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Max Fosh Reveals SHOCKING Truth About His YouTube Videos
Max Fosh Reveals SHOCKING Truth About His YouTube Videos
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About this episode
Max Fosh shares the ups and downs of his YouTube journey, revealing the shocking truth behind his high-budget videos and the pressures of content creation. He discusses the challenges of being labeled as 'posh' and how it shaped his comedic style, while also reflecting on the importance of authenticity and audience connection. The conversation touches on his most memorable moments, including scoring a goal at Wembley and the lessons learned from viral hits like 'Welcome to Luton.' Fosh emphasizes the balance between creativity and analytics in his work, and the significance of having a supportive network.
In this episode of Road To Success, I sit down with Max Fosh to talk about the parts of YouTube no one really prepares you for.We talk about:Losing £35,000 on a single videoBecoming addicted to analyticsWhy millions of views still don’t feel like “real” successThe pressure of being known for one viral momentWhy TV still feels like the “blue tick” — even when YouTube is biggerAnd the uncomfortable truth that creators are never fully satisfiedThis isn’t a highlight reel.It’s an honest conversation about validation, risk, identity, and what chasing big ideas actually costs.If you’ve ever chased success — online or offline — this one will hit home.👇 Let us know in the comments:Does success ever actually feel like enough?
Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more exciting content about your favourite shows and celebrities. Hit the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest episodes👍 Like, Comment, and Share this episode. Join our discussion in the comments sectionCheck out Tweak: https://www.tweakuk.com/🔗 Follow Us:Instagram: @Roadtosuccessofficialpodcast@benedictfowlerContact: [email protected]
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Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Term
fuel line
"I just kicked out the fuel line. The engine was absolutely fine, but I just kicked out the fuel line."
The fuel line is a pipe that carries fuel from the gas tank to the engine. If it's not connected properly, the engine won't get fuel and can stop working.
The fuel line is a critical component in a vehicle's fuel system, responsible for transporting fuel from the tank to the engine. If the fuel line is damaged or disconnected, the engine may not receive the necessary fuel to operate properly.
Concept
Formula One
"So let's take Formula One, the last few years, Drive to Survive. And so many people are either ashamed or fine to admit, I came to Formula One because I really like Drive to Survive."
Formula One is a type of car racing that involves fast cars competing in races on special tracks. It's known for its exciting races and advanced technology.
Formula One is the highest class of single-seater auto racing, recognized worldwide for its high-speed races and advanced technology. It features a series of races known as Grands Prix, held on various circuits around the globe.
Concept
Drive to Survive
"So let's take Formula One, the last few years, Drive to Survive. And so many people are either ashamed or fine to admit, I came to Formula One because I really like Drive to Survive."
Drive to Survive is a TV show on Netflix that shows behind-the-scenes footage of Formula One racing. It has made many people interested in the sport.
Drive to Survive is a popular Netflix documentary series that provides an inside look at the world of Formula One racing. It has significantly increased the sport's popularity by showcasing the drama and excitement of the races and the lives of the drivers.
Car
Volkswagen up
"So my first car was a Volkswagen up 999 cc. So not even one liter and I for years and years and years I drove that around the country making the videos."
The Volkswagen up is a small car that's easy to drive around town. It has a small engine, which helps it save fuel and makes it perfect for city driving.
The Volkswagen up is a small city car designed for urban driving, known for its compact size and efficiency. It features a 999 cc engine, making it suitable for city commutes.
Car
Land Rover Range Rover
"I could also see you very happily wafting down the road in a green over tan Range Rover. I think that's the poshness in me."
The Range Rover is a fancy SUV that is great for both off-road adventures and driving in style. It's known for being comfortable and luxurious.
The Range Rover is a luxury SUV known for its off-road capability and premium features. It's often associated with a high level of comfort and prestige.
Car
Audi A1
"...driving somewhere in an Audi A1 that's like blends in. No I'm not a particularly..."
The Audi A1 is a small car made by Audi. It's known for being stylish and comfortable, making it a good choice for city driving.
The Audi A1 is a premium subcompact car known for its stylish design and high-quality interior. It's designed for urban driving and offers a range of efficient engines.
Car
Audi A3
"...I've got an Audi A3 is my car. I'm not a particularly flash guy..."
The Audi A3 is a compact car from Audi that offers a mix of sportiness and luxury. It's available in different styles, like a sedan or hatchback, and is known for its comfortable interior.
The Audi A3 is a compact car that combines sporty performance with luxury features. It is available in various body styles, including sedan and hatchback, and is known for its refined interior and advanced technology.
Select text to request an explanation
I spent
£40,000 on that video idea. I made back
£5,000. I lost £5,000 at that video.
Max, the world's youngest grandpa.
Yeah.
A member of the royal family, one of the richest people in the world.
He's done some things that are actually probably quite scary.
Just a lava and a volcano and sat next to a bear like,
it will often get, you're the unoreversed guy, you're the welcome to looting guy.
Passengers flying into Gatwick were in their stays and panic.
That's really funny.
I think when I got 100,000 subscribers, I like burst into tears.
But what I then discovered is that the number on the screen doesn't really reflect anything.
Mum and Dad, they don't understand if a video has got 5 million views or 10 million views.
They do understand if you're suddenly on Celebrity MasterChef.
There is something in me that still wants to be able to say,
Mum, Dad, I've got, I'm on.
Max!
I wasn't sure whether to introduce you as the world's youngest grandpa.
Yeah.
A member of the royal family or one of the richest people in the world.
For seven minutes, according to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
But in your latest video, you'd convince people to get in the back of your van in London.
Yeah.
And I've managed to convince you to get in the back of mine.
Yes.
So Max, in your own words, who are you and what do you do?
Yeah, my name is Max Fosh.
Probably a YouTuber and a comedian is probably the best way to describe it.
And I make videos on the internet that I would call.
I mean, I've constantly struggled with this question.
I don't really know how to describe what I do, but probably silly stunts.
Pranks maybe, but I hate the word pranks because they have a real bad kind of negative connotation.
So, but yeah, I'm a YouTube comedian.
I deal in anything silly.
So as you say, I want to become the legally the youngest grandpa in the world.
So I adopted my best mate's dad.
And so yeah, that's what that's, that's who I am.
But as a creator, I know that there's a lot more intelligence behind the video titles that makes the videos tick and gets the point where so many podcasters want to talk to you about what you do and how you got to where you are.
But something that I see coming up time and time again in conversations you have is them going in on the private school, posh, Harrow, Eaton, get into the conversations all around that.
Now I want to just begin by asking you, have you listened to the song Freaky Friday?
Do you know what song that is if I say it?
I think so.
Yes.
It's the one with Chris Brown and Ed Sheeran and they're all in each other's body.
Yeah.
And when I watch your content and the way you present it to your audience, it's like, you know, your audience so well that you're one of them that was trapped in the body of a posh guy.
And that's kind of how I, I saw it.
Can you relate to that in any way?
I mean, a little bit.
I mean, the poshness is just something that it's, it doesn't represent who I am.
I don't think the sense that where everyone, where anyone has come from represents who they are as a person.
It's just literally my upbringing.
I can't change that.
And so, you know, a lot of the time it's at the beginning, it was something that I would kind of hang my hat on in terms of content and interviewing lots of posh people because I knew that that's what the main comments would be.
