenneth Williams on his inferiority complex and a patrician 1971 report on British schools ('They're fine as long as the child is quite bright and not too sensitive,' sniffs the voiceover). The archive of stock footage is mesmerising enough by itself.
Debate and current affairs
Intelligence Squared
Brain food of the highest order with an intimidating catalogue of debates and talks. There is something for everyone, from religion and politics to economics and, er, Matt Haig. Contributors include Jordan Peterson, Mehdi Hasan, Yuval Noah Harari and Steven Pinker. My pick? Greece vs Rome, with Boris Johnson and Mary Beard, is good fun.
Jubilee: Surrounded
Question Time too dry for you? Try this attention-grabbing format. This debate channel pits one against 20, often with explosive results. One conservative vs 20 feminists. One cop vs 20 criminals. One progressive vs 20 far-right. Jordan Peterson vs 20 people who aren't Jordan Peterson. High-minded debate for the viral video generation.
Watch here
Oxford Union
For a far more traditional slice of the debating chamber cut-and-thrust, the Oxford Union has a deep archive of debates and talks. Recent debate topics have included the ' death of God ', the case for and against cancel culture, and multiculturalism. Jordan Peterson is involved, because that's the law with YouTube discussions.
The Hitchens Archive
A whole channel dedicated to the arch-debater himself. There are talks on Orwell, America and evil, conversations with Martin Amis and Robert Wright, and, of course, debates about the existence of God. Prepare to be Hitch-slapped. No Jordan Peterson.
Channels for frazzled parents
Nat Geo Kids
For children into the natural world, this is high-quality heaven. As well as the eye-popping nature docs, you get a host of behind-the-scenes action, tips on how to be eco-friendly, all the weird facts you could ever want, plus a series about Greek mythology. They'll be geniuses within a week. Or know-it-all nerds who can't stop spouting fascinating facts. Either way, out of your hair for half an hour.
Cosmic Kids Yoga
The super upbeat Jaime Amor is an excellent person to plonk your children in front of on a rainy day. As well as yoga, she does mindfulness and relaxation, but most of all, she gets the little ones up on their feet and jumping off some of that endless energy. The many, many cartoon/movie tie-ins help too.
Watch here
Blippi
Parents despise him, but this hyperactive, orange bow-tie wearing man-child can captivate (and, whisper it, educate) children for hours on end. His frenzied videos see him cartwheeling about a farm or a fire station or a theme park, generally becoming irritatingly enthused by all he sees. The songs will never leave your head. Can't stomach him? Try Handyman Hal instead.
Ms. Rachel
Essentially the nursery teacher of your toddler's dreams, Ms. Rachel is a supernaturally jolly, dungarees-clad bundle of cutesy, wholesome energy, churning out videos on everything from numeracy to potty training. Put her on and watch your toddler be sucked to the screen as if stuck in a tractor beam. Far more preferable to the abominable Cocomelon.
Watch here
Miscellaneous
Criterion Closet Picks
A lovely idea from The Criterion Collection, the classic-film company, as they open up their closet (that's a cupboard to you and me) of 1,700-plus movies (that's films, etc) and allow noted Hollywood types to choose their favourites. Winona Ryder goes for avant garde (Cassavettes, French stuff), Danny Boyle opts for Bob Fosse, Ben Affleck recommends Terrence Malick's Badlands. And Francis Ford Coppola chooses a self-funded, critically mauled Jacques Tati flop that he calls an unappreciated masterpiece (yes, the closet can also act as therapy).
GeoWizard
It's hard not to warm to Tom Davies, a madcap Midlander who does off-kilter travelogues. And while off-kilter travelogues are 10-a-penny on YouTube, Davies has become famed for his inspired USP – crossing countries in a straight line. This means doing battle with walls, hedges, mountains, buildings, private land and irate farmers. His multiple attempts to cross Wales are fantastic.
The ISS livestream
Essentially more an act of ' slow-TV ' mindfulness than anything else, this channel does what it says on the tin. You get a real-time shot of the Earth, as recorded by the International Space Station, while blissed-out commenters coo and enthuse at the side. On-screen text tells you what the green-blue blur you are looking at is, but this is mainly an excuse to switch off your brain and drift. Oh look, it's Kiribati.
Watch here
The French Whisperer
ASMR – or autonomous sensory meridian response, aka getting a nice tingly sensation from sound – is big business these days, and it isn't just for dodgy blokes who enjoy being purred at. The French Whisperer stands out for two reasons: a) he tells you about something interesting, Mont Saint-Michel, say, or the history of ceramics. And b) he's French! Allow his soft Gallic purr to soothe your weary mind.
ColinFurze
An intoxicating blend of genius scientist and idiot man-child, Furze takes on madcap design challenges – a jet-powered vacuum cleaner, a chainsaw-powered lamp, a homemade hoverbike, digging an underground bunker – with boundless energy and endless ingenuity. You'll admire him, and be incredibly grateful you don't live next door to him.
Watch here
NPR Tiny Desk
Who knows why NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts work, but they really do. Begun as an alternative to concerts for middle-aged people who can't be bothered with the crowds, it has become a phenomenon that the stars queue up to perform on (where they do so, yes, at a tiny desk in a small office). Recent acts include Gillian Welch, the cast of West End musical Sunset Boulevard and Sabrina Carpenter.
