11 shows you wouldn't expect to see on YouTube — from golf to Spitting Image

Times

a day ago

Are you watching YouTube on your television at home?
If the answer is yes, you're part of a revolution in how we are all enjoying content from the comfort of our front rooms. Although the video-sharing platform has been around for more than two decades, in recent years the proliferation of smart TVs has seem more and more of us tuning in to its content on the biggest screen in the house.
A recent Ofcom report revealed that YouTube's in-home viewing is expanding rapidly: there was a 13 per cent increase in just the past year. It now has a 14 per cent share of total viewing, placing it behind the BBC, on 19 per cent, but ahead of ITV (12 per cent), Netflix (8 per cent) and other broadcasters (7 per cent).
And it's not just younger viewers driving the trend. Over-55s are watching almost double the amount of YouTube content on their TVs as they once were: 11 minutes a day last year, compared with just six minutes in 2023.
So if you're one of the recent converts and looking for high-quality content on your big screen, what should you be watching?
From politics and comedy to music and movies, here are 11 channels worth trying out.
In the Eighties and Nineties the satirical puppet show attracted millions of viewers to ITV. Now it's back, on YouTube, called Spitting Image presents: The Rest is Bulls*!t. Presented by Prince Harry and Paddington Bear and overseen by the comedians Matt Forde and Al Murray, it is a parody of a vodcast that promises to bring regular a flow of foul-mouthed satire to viewers. You can check out the first episode on the channel now. youtube.com/@SpittingImage
With more than nine million subscribers, the Fab Four haven't faded away in the digital age. Viewers are treated to a veritable treasure trove of playlists and archive footage of the band, as well as some fascinating insights into how they made Now and Then, released in 2023 and dubbed the Beatles' last song. Add to that clips and short documentaries about the influence of the band, plus almost every song available to stream, and any music fan will be glad they stopped by. You might also like @TheRollingStones and @thebeachboys. youtube.com/@TheBeatles
Named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential digital voices 2025, the 31-year-old British comedian and writer is best known to YouTube audiences as the presenter of the interview series Chicken Shop Date. Guests treated to her dry wit and sardonic interviewing style over a bag of chips and a box of nuggets include Ben Stiller, Jennifer Lawrence, Ryan Reynolds and Ed Sheeran. With more than three million subscribers on her YouTube channel, Dimoldenberg has risen so sharply she also presents official red carpet coverage from the Oscars, the Brits and the Golden Globes. youtube.com/@AmeliaDimoldenberg
If classic movies are your thing, try this channel before you pay for any streaming services. It has more than 350 classic films, many of which have been remastered to improve their quality. They include the 1971 western Hannie Caulder, the 1976 war-adventure film Shout at the Devil and the 1971 version of Black Beauty starring Mark Lester and Uschi Glas. Similar channels worth browsing are PizzaFlix, Classic Entertainment and The Best Film Archives. youtube.com/@FlickVault
Gary Lineker's Goalhanger podcast stable offers a selection of video podcasts on YouTube, many of which have exclusive content that you won't hear on the audio versions. History fans can watch The Times columnist Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland bring alive everything from the execution of Mary Queen of Scots to the origins of the First World War with The Rest is History. The former Downing Street director of communications Alastair Campbell and one-time Conservative MP Rory Stewart 'agree disagreeably' about the week's political events on The Rest is Politics, while Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards debate all things football over a glass of red on The Rest is Football. If you're more interested in economics, try Robert Peston and Steph McGovern's The Rest is Money, and for TV, music and film fans there's Richard Osman and Marina Hyde on The Rest is Entertainment.
Cartographical errors have never been so entertaining. A mix of Monty Python and Horrible histories, this unusual but wildly popular channel run by the comedian Jay Foreman and the former geography teacher Mark Cooper-Jones offers a heady mix of deadpan humour, absurd cutaways and visual humour to not just entertain but educate too. Each episode (many of which attract more than four million views) begins with a simple map-based geographical question such as 'what's the world's oldest border?' before taking viewers on quite the ride. If you miss the A-Z street atlas this is the channel for you. youtube.com/@JayForeman
The broadcaster has been embracing YouTube for several years with impressive results, growing a large and loyal audience for full episodes of Channel 4 shows uploaded to the platform. As well as the usual array of clips and trailers for new shows, visitors to the Channel 4 YouTube channel can access full episodes of a number of the most popular shows, including Grand Designs, Gogglebox, First Dates, Travel Man, as well as extensive exclusive clips from across the network's back catalogue. youtube.com/@Channel4
The British comedian John Oliver has been the toast of late-night HBO (and in the UK, Sky) for more than a decade thanks to Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, his weekly satire of the biggest news stories. But YouTube fans get even more of the former Daily Show reporter's humour and investigations when they go online. Not only are many of his full-length shows available to stream on the official YouTube channel, there are many web-exclusive missives available on a variety of subjects, from rocks and 'snack video games' to Pringles (yes, the crisps) and The Da Vinci Code. youtube.com/@LastWeekTonight
Ever wondered what sex was like in the Middle Ages or how much damage a Napoleonic cannon could do? Well, these are just some of the questions posed on this seriously addictive channel for history buffs, which blends a traditional TV-documentary-history-show feel with just enough social media flourish to appeal to all ages. Best of all, it has serious historical chops, with Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Tristan Hughes, Alice Loxton and Luke Tomes among the presenters bringing the past alive. youtube.com/@HistoryHit
The entrepreneur Steven Bartlett may be best known to many as one of the investors on BBC's Dragons' Den, but his YouTube channel is a true behemoth, with more than 11.5 million subscribers. His one-on-one interviews are sleek and well produced and offer viewers long-form discussions with notable figures from the world of politics, business, sport, entertainment and academia. Guests have included the former prime minister Boris Johnson, the psychologist Jordan Peterson and the 'godfather of AI', Geoffrey Hinton. He also hosts panel discussions on topics from feminism to the threat of the Third World War. youtube.com/@TheDiaryOfACEO
A great British success story on YouTube, Shiels started his channel almost 15 years ago as a way to promote his golf coaching business, but since then it has grown into a fully formed golf entertainment experience. There are still reviews of equipment on there, but these days the channel has mostly given way to well-produced long-form videos, with Rick and big name players involved in various challenges round the most beautiful and exotic courses. Just like you don't have to be a car nut to like Top Gear, there's something charming and fun about this channel that will draw in viewers regardless of their handicap, or indeed, knowledge of golf. youtube.com/@RickShielsPGA
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