But as I've slightly grown as a creator, the poshness element of it has completely kind of fallen by the wayside.
And I don't, I don't acknowledge it.
I don't talk about it.
I mean, sometimes I'll lean into it as a playful joke, but it's not basically the be all and end all.
And also because a lot of my audience is international.
Like if you think, I think 45% of my audience is the US, 10, 12% is from Australia, Germany, India.
And so only about 15% is from the UK.
And I've, I've realized that poshness in the way that the people in Britain understand it doesn't really translate to the rest of the world.
I was kind of in the States and they don't, they couldn't comprehend the difference between someone who has a Geordie accent and someone who has a Birmingham accent.
I mean, American probably won't be able to understand either of those two people, but they just kind of put all of us within this, this bubble of being English or British.
So the poshness element of it is, you know, I'm 30 now.
I haven't been, I've been part of the school system of kind of like Harrow where it was really prevalent, my upbringing for 12 years.
And so it is such a small part of who I am and just something that I don't really pay attention to.
So, and yeah, we don't, I don't really make content anymore that is around the world of poshness.
But I think the challenge you had was that in beginning to create content in the UK, not in one of the other nations that now makes up a significant part of your following.
The UK is a typically quite negative, reactive nation.
It's like you talk about the US and my friends in the US, if I ever do something, they're like, yeah, man, well done.
You smashed that out of the park.
I'm so proud of you.
And my friends here are like, it's a bit shit, wasn't it?
And that's the difference.
So we're speaking to so many people that have had success from different upbringings and startings.
I understand on this how difficult it is to start in the UK with that handle though, because immediately people want to comment something negative.
People want to comment on the back foot.
People want to just say that it's because of this and this and this and this and this.
Have you always found that easy to just bash off or has it ever got to you?
I think, yeah, yes.
I don't think it would be slightly disingenuous of me to sit here to be like, yeah, being posh was the most difficult part of the upbringing.
And I kind of had every opportunity growing up.
And what I kind of say to my parents is that I really appreciated them, the fact that I could go out and try something.
And if it didn't work, I would be OK.
And I really wanted to make sure I took that opportunity.
And yes, at the beginning, there was a few comments of posh twat, whatever.
That's absolutely fine.
But I knew that if the hence why I've now got merch that says, which is a signet ring that says posh twat on it.
But I knew that at the beginning, if I could slightly be disarming with it and fun with it, then we see this in media.
There's always the lovable kind of floppy head posh bloke in media, whether that's Hugh Grant or Jack Whitehall or Jamie Lang.
They're all these kind of very bumbling.
I mean, Boris Johnson for a large part of his career before he kind of became Prime Minister was always he's a bit of fun.
He's that posh bloke.
It's almost kind of a bit of a character.
And so when I started, I kind of wanted to acknowledge that but also shine a light.
And I realized that interviewing posh people was the perfect way of doing that because I kind of could could side myself with the audience.
I'd be like, God, get a load at these guys.
Aren't they absolutely nuts?
But also I was one of them so I could have that access to be able to talk to posh people on their level.
And what I found was so interesting was that members of the public loved watching posh people say something really stupid.
And posh people loved looking really stupid on camera.
It kind of became this like Stockholm syndrome where they would enjoy being made to look like fools.
And so I often would have people, this is back on the street smart days when I was interviewing people.
They would come up to me and say something intentionally outrageous because they thought that that's how they would get into the video and keep in the edit.
And so I would often just have to kind of like dial it back and be like, no, no, let's just have a conversation.
Don't worry, the stupidity will come naturally.
So at the beginning it was something that I kind of looked into but now it's not really something that I process.
Was your life before boarding school, etc?
Sport, sport, sport.
Which maybe a large proportion of your audience wouldn't be aware of if they're casual viewers that dip in and out of every other video, etc.
So my dad was a professional sportsman when he was in his teenage years and early twenties.
He was a professional cricketer for Essex and then he retired at 22 to kind of pursue a different career in the city.
And so when I was growing up, I was just sport mad.
I kind of was football, cricket, rugby, whatever, I was playing it.
And so I, you know, had huge ambitions when I was growing up and wanting to be a sportsman.
I thought that was the path I was going to go down.
I then realised I wasn't very good.
And so then probably it's 15, 16, I realised, OK, this is probably not going to be cut out for me.
But I was outside all the time, that's what I wanted to do.
But what I find fascinating, which I will take a stop at for a second in so many people's stories, is these things still somehow carry themselves through.
It's just you never could have possibly seen how, like when you're stood on Wembley football pitch playing football, or you've still made it into law.
So you're doing a video about this.
It might not be the actual thing, but it's an even better version of the thing in some ways.
It's so funny because like it's a very reflective of my videos, which is like I've hacked away at becoming a professional sportsman.
Like I've played at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000 people.
I've played at the Olympic Stadium in front of 60.
I've scored at the Olympic Stadium.
Like if you told 13 year old Max that one day you'd score a goal in front of 60,000 people, he would obviously immediately assume I'd become a professional football player.
It would have been quite a surprise if I had said, actually, no, you will not have done that, but you still will achieve it.
And like I've managed to, that's kind of the thing that I'm most grateful about this job and the most positive externalities of being a YouTuber is being able to experience kind of sport in a way that is the closest to being a professional.
I played in the Wentworth Pro-Am, which is the BMW Championships, which is a golf event which is massive here in the UK in their kind of like day before the tournament with Shane Larry who's won the Ryder Cup with Min Woo Lee.
And I was playing in front of, you know, hundreds of people on the golf course.
I am not a professional golfer, but it was, yeah, and I brought my dad along for that because it was kind of a nice way of showing to him, look, I didn't quite make it from a sportsman's perspective, but I kind of did another way.
It also makes the silly logical in some ways as well because there's no really real way to justify cooking a curry in a volcano other than being like, it's for financial gain.
Yeah, and actually often we, I talk about this with the team when it comes to videos, like, I think this is one of the biggest things that TV really struggles with is that I often think that TV is making content for a why.
There's always got to be a why. There's got to be an emotional hook. There's got to be a reason why you're doing something.
More so than just the audience's enjoyment and YouTube and what I think that, you know, I'm very grateful that I may be able to do on YouTube is just to create things because you know that it isn't a silly and entertaining and intriguing topic that people go, yeah, I'll watch that for the sake of watching someone cook something in a volcano.
So, yeah, and like, I'm just, yeah, you're the type of character that I can imagine fitting in so well on a show like eight out of 10 cats, for example, or something like that that we'd see on TV.
Yeah.
But through going through what you've built up to four million subscribers on YouTube, getting that gold plaque for the first time and all of those things, is your mindset changed for when, and they probably do, but when the TV buffins come knocking, are you now more like, but I've got quite good thing going at the minute over here.
I'm not sure that's the path anymore.
Yeah, it's I, I'm 30 right so I grew up with TV, I watched TV religiously and it wasn't till I was probably, you know, 21 22 and which I started watching YouTube for the first time.
And so I still have a feeling that, you know, the measure of authority and the measure of legitimacy is going on the telly.
But we are seeing every metric is showing that the TV is kind of doing this and YouTube is doing this.
But there is something in me that still wants to be able to say to mom and dad, mom, dad, I've got, I'm on, have I got news for you or eight out of 10 cats.