Watch here
Folding Ideas
YouTube is awash with people making long-form content about this, that and the other, but what sets Canadian Dan Olson apart is that he's actually a documentary-maker. It's almost impossible to describe his work, as he seems to make films on whatever he likes, but we recommend beginning with In Search of a Flat Earth or Jamie Oliver's War on Nuggets. Some are formally ambitious, some are as simple as can be. All are idiosyncratic, amusing and captivating.
Watch here
Great Art Explained
Or to give it its full title – Great Art Explained in 15 Minutes. Art historian James Payne talks you through the most famous paintings on Earth and gives you the dinner-party ready scoop on everything from The Starry Night to The Great Wave. And if you've developed bad reading habits, sister channel Great Books Explained is here to save your bacon.
Watch here
Life in a Day 2020
The ultimate YouTube – and lockdown – project. A follow-up to Kevin Macdonald's 2011 film of the same name and concept, Life in a Day asked people to send in home videos of themselves, all filmed on the same day. Macdonald, somehow, distilled the 324,000 videos he received, from 194 countries, into a mesmerising, two-hour snapshot of lockdown life on Earth. You can watch the original film, plus unused footage, on this channel too.
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EXCLUSIVE: Jake Roche may have found fame in Rixton, but Coleen Nolan and Shane Richie's son is now taking to the stage in a completely new way Coleen Nolan's son Jake Roche may have carved out a name for himself in entertainment, but he has no issues with the term "nepo baby." The 32-year-old first found fame as a singer with the band Rixton alongside Lewi Morgan, Charley Bagnall and Danny Wilkin after posting covers on YouTube. But now, over 10 years after the band first found fame, Jake, 32, is taking to the stage for another reason. Tomorrow, he will perform the start of his 14 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his Neporrhoids show. "I took the show up last year for the whole month, and it was a great opportunity to keep developing it," Jake exclusively told the Mirror. He went on to add: "I'm bringing it back up for the final two weeks with a more convenient time slot, which feels nice for the comedy crowd." 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If I go up to Edinburgh Fringe and I don't sell a single ticket, I have the privilege of a safety net, but I'm probably in the small percentage of people who have been so incredibly supported in the thing that I want to do – not many people can say that. "It doesn't rub me up the wrong way if someone calls me a nepo-baby, I've even got badges made for when people come and see the show that says 'Nepo-baby', I know what I can do and I know what I'm capable of and as long as I talk about it and acknowledge it, that's all I can do. It doesn't annoy me." Speaking about uploading covers to YouTube with his bandmates, filmed in Coleen's garage, Jake says: "Scooter Braun didn't come along and go 'Your mum's Coleen Nolan from Loose Women, I'll sign you!' he didn't have a clue." With Rixton, Jake racked up a UK Number 1 with their debut single, Me and My Broken Heart, as well as two further Top 40 tracks. He said of his time in the band: "I learned a lot with Rixton in terms of stagecraft and being able to write songs really quickly. "It's kind of taking all those skills and pumping them into an hour-long comedy show. I didn't realise how much I actually loved being on stage, I feel it's sort of what I'm here to do, and the show is about me accepting that, inheriting this want and need to be seen and validated and is what I've sort of inherited from my family. "I just look back at those moments with Rixton and look at them really fondly, I really learnt so much." And showbiz runs in his blood, with his dad, of course, being Shane, his mum Coleen also comes from a showbiz background, having found fame as a member of The Nolans, famed for their hit I'm In The Mood For Dancing – taking on the world with their Irish-Blackpool charm and powerful vocals. Coleen was just two years old when she first appeared on stage, before joining her sisters in the seventies. She didn't officially join the group until 1980, with the family. The group sold over 30 million records across the globe, becoming one of the biggest-selling groups. But what do his family think of his career move? Jake explained: "They've always just been incredibly supportive. When I was doing the work in progress shows, I think there might have been, they never told me, there was probably a bit of 'Oh dear', but as the show has been developed and time has gone on, it's in a more stable position now. They're so supportive. "My dad came and watched it three or four times when it was on Fringe last year. People who sit near him in the crowd come up to me and they're like 'It was incredibly awkward,' because there's some awkward conversations in there between me and my dad. But the show speaks for itself in terms of what we consider entertainment and what we're willing to do to be famous. "So even my dad sitting there is slightly ironic. My mum is great, although every time she posts, last year we had a horde of Loose Women fans, which is really lovely, but as the show started going on, I could just sense these really confused Loose fans thinking 'What the f**k is he doing?' I'm happy for anyone to turn up, there's definitely been fans of my mum and dad and fans of Rixton, it's quite confronting for an audience member, which is what I wanted the show to be. They've been amazing, as always." Although the show is currently on the Edinburgh Fringe, Jake admits that he could see himself taking the show on the road. "I'd like to do another London run or a Manchester run, there's talks of it going over to America and I'm developing a TV version of it," he revealed. There are "interesting chats" going on behind the scenes about a future TV development and a musical. He's also returning to his musical roots. He said: "I'm recording music for an EP, I've just signed a deal which is exciting. I'm a busy chap and I feel like with Neporrhoids, it's a chapter of my life I've processed and I'm happy to tuck it away. "I've got a kid, I'm married, I've grown up. I think Neporrhoids was me making sense of it, and I'm happy with where it's at." Now, as a dad of a small baby, he is enjoying the slower pace of life, having no longer reached burnout the way he did in his twenties with Rixton. "With these projects, there's no timeline for me; I'm happy for them to take as long as they need to develop into whatever shape or form. There's a lot going on, which I'm really excited about."