And those, you know, and those TV appeared those TV opportunities have become pretty few and far between which I, you know, there's a part of me that the jealous side of me is kind of quite frustrated about that.
Come on, well, I like I've shown that my I've I've done the work in order to be be able to be put on one of these shows.
But also that TV world is it's a very political world.
Like it's not just a case of someone just going, oh, I think that person, there's agents involved as production companies involved.
And it's, it's a constant mess or mesh of, of, you know, relationship building and you've kind of got to be in that world to really succeed.
And I still think that they view YouTube.
I think they're best starting to TV world are starting to come around now and being like, oh, yeah, we all of our commissions are not being renewed and everyone is watching YouTube now.
But they just don't quite understand it.
And I know I know for a fact there are people who have been on major British television shows, the creators who have been on major British television shows.
The reason they have been on that show is because the children of the commissioner have been like, oh, yeah, that person's great.
Mum or dad, you should definitely hire them for that show.
Like that is the level of in like that is the rationale often for a lot of these big shows to invite YouTubers on there.
And there's always, there's always a slot for one of us in every one of these shows.
I'm a celeb, bake off strictly.
It's always just a traitors.
It's just one YouTuber.
And that's the kind of, that's the, that's the size of the pool that they'll give us.
I'm really starting to notice in conversations, people really backing off from, I'm not an influencer in any way.
I'm a creator.
And it's funny you mentioned TV.
So we put TV like on this pedestal.
Almost like it's got its own blue tick.
The way you're talking about, like if you make it there like blue tick, it's telly.
Like it's this tangible thing.
And maybe that's just because we've all still got our elders around us.
The thing that we drive and want to gain respect in is what we do.
And the only way of getting that from our elders is because that's the thing to them that has the blue tick.
Do you think that's, I think that's definitely the case.
And I'll go a step further.
I think YouTube at the top of the tree understand that as well.
I think what has been interesting to see over the last few years is that YouTube has consistently got bigger and bigger and grown
and starting now to outperform on television every other form of streaming platform or like, you know, company.
So in the US, they are bigger than Netflix.
They're bigger than Disney in terms of watch time on television.
But YouTube still, I think, and YouTube understand that they still think they have a legitimacy problem.
So this year or now 2025 was the first year that YouTube really put some money into the Emmys for creators.
So with it's all in the US, it's all kind of quite political in the sense of how you get nominated for Emmys and who wins.
There's a lot of money you need to do for your consideration parties.
I nominated myself for an Emmy in my own awards.
Yeah, perfect.
But I know that YouTube for the first time, they put on their own for that for your consideration event for the Emmys
and really thrusted kind of three great creators, Michelle Coray, Hot Ones, Sean Evans and Rhett and Link,
as right, you are going to be our guys to kind of show the elders of the industry that YouTube is makes great content.
They make content worthy of a prize as big as this.
So if that's happening with the CEO of YouTube is realizing that he's trying to look around to the rest of the industry
and be like, see guys, we are, we are proper.
And then you have this dichotomy because they are the biggest in the world, just non the full stop bigger than Amazon, bigger than Netflix.
So from a smaller micro level, yes, when I meet mum and dad's friends and they're like, oh, how are you doing?
What's up?
And, you know, they don't understand if a video has got 5 million views or 10 million views,
but they do understand if you're suddenly on Celebrity MasterChef.
So it's, it's, that is a constant battle that I've got to try and like contend with.
So do you think that you will get to a place where you're fully fulfilled in your life just doing YouTube if TV didn't come along?
No, I don't think that's the case of like just whether YouTubers came along.
I think, I think YouTube is a lot of YouTube.
I'm not going to cast persons on everyone.
We are deeply troubled individuals in the sense we are always striving for more and more and more.
And so this hedonic adaptation is always there.
I think with creative is just full stop.
There are some fantastic creators who, you know, Frank Ocean is one of them who just kind of like he makes music when he wants to.
And he's like, smash that great.
I don't really want to make any music anymore.
I'm happy.
I'm satiated.
And he's, he's a kind of a dime a dozen.
I think a lot of creators are very much like more, more.
You always want what you have plus 15%.
And I don't think that ever changes, which I think is, you know, something to recognize a lot of the time when it comes to YouTube,
especially when we have so much data and so much information constant and so much objectivity about your success when it comes to YouTube.
See, that's fascinating because there's two like really big people in the world of automotive and cars that I've had in this van.
And both of them are recognized across the UK, but have lived completely different lives with how they got to being on the telly screen.
One's Mike Brewer, so wheeler dealers.
And one would be like Matt Armstrong in YouTube.
So the thing is, though, if you if you swapped their lives, I'm convinced that they'd have a meltdown because Matt is used to analytics
and data and seconds and drop off and retention grabs.
And Mike's used to pretty much people going, yep, still good.
We'll renew for another season.
And I hear really successful people sometimes talk like when something gets removed from their life, they almost become ill.
And it's like, do you think if you lost that data, that analytical side and was just doing the creative that you would still be doing everything to your fullest?
I think I had a moment in twenty three twenty four when I was a bit too obsessed with analytics and data.
And it slightly started to make me lose sight of creating stuff that I really enjoyed.
And then you're constantly having this back.
You're constantly having this this this conversation with yourself and putting the weights on the two different sides of analytic based stuff.
Kind of very Mr. Beastie.
Make sure that they're watching the entire way through to the end and like I really want to make stuff.
And I do think there's a perfect medium between those two.
And I I still do look at analytics, but I often try and let the the team focus on it a bit more.
Also, the biggest thing I think when it comes to YouTube is that if you make a good video, if you yourself, you make a video and you you watch it yourself.
And after that, you go, I really enjoyed that.
I think that's as positive of a marker as when whether someone's watching after forty five seconds or whether it's on eighty two percent or eighty four percent.
I really think YouTube is great at serving content that I think deserves it.
And often people talk about the algorithm as this kind of shady abstract thing that all the algorithm didn't like it or I've been shallow band.
Just literally just change the word algorithm to people.
And as soon as you do that, it makes it kind of such a relief because you understand.
Oh, people didn't enjoy YouTube served it to a TikTok or whoever served it to a small amount of people.
Fifty percent of them liked it.
Fifty percent of them didn't.
YouTube or that social media platform realized we're probably not going to push it any further.
It's kind of as simple as that.
Yes, analytics can be a great tool to help you understand where you're going wrong or what you need to improve.
But being too focused on analytics and data was something that that caused me to go just absolutely mad because you're then like worrying about click through rates on a thumbnail
and changing a t-shirt from white to cream and thinking that it might make a difference.
So, yeah, I think analytics is a great tool, but something that I've tried over time not to rely on too much.
And why what was manifesting out of you that made you feel that you needed to change?
Well, I was just constantly checking YouTube's studio. I was just constantly on analytics.
It is like a drug, isn't it?
It is a total drug. It is the equivalent of kind of like the rat in a scientific experiment.
If it presses a button, it will be given a reward and then eventually they just stop eating and just keep pressing the button.
It is exactly the same. And because it is such a visual representation of kind of self worth and and success that you just want to make sure how am I doing?
How am I doing today?
And that can be condensed down to over the course of a year.
Have I done this year?
Oh, great. Have I done in the course of a month?
Have I done in the course of the day?
Has the video that I posted three days ago increased on the trajectory that's looks going to get more views or is it tailed off?
You can you can constantly change the goalposts.
I remember my mum telling me something that's really stuck with me.
And it was she grew up in a terraced house in Swindon.
Kind of just a really sort of low income upbringing.
Always had food on the table, but never had a bicycle kind of thing.
And I remember telling me that she got an opportunity to potentially be a model in London.
But my granddad, who was very negative and very like anti, just repressed it down to the point where he was like,
if you go to London, you leave your hometown, like you'll never allow back in this house again kind of thing.
And I look at you and your story and what I find fascinating to kind of pick together with that is if I flip it on its head, which you like doing,
the type of videos and the type of content that you're making would maybe tell me or suggest to me that you would have had some resistance from your
upbringing in putting that stuff live and making that you online.
Did you ever have that?
I think that I think definitely from the resistance when it came from from social media, I came to YouTube at a relatively,
and I'm going to say relatively is important word, relatively late age.
I was 23, 24.
And so it wasn't part of and so as a result, I was an adult.
I was an adult in my own right.
I kind of was living away from home and I definitely never got anything from my family of like, I don't think you should be doing this.
My parents have always been very good at suggesting, right, whatever you want to do and I think as long as I wasn't kind of pestering them and being like,
can I have some money please?
They're like, you can do whatever you like.
Go live your life.
There was definitely some like hesitation from people that I knew about like, why are you being?
Why do you want to become a content creator?
There's already so many.
You're never really going to make it.
You're never going to break through.
And I wasn't and what I find important is that when I started, I didn't want to be a content creator.
I didn't start being like, I'm going to, this is the plan, right?
I'm going to make videos for three years and then this is going to happen.
Not at all.
I just knew I loved making this thing and I wanted to make it better.
And at that time it was street interviews.
I saw that there was people who did street interviews.
I liked watching them and I just wanted to do it myself.
And that's the piece of advice I'll give to anyone who wants to start out with creating.
Make something that you want to watch because then probably there will be other people who will want to watch it as well.
And it's a much better, much healthier way of looking at beginning than right.
The title needs to be perfect from the first video and the thumbnail needs to be like that.
Because if you don't, it will take you two or three years to really understand structure and what you're doing.
And if you don't have that, if you're in there purely for the monetary or the goal in the future,
I don't think you'll have the patience in order to keep going.
But let's get into what it's actually like being in Max's head day to day because you,
let on with the data of how in 2023 you got so much data, it's kind of driving you crazy from YouTube.
And that's caused by what you do. That's what it's like being in Max's head.
And I know you absolutely detest the question about like how do you come up with your ideas, etc.
But what I want to know is when you're in any situation, do you find it frustrating you're constantly coming up with ideas?
For say you're at a wedding, are you unpacking that as in you're at the wedding and you're watching someone do the speech.
You're like, what could make this the silliest version of what this actually is?
I think I've become much, yes, I was very much like that in the early days.
I think I've become much better at structuring when I am working and when I'm not working.
I do have it basically every night when I go to sleep.
I am thinking like I'm in bed and I'm just constantly thinking about whether it was a video idea that we'd spoken about that day
and how it can be approved or if there's a slight issue with the video title that we're just not sure about.
I'll give you an example. This is a video that we might make. We might not.
But the title is I Paid for People's Honeymoon Only If I Could Join Them.
And we think it's a really fun concept and idea.
Go to the airport. Are you on your honeymoon? Can I join you?
But I'm not sure what the content of that video is after the airport scene.
That's an idea that I think it's a great title.
It's alluring. It's got some nice juxtaposition in it.
It makes you laugh kind of immediately or makes you chuckle.
But I'm not sure what the content is.
This is a video I've had for a while and I'm not sure how I can really improve it.
The same with the video. I legally got snakes on a plane.
It is illegal to get snakes on a plane.
And the only really way you can do it is by having them as emotional support animals.
Now, in the UK, that's not possible. Somewhere else in the world, it might be.
But then again, is that a satiating video title? I don't know.
And so I do probably get a lot of analysis paralysis of back in the early days.
Like, yeah, let's just do it.
But as now, there's a team, there's outgoings.
Videos need to perform well, except they don't start performing well as they do.
Then the ad rates start to drop, the brand deal amounts start to drop,
and you then start to get a little bit of a spiral.
So has stress gone up or down since having a team?
Down, because previously I was doing it all myself.
I was ideating, I was producing, I was editing, I was filming.
And so now I'm slightly able to palm off some of those responsibilities to other people in the team.
But gained other responsibilities, absolutely.
And I know some YouTubers who have kind of, they love the idea of team building
and a kind of world building and they'll bring on 5, 10, 15, 20 employees
because they like that idea of being, right, I'm the boss, here we go.
It's not something that I kind of really started to get into this job for.
And so I've kept it quite small and a team of three or four people max full time.
If not, there's too many people with an opinion as well.
Yeah, exactly. And then you can, and I think those opinions are very important
and it needs to be heard. But if you then, then you have so many different...
You have a stadium, you'd never get an answer.
Exactly. And there's been lots of times when I, someone said,
I don't think that's a good idea. We've made it and it's performed really well.
And sometimes when someone said, I don't think that's a good idea.
We've made it and it hasn't done very well and they were right.
So I'm constantly got to be the final decision maker and listen to everybody.
And we've oftentimes not made videos because a few people in the team said,
I just don't think that's good enough and we've never made it.
I don't know where that would have worked.
So the point you commit to saying you're going to film something,
does that always reach upload?
99% of the time, yeah.
When didn't it?
We...
When didn't it?
Because I've had several conversations in this van that I finished
and something's happened or I just haven't liked something about what's being projected
and I've gone nah.
Mainly the reason why it won't happen is because the promise of the video was not possible.
We found out it wasn't possible.
On the shoot?
On the shoot or in the form of production.
So we had a video idea where I wanted to get myself onto a Japanese TV show.
We found out that there was this Japanese TV show called mono mani versus the world.
And it was going around the world trying to find people who looked like anime characters.
And so I thought, great, I'm going to try and apply for this TV show.
And so I did, I don't watch any anime.
I found anime character who I kind of really looked like.
I went out and bought his costume.
I did a whole like pitch video in front of a green screen.
Made it look really slick.
I had a call with the production team and all of this.
And then the last minute they were like, we've decided not to pick you.
And so that was gutting.
But we were in the process of making that video and then it didn't happen.
But so almost, yeah, almost 100%.
If I say, right, I'm green lighting that video idea, we're going to do it.
If it works, then it's definitely going to go on the channel.
Do you ever spend more money than what the video will earn
because the idea is big enough to grow the channel?
Yes.
But then sometimes the video doesn't perform.
Because I was sat there the other day.
I just had this like little weird moment.
I don't get like it with anyone that gets in the van.
I was just sat there and Max was talking.
I was like, that was the guy that was in the boat in the sea last week.
I was watching that.
But in that video, I noticed it was a two-part.
And straight away as creator went, is that for additional income
rather than being in one or is that because of video length?
But then I realized everything that went into it,
like the welding of the frame below and putting it together
and then getting the tub on and then the testing and then the team
and then the boat filming.
And like in my head, I'm going,
Krikey's got good brandy.
I mean, so that, for example, that is the best example
of making a video that was more expensive than we got in for that.
And to try and grow the channel, the issue is it didn't grow the channel.
It's one of the worst-performing videos I've had on the channel
in the last two or three years.
And I thought it'd be really fun.
Turn my bathtub, sail across the ocean.
Brilliant.
And I put it into two parts because I thought let's really kind of,
I was experimenting last year with splitting up content just to see
because every single weekend needs to come up with a new idea.
And I was like, what happens if you split content?
I tried it with the baby reunion video where I found the woman,
I found a baby who was born next to me in the hospital.
We had a reunion 30 years later in the same hospital.
So we split that into two videos and it did really well
because I wanted to see how it would work, you know,
serializing content works for a lot of creators.
And I was like, does it work for me?
So we did it with baby reunion where I found a woman
who was exactly the same age as me,
who was born in the same hospital on the same day in April 1995.
And we had a reunion in the same hospital on our 30th birthday.
So yeah, we, anyway, so we put that into two parts and it performed really well.
And then with the bathtub video, I was like, right,
I think this is a great, going to be a great two-parter.
I didn't get a brand involved on that because I wanted it to be clean.
I want to be a great, like pure bit of content.
And so I spent 40,000 pounds on that video idea.
And I made back because it performed so badly.
I made back 5,000 pounds.
I lost 35,000 pounds on that video.
The safety team were saying to me, you can't go when it's like, you know, X level of wave.
So we needed to wait until it was a beautiful day.
And we did and it was just flat cut.
And so I sat in the bathtub for 10 hours, just like revving the engine.
And we went, I did it, but I realized, oh my God, there's nothing here that is interesting.
There is no story here.
Yes, I am in a bathtub crossing the ocean, but it's just completely flat.
I need there to be moments that go wrong.
You know, waves come up and get in the bath.
Oh dear, luckily we had a bit where the engine stopped working for about...
Was that legit?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, genuinely.
I mean, I stupidly just kicked out the fuel line.
The engine was absolutely fine, but I just kicked out the fuel line.
So I was like, I'm so glad we've got that as just something that is...
Do you ever engineer fun in or do you allow it to happen naturally?
No, I think you know, it's a little bit like they used to say this about top gear.
I'm slightly butchering what they used to say, but they say it's not true, but it is real,
something like equivalent of something like that, where they will structure scenarios
where they know something is going to happen, but that person is then overcoming that thing in the moment.
So when we are making the video, we're talking through what are the different beats of the video.
We know how we're getting in and out of a scene, but what happens in that scene is completely...
is going to be completely in the moment.
So I wouldn't say we engineer the funniest to happen, but we do know the way that the video is going to flow.
Okay, and is that something that you have to kind of...
when you start your channel or start doing a certain video type, you always need to kind of stick in that same package?
Yeah, I mean, it's kind of an old school storytelling structure.
There's Disney talk about it a lot, which is their kind of plot structure, which is hook, plot turn one,
and then midpoint, and then you have your first problem, then you overcome it, then you have your second problem,
which is the biggest overcome. It seems like all hope was lost, and then there's a resolution.
So that's kind of taking old school forms of storytelling that people have been using for years in TV and film.
Do you ever get writer's block or ideas block where you've got 30 at one point of time and then absolutely nothing at another?
Yeah, and actually often video ideas take a long, long time to start to mature.
So I did a video last year where I technically died, and I wanted to...
that video idea started because I wanted to go to my own funeral.
I thought that was an odd visual, and I thought that could be quite fun.
But everyone wants to do that.
Everyone wants to do that.
And for about six months, I didn't really know what the reason for it was.
Why am I dying? Why is this interesting?
And then I couldn't get a refund on a flight, and I saw that they had in their terms conditions that in order to get a cash refund,
the person needs to be dead.
And I remembered that I had this idea about kind of like dying or going to my own funeral, and I just mashed them together.
I was like, oh, that was the missing link that I needed, the final bit of the jigsaw puzzle to plop it in.
There's the video, and then we made the video where I technically died.
So it takes a while for the final piece of the puzzle to finally come together.
And currently we've got 40 video ideas that I'm kind of the team are looking at me being like, which one should we make?
We might make all of them. We might make none of them.
But I'm currently having to decide which one we're going to make.
Are you fixed, especially with things like your huge loophole tour?
And going around and fulfilling yourself in ways that you always wanted to be an onstage and host an audience and being a creator in the sense of the world that produces and creates.
Are you able to stick to a tight schedule of like content and uploading?
I try to.
And there are often we are not in the business of being totally within the control of our own destiny when it comes to content.
And often things fall through at the last minute.
Like, you know, with, let's say a podcast, you know that you can once you've got it in the diary, right, that's when we're going to be filming.
And that's when we're going to have that content done by barring guests, suddenly pulling out, which I'm sure happens quite regularly.
We often, you know, if that happens, then hopefully then you can reschedule.
You can you can fill that space with somebody else.
We had a video where I wanted to get the potmobile onto Uber.
And now that required the one potmobile in the UK being keen to do this.
It's at a museum.
And I had my fingers crossed to basically work out whether they would let me use potmobile and they said no.
And so then that that that video is then just completely done in the water.
I can't find another potmobile.
I can't do that video anyway.
Does your mind then not start being like, can I use Brom or can I use another version?
Yeah, you can.
But then you then you're then you're watering down the initial idea and then it's just not good enough.
So, you know, it's it's about like, I thought that I love the potmobile ideas.
If you if you if you turn the potmobile into a taxi, you turn it to someone's house, they stand in the back.
Whilst you're driving down, it only goes three miles an hour, which is very, very fun.
And it's like, right, play some music, which is like Catholic Chance, the air freshener is incense.
Like it's a great visual.
And as soon as you don't have the potmobile, what else could you do it with?
And I just think it slightly loses that allure.
And I know that the potmobile is an international symbol.
Everyone knows it.
So if you change that out and it was just taxi with with with with with a weird vehicle.
I'm not sure it would work like, you know, oh, I turned a crane into a taxi.
I just don't think it's quite got the same and so therefore we're not going to make that.
Do you prefer spending time in other countries creating content or do you still love it here?
I don't mind where I am.
And I don't hugely like being at home or a bit of a homebody.
And I don't have a huge itch to run away and go elsewhere.
But there are areas in the world where videos are only possible in that country.
I mean, for example, having a hot dog eating competition against a grizzly bear.
That is only possible.
Oh my God, I forgot about that.
It's in Salt Lake City, Utah, because that's where an actor bear lives.
And so great.
I'd love.
I'm very excited to hear that.
Was that the most scared you've ever been in a video?
Because you've done some things that like take away from just being the on the screen and in the moment recording.
You've done some things that are actually probably quite scary.
Yeah, yeah.
Stood next to lava and a volcano and sat next to a bear.
Like what has been your most scared side?
I think weirdly, the lava and the volcano, I was very scared.
We were about 300 yards away from an active volcano.
And the only thing that was in between us was the wall of the volcano that about three days later collapsed and lava flowed out that side of the volcano.
So during that process of filming, I was very scared.
The bear, I wasn't.
Like this bear is a professional.
He was in Dr. Doodle too.
He's been in a bath with Eddie Murphy this bear.
And he was very well trained and he was a very lovely guy.
So my family were terrified about the bear video.
And they just basically, like she said, right, just mess just when it's over.
Don't tell us when it's beginning, but just mess just when it's done.
Because we don't, we just don't want to know.
And like, actually, I had quite a few like rather intense conversations with my girlfriend about this because she was like, I don't need to do it.
I was like, it's fine.
It's fine.
The Max dies with his last words being, it's fine.
And kind of with the bathtub boat as well, I need to make sure that, you know, it's a relatively dangerous thing to be doing to go into the middle of the ocean in a bath.
I need to make sure that I had the, you know, Rex's safety team who are there because the worst thing that could have happened is that I need to be rescued by the RNLI because that is just not a good look.
YouTube gets saved by charity.
But I actually think that's when your intelligence and so many other podcasters and Collins to me and so many people have been like lean on, oh my God, this guy is so intelligent.
You can see it through in the videos, even though it's entertainment and it's laughter behind it.
There's so much intelligence.
And that to me is a moment of this conversation where that intelligence shines through because I've said for a little while that there are going to be some YouTubers that have some really big accidents at point.
And it's still out there because I've been fortunate enough to get invited on car tours with my friends, Matt's channel, Chris's channel.
And like, I think Matt's still learning it.
And I think you wouldn't mind me saying that because we're like, we turn up in Spain on like a concrete oval and I'm like, we don't even have helmets.
And like YouTube is still a very de-restricted place, isn't it?
So you kind of have to have that intelligence and maturity to be like, I will spend the money on the boat.
Because if you're not sponsoring the video, there's got to be a degree of you that sometimes is thinking, do I need it?
Yeah. And I think that you need to just have a bit of time when you're sitting there and be like, is this sensible?
And I think, really, I think TV goes too far the other way.
There are so many things that I've wanted to do with TV shows.
They've just, we just can't do it because they're legal.
I'm so sorry.
And I'm like, no, you can.
Come on, let's just do something fun.
But I do understand that there are a lot of creators who just like, ah, it's fine.
And you do get accidents.
You do have occasions when YouTubers get it wrong.
It's just, we all get things wrong.
It's just YouTubers have audiences of millions and millions of people.
And so those accidents are amplified.
And there is also, there's also an argument about whether they have a level of responsibility of showing what they're doing on their content to people who are potentially younger and might not have the critical thinking skills in order to decide whether something's right or wrong.
Do you think that maturity and where thinking comes from having a good girlfriend, a good family and the upbringing that you had?
It comes from people who are not, who are not in YouTube.
I think it's becoming like, not like being within a world of like, I need to beat this part.
I need to one up the XYZ.
None of my family watched my videos.
My girlfriend hasn't like, hasn't watched a video of mine for years.
And I love it like that because I come home from work.
And she's, we don't talk about YouTube at all.
None of my friends, we don't talk about YouTube.
I only talk about YouTube when I'm at work or when I meet up with kind of other YouTube kind of colleagues and friends.
Which is what I was going to get into because you so almost blasé because it's normal.
Spoke about getting millions and millions of views and have millions and millions of followers because that has become your world when you're on the pitch with MrBeast.
It must be surreal for you still because you're like looking up to creators that have even bigger followings and the KSI boys and everything.
But bring it back down.
That must have been a hell of an achievement.
What were you like emotionally when you got your first gold plaque?
It was, yeah, it's total, it was total relief.
I think I've still got it on my Instagram.
I think when I got 100,000 subscribers, I like burst into tears because it just felt like the final reflection of a risk that has worked.
And something that you know, I know I'd worked really, really hard on making sure that I had achieved.
But what I then discovered is that the number on the screen doesn't really reflect anything.
It's a quick dopamine hit and then you kind of move on to the next thing.
So I, you know, I still, still there are times when like bloody hell, I didn't know this person watched the videos or like having experiences.
That's a good one.
When I'm like, oh, wow, that's really cool.
Like having Louis Theroux reach out to me and my team being like, we'd love to make some content together.
What do you want to do?
And we ironically stuck him in the back of a van.
That was a real nice bit of affirmation and being like, bloody hell, okay.
I didn't realize that, you know, other people outside of, you know, what I thought of my audience were watching these videos, but I guess they were.
Because you are a guy I noticed that kind of goes for trophies by the sound of it.
Like you aim for something.
Can you like that, that thing, that tangible thing is the tick that I need to say that, well, then you did it.
And when you spoke about your early days of getting onto the cricket pitch at Lord's, which I've listened to before.
It was very much like stepping foot on that pitch.
I like you had to do all of this.
But when you get to four and a half million subscribers and then you start talking about the small little affirmation ticks from things.
What is your next big trophy?
I think the quickly back to the tick stuff.
I think that's a very, it's a very good observation.
And it's now kind of just become a story plot.
It's become a plot point.
It allows you to give a reason like at the beginning, I'm going to become, I'm going to start the third largest religion in the UK.
And so then the video builds up to something.
And we've, we actually have a strand of the content, which is Max building his CV.
And so like Max, you know, becoming a doctor, becoming an astronaut.
And so finding ways to which you can technically do that because it's a fun way of getting to a final goal.
But in terms of things that I would love to do.
And I would, gosh, there is, there's both a lot and not a lot at the same time.
I, people say, what's, what's your like five year plan or 10 year plan?
I just want to still have this job in 10 years time.
That is one of my big, my big goals.
I would love to be able to genuinely say hello Wembley.
So I'd love to do Wembley arena with some stand up.
Is that technically or really?
No, I think the real, I mean, I did the Hammersmith Apollo in last two years ago now.
And that was three and a half thousand.
I mean, Wembley is 10, 12,000.
So it's, it's quite a, it's quite a big leap up.
But I think it's possible.
What were you like stepping out to your first loophole show?
Like the first few minutes have been on stage, maybe the first 10.
Was there any like, I've prepared for this so, so much.
Yeah.
Yeah.
By the time you're actually doing the shows, you like the shows are your well oiled machine.
And you know what you're doing.
But those scratch nights and those work in progress nights are really tough because you have a kernel of an idea.
Or you've got, I did a lot of kind of like stuff with, with screens and, and so I would think I had a bit of something there.
And then very quickly realized that it didn't work.
And that's brutal.
And I also, I would do these, I would do all of my warm up shows in a 30, 40 seats a theater in Camden called the Etc.
Theater, which was, I loved and I would spend, you know, I would do 30, 40 gigs there just to get myself into the rhythm and understanding what I'm doing.
But one day the ticketing system glitched and the show had said that it sold out.
Actually, the show had actually only sold three tickets and then said the show had sold out.
So I had three people turn up and the man at the venue manager came and said, Max, we've got a problem.
It only sold, it sold three tickets and then said the show was sold out.
What do you want to do?
So I literally just, I looked at the three people in front of me.
I was like, guys, do you want to go downstairs for a beer?
Do you want me to do the show?
And so I did the show, which was, which was pretty difficult to three people, but it was, it was one of the most fun gigs I've ever done.
Cause I was just kind of like riffing with, like, you know, chatting to them as individuals.
I got all their names and I was kind of ended up doing, it was like I was in my living room just kind of doing a TED talk for them for 60 minutes.
But isn't that funny how that's the most memorable show?
Yeah, that's one of the most memorable shows.
When, when like kind of a max foshee moment happened to me when, you know, the ticketing system broke and therefore I had this issue and only three people turned up.
There's definitely one of the most memorable shows that I've had.
Well, I'd hope that doesn't happen for your Hello Wembley moment.
Cause that would be rather an anti-climax, wouldn't it?
It would say, it would mean that I could say I technically sold out Wembley then.
But you haven't done many viral things in places like Wembley, which have a lot of eyeballs, but things that have a lot of eyeballs normally have a person that got to them by a specific moment.
So let's take Formula One, the last few years, Drive to Survive.
And so many people are either ashamed or fine to admit, I came to Formula One because I really like Drive to Survive.
It's like the influencer versus creator thing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now I'm not ashamed to admit, even sat opposite you, that I came to max fosh from Welcome to Luton.
Yeah.
Because I think that's the same thing as the Formula One Drive to Survive thing.
That video was four years ago?
Yeah, a long time ago now.
A long time ago.
Are you annoyed you haven't beaten that video in four years?
Yes.
I'm going to be very candid.
Yes, it's like you become known online as you're the guy that did X and it's just really it's something that you when you when you're making content, you want to constantly try and reinvent that and change that.
It shows you're growing and progressing as a creator.
But the Welcome to Luton was just kind of the perfect storm of various different things all came together that just exploded.
And it got that mainstream breakthrough that just in the news like genuinely it was like the number one news or the BBC news for like a couple of days.
It just got that breakthrough more so than anything else that I've done.
And hopefully there will be another Welcome to Luton, but there probably won't be or there might not.
Oh, see that's interesting.
So I've heard you talk about like almost your self-esteem and stuff a few times.
And I was like, will he be the kind of guy that's like, oh, no, I will beat that video.
Or like, I probably won't like are you normally on the side of I probably won't just to keep yourself happy and make sure that you're content.
Yeah, probably.
But then do you believe you will be yet?
I think maybe on maybe something that isn't YouTube related maybe whether that's like a like a actually, I don't know.
I genuinely do not know.
But what's funny is that it depends on what kind of audience you're talking to some people on the street.
If you're if you're let's say younger, I will often get you're the Uno reverse guy.
Yeah, of course.
And so but then old people who are slightly maybe over the age of 20 will say you're the Welcome to Luton guy.
So it completely depends on who you're talking to.
But you are I'm always constantly trying to strive for those big moments that you're that guy that did X and I yeah, you're right.
I will often say to myself that it's probably not going to happen just so I can feel slightly better.
They say like the real value of any business, especially if it's like a manufacturing business or something like that is in the value of the kit in the factory.
And do you think that with your audience and your channel, are you looking for people to say you're Max Fosh rather than you're the Uno reverse card guy?
Does it also play in reverse because the value for you is someone knowing you as Max Fosh?
Not the guy that did the loot.
Absolutely.
Like having someone know me as Max Fosh, the guy that did XYZ, if they can name three things that I've done, then I think that I've done a good job of presenting myself as somebody who makes interesting content.
Because it's not it shows it's not a flash in the pan that they have watched a few things that have, you know, cut through.
But yeah, I'm constantly trying to brand myself as Max Fosh, YouTuber, comedian, anything.
Because what I also would love to find out is when you're in a theater, you mentioned one of the first ones you did in London had a capacity of about 2000.
I can't remember which one it was.
But 2000 people, a lot of people in front of your eyeballs, but you speak earlier and I, you know, we get millions and millions of views of people was doing a tour, quite a refreshing mind piece for a YouTuber.
Yeah, essentially, because you suddenly realized that Karen over there or Bob or Steve or whatever is like, got this whole thing of how they view Max Fosh and like each individual is more than you maybe think they are on YouTube.
Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's showcased the different quality of view.
So you can get 10 million views on a short form bit of content, but that does not mean that 1000 people want to spend their evening with you in a room.
And we sing this podcast especially like podcasts are doing in comparison to YouTube and social media numbers.
They're not getting 10, 15 million views on a podcast if they are then the biggest one in the world, but rather they're getting 100,000.
But you're then seeing the community that's being built out of those 100,000 people is so much more valuable than just having a short that you know is going to like hit the algorithm.
And so views are not all equal.
The views views are not made equally and a good quality view where you know that you're building community or building relationship with your audience is so much more valuable than a million kind of non quality views.
Maybe not a million.
But I can see so clearly and it's actually really nice to see it in someone as well how content you are with where you are and what you've built because you wouldn't talk about losing it unless you had fear for what you've got which means you're really happy with what you've got.
So how do you not lose that for saying in your mind is it like do you ever worry that you're taking your foot off the gas or not like what's your biggest measure of like I need to be doing this otherwise that's the biggest risk.
I think you just need to be keep keep trying keep making like life is a game and it rewards people who keep trying.
If you if you don't try that and like you don't mean you're going to win every time but if you if you keep playing the game of life then you're more much more likely to succeed and so I'm of the opinion if I'm still making content and I'm still working hard at kind of making
sure that the videos that I make are fun I enjoy them I think they're I think they're good then surely the rest will follow and that's the only thing that's within my control.
What's out of my control is none of my business quite frankly which is kind of when people say if you say do you ever get hate how do you feel about it I always say is none of my business.
It's it's it's it's not about it is about me but it's not coming from me so therefore why should I kind of waste my time worrying about it.
You mentioned that your girlfriend doesn't watch your videos you keep it away from your friends your family as well yeah they don't they don't really watch it.
So let's say they all come together and it's Christmas as the most of them all together and you're all talking about your work and it comes up and they say oh come on Max you've had a few glasses and they show us one of your videos.
Yeah.
Now they're the people away from the millions of views away from the theatres away from the directors and the TV bosses that you really want affirmation.
Yeah.
What video are you showing them.
That's a really good question I think I am showing them.
I think I'm showing the bathtub.
Genuinely.
I'm showing the 30 minutes of bathtub mainly because you know get some watch time up.
But secondly because I think it is a encapsulation of my personality it is a journey that I have made and so kind of represents the silliness that I do on the channel and also it's just a bit of content that I'm really proud of so that and as well bear using hot dogs I still love going back and watching that video.
There's a saying that gets said a lot two words that get said a lot on programs like 8 out of 10 cats etc which is bloody hell and that boat moment is a bloody hell moment and you only really get that when something genuinely amazing has been achieved which is always slightly hard to do in some of the videos
and I'm fascinated by choosing the boat video almost over being in an active volcano with a curry.
Yeah.
Would you not pick that video because there's just a degree of extra silliness to it that you wouldn't want to project upon your loved ones?
I think it's because the video is not as good.
I genuinely I watched that video the volcano video recently.
So you forgot the pan right?
I forgot the pan.
That was genuinely true.
I kind of looked around like oh god we're not going to be able to cook on anything.
But that video in the first two minutes you what you click that video I cooked something in a volcano.
You want to click on that and immediately see there's a volcano behind you and I spent the first two three minutes waffling about the reason I wanted to do that and so that's not it's I don't think if I wish I could redo that video because I don't I don't think it's a good video.
Would you ever redo a video?
I think we do do in ways like I did a series where I got a private investigator to follow me for a month and then I did the follow up very well I had two private investigators to follow each other and that's kind of redoing the same video but just like different.
So I think I would redo a video if there's a slight twist and a slight change to it.
Now I grew up an absolute lover of all things automotive you mentioned the top gear quite if I was to make you watch one podcast off the back of this the way you are and say please just watch this and see what you think it be with Andy Willman.
Oh yeah.
Unbelievable I absolutely love that conversation very similar down a road in London absolutely fascinating and for me that was huge because I loved top gear and these individuals and even the individuals around it growing up.
So if I was to show myself one of my earlier videos when I was 12 that I could show them something now I'd probably pick that I asked you about your family but what would you show 12 13 year old Max.
I would show him what from like there was content that was around at that time you'd be like oh my God you did that.
I would show I would actually get Max to listen to the kind of breakfast show of Hamish and Andy who are two Australian comedians and a lot of the content I have made has come.
I put my hand up as being like they have done the video first or they had the idea first 10 years ago and I did it and just changed it slightly.
And they are kind of my kind of big inspirations in everything I do because they're two guys who like are constantly having thoughts of what happens if you enter into a bodybuilding competition if you're not a bodybuilder.
And they have been making content for 20 30 years and I think that absolutely fantastic.
And also Nathan for you Nathan Fielder that was kind of slightly came out a little bit later came out 2012 2013 but that is the best representation I've seen on TV that is kind of what I do now.
Do you think that's why because there was a degree of me that was asking myself the question why is Max bothering to give me an hour of his time today.
Why do these people bother to give it especially if it's not paid which is what why and is it because of things like that that that matter to you growing up so this will matter to someone one day in 20 years.
Yeah absolutely it's also about kind of also reaching new audiences it's good to kind of talk to different people from different kind of walks of life especially within the the YouTube world and I'm really passionate about YouTube and I'm really passionate about people creating content.
The barrier to entry is so low to make things nowadays you have in your pocket the technical ability to make films and so I'm so passionate about the idea that anybody can can create content now whether it's good or not that's a different story but you can learn and you can grow and you can be the very much the master of your own destiny
And I'm really passionate about that it's just a concept.
Even though you tell younger Max to watch that show what video of yours would you show him.
Oh I'd show him the scoring the scoring the goal.
I knew you were going to say that because you mentioned about your you're up bringing with sport.
Yeah I knew that was going to be the link which the inside there doing that is just unbelievable because it's kind of an arm around the shoulders to 13 year old Max be like don't worry you do it you get there.
Are those moments what you invest the thirty five thousand pound loss from the boat video.
Yeah you know that it's all part of a scale out and you realize all part of a wider career and conversation if you start to place because that was technically free I didn't pay for a single penny to be in that in that in that match.
So you kind of if you if you're looking at kind of holistically as a group then I think that that's the more important.
Do you ever get ideas that even the team in the office go like taking Mr. Beast's ear wax.
Yeah that was actually that is I had this conversation yesterday with someone and the turning Mr. Beast's bacteria into cheese turning Mr. Beast's cheese.
That was I think that was what we slightly missed the boat on that one I think that slightly crept through the is this OK conversation.
I think we got JJ's reaction we did it to KSI as well and I got his reaction to it and he so he said it was fine.
So I kind of thought OK that's that's probably just about enough of a green light to do it but yeah that one still stays be like we probably shouldn't have done that.
Have you ever done videos in different because because you cover your entertainment you're there to make someone laugh and happy and escape life for a minute in the things that you do like camping in a bowling alley.
The one that resonated with me because of the things that I love was setting the lap record backwards in a go car because I've driven on that exact track.
And I was like that is just unbelievable because it's also because I absolutely adore cars and did the banger racing near where I live in Stanley.
And do you have you ever got into things I don't necessarily see you as a car guy.
Yeah it's an automotive related podcast.
I'm bringing up with a slight link.
I'm bringing up those things because you do videos in each one of these spaces.
Yeah.
Is there anything you've ever done that's got you into the thing.
Oh that's a great question.
I got quite into metal detecting video years ago where I went to kind of a metal detecting convention and I learned how to do it and it was really addictive.
Like the feeling of like when you get the beep and you dig in you don't know what it's going to be.
It's kind of like treasure hunting.
So I did a little bit of that but I don't say I continue to metal detector this day.
But the car thing that was interesting.
There was a moment where I actually looked back I made three car videos back to back and my team were like are we now a car channel.
I was like no no this just kind of happened that way.
But I think just cars because cars are just such a universal thing that everybody you know either uses well they definitely use them but then some people absolutely love them.
And I've got a bit of a fun car history.
So my first car was a Volkswagen up 999 cc.
So not even one liter and I for years and years and years I drove that around the country making the videos.
And so I love my little Volkswagen.
Now you're the however I could also see you and my agent Dan who's just bought one of these is going to love the fact of us do this.
I could also see you very happily wafting down the road in a green over tan Range Rover.
I think that's the poshness in me.
You could see it.
Yeah absolutely.
But would you even if you had the green over tan Range Rover which you might talk to me with.
No I don't.
Would you ever drive it on the channel?
Yeah.
It's just a car.
Yeah.
Because does that not ignite the whole dog posh guy in a Range Rover again.
I mean they already ever try and stay away from that.
They're deliberately driving somewhere in an Audi A1 that's like blends in.
No I'm not a particularly I'm not a huge I've got an Audi A3 is my car.
I'm not a particularly flash guy.
But I feel like people might assume that I might be and if I like the car I like the car.
I think that's you know again I can't it's not none of my business whether what people think.
Which is really interesting because really you need to figure out what people are thinking to make your business.
Yeah.
With the content.
The last question I wanted to ask you is what I tell people members of staff all kinds of people when they've wanted to go and do
something else will take a massive step whether it's a partner whether it's whatever.
I'm like okay well you're missing this one thing that you think you're missing this thing so that you can't do the thing.
Like for arguments sake it might be you're missing money so you can't do the thing.
Yeah.
You're missing the ability to live under someone else's roof so you're praying ranch have to find that every month.
So it makes the thing harder.
Yeah.
To do.
And I tell them to lean on things around them that will give them the biggest bits of support that the other person they're looking at doesn't necessarily have.
To you was that your sister because overcoming YouTube comments and all the rest of it can actually that's really difficult and getting caught up in data
and your head constantly bulging with numbers and even though you take the mick out of your sister sometimes in your channel she's actually a really intelligent therapist.
Yeah.
Yeah.
She's a big part of my life and she's something as you say she's a therapist and she's we're very close as a pair.
And we I have spoken to her a lot about the way that YouTube kind of makes me feel and how YouTube can be quite detrimental to your mental health.
And she's very good at kind of implementing structures and policies that you need to do in order to make yourself feel better.
So she is you're right.
She is definitely one of the big supports in my life and I'm very lucky to have quite a few who I know will always be there to support if I ever need them.
Well, Max, thank you so much.
No, thank you very much.
As much as you spend time getting people in the back of your vans it must be nice to get in the back of one that you haven't paid for.
It's the longest time I spent in the back of someone's van so yeah, big, big fan.
Fantastic.
Thank you so much for spending an hour talking to the audience and really appreciate your time.
Thank you very much.
Cheers.
Awesome.
Please could you just do one last thing for me and I think you'll love this because you'll know the why.
Please could you look into this camera and say if you're enjoying my conversational mode of success please consider liking this video and subscribing to the channel.
If you're enjoying my co-
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