Joe Sugg
Sugg in 2014
Born
Joseph Graham Sugg

(1991-09-08) 8 September 1991 (age 32)[1]
Lacock, Wiltshire, England
Occupations
Partner(s)Dianne Buswell
(2018–present)
RelativesZoe Sugg (sister)
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2012–present
Genres
Subscribers7.3 million (main)
3.3 million (vlogs)
1.6 million (games)[2]
Total views1.3+ billion (main)
700+ million (vlogs)
270+ million (games)[2]
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2012
1,000,000 subscribers2013
Last updated: 31 August 2023

Joseph Graham Sugg (born 8 September 1991) is an English YouTuber and actor. In 2012, he began posting videos on the YouTube channel ThatcherJoe, currently at over 7 million subscribers. In 2018, he was a finalist on the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, and in 2019, he portrayed Ogie Anhorn in the West End production of Waitress. He is the younger brother of fellow YouTuber Zoe Sugg.

Early life and ancestry

Sugg was born in Lacock, Wiltshire, and attended The Corsham School in Corsham, Wiltshire, where he gained two A*s, an A and a B in his A-levels.[3][4] The name of his YouTube 'ThatcherJoe' channel is derived from his apprenticeship as a roof thatcher.[5] He is the younger brother of Zoe Sugg, who is also a blogger and internet personality, known on YouTube as Zoella.[6]

In a November 2021 episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, Sugg discovered that his ancestors from Jersey were working in electrical telegraphy in the early years of its development and implementation. He also found that his 7× great-grandparents were Huguenot refugees from Frênes in Normandy who fled religious persecution in France and made their way to Jersey in the mid-eighteenth century.[7]

Career

YouTube

Sugg created his 'ThatcherJoe' channel in November 2011 and reached the one-million-subscriber mark two years later.[8] His channel became known for its pranks, impressions and challenge videos, such as the Whisper challenge, which became a popular YouTube trend after Sugg created a YouTuber version of the challenge in 2014.[5][9] In January 2013, Sugg began his vlogging channel, 'ThatcherJoeVlogs', and in June 2014, he created his gaming channel, 'ThatcherJoeGames'.[10][11]

In September 2020, Sugg announced that he would be the voice of the robot R-41 in Daleks!, an animated Doctor Who series which was released on YouTube in November 2020 as part of Time Lord Victorious.[12]

In May 2022, it was revealed that Sugg had voiced the host of an animated chat show aimed at children and families called Corpse Talk, based on a series of graphic novels and comics about various historical figures, which is available on YouTube.[13]

Film and television

Sugg had an uncredited voiceover role as a seagull in the 2015 UK version of the film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.[14] Also in 2015, Sugg appeared alongside Caspar Lee in the direct-to-DVD film Joe and Caspar Hit the Road, which was shown on British television channel E4 in April 2016.[15][16] A second DVD, Joe & Caspar Hit the Road USA, was released in 2016.[17] Alongside fellow YouTubers Alfie Deyes and Marcus Butler, Sugg starred in an episode of the British television show Release the Hounds, which aired in March 2017.[18]

In 2018, Sugg became the first 'social media star' to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, and he was partnered with professional dancer Dianne Buswell.[19][20] The pair reached the final and finished as runners-up.[21] Shortly after the final, the BBC announced Sugg as co-presenter of New Year Live, alongside Stacey Dooley.[22] On 22 February 2019, Sugg co-hosted The One Show on BBC One, with Alex Jones, and he was one of the hosts for the Red Nose Day telethon on the BBC on 15 March 2019.[23][24]

Sugg voiced Gus in the UK version of the film Wonder Park (2019).[25] In May 2019, he guest starred on the Cartoon Network show, The Amazing World of Gumball, as the voice of Azreal.[26] In July 2019, Sugg announced that he would have a cameo voiceover role in the 2019 Aardman film A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.[27]

In March 2020, Sugg appeared as a contestant on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off, in which he fainted due to a flesh wound, but recovered to take the title of Star Baker.[28]

It was announced in August 2020 that Sugg would make his television acting debut in the fourth season of the BBC One drama The Syndicate.[29] In May 2021, it was confirmed that Sugg had joined the cast of the animated adaptation of The Amazing Maurice, which was released in December 2022.[30]

Music and stage

Sugg was a member of the YouTube Boyband, which raised money for Comic Relief and became a viral hit.[31][32] He also featured on the 2014 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" as part of the Band Aid 30 charity supergroup, raising money for the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.[33] In September 2018, Sugg collaborated with Conor Maynard and then-housemate Byron Langley to take part in a YouTube one hour song challenge and released "You Want My Sister".[34][35] In January 2020, Sugg released his debut single, "Say It Now".[36] In August 2021, he released his second single, "Wild Things".[37]

In August 2019, Sugg was cast as Ogie Anhorn in the musical Waitress in London's West End. He debuted in the role on 9 September 2019, and gave his final performance on 30 November 2019.[38][39]

Graphic novels and book

Sugg is the author of the graphic novel Username: Evie, published in 2015 by Hodder & Stoughton.[40] The writing is by Matt Whyman, with illustrations by Amrit Birdi.[41] The story is about bullied teenage schoolgirl Evie, who dreams of a place she can be herself. Her terminally ill father creates a virtual reality for her, but dies before it is completed. After he leaves her an app that allows entry, Evie is transported into a world where everything is influenced by her personality.[42] Username: Evie became the fastest-selling graphic novel in the UK since records began, selling 13,745 copies in its debut week.[43] A sequel, Username: Regenerated, was published in 2016, and the third and final graphic novel in the series, Username: Uprising, was released in 2017.[44][45]

In March 2022, Sugg announced that he had written a book called Grow, a part memoir, part practical guide about reconnecting with nature in the digital age, which was published in September 2022.[46]

Strictly Come Dancing

From September 2018, Sugg participated in the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Australian dancer Dianne Buswell.[19][20] They reached the final, finishing as runners-up.[21]

Week no. Dance/song Judges' score Total Result
Horwood Bussell Ballas Tonioli
1 Jive / "Take On Me" 6 7 7 7 27 No elimination
2 Charleston / "Cotton Eye Joe" 7 8 8 8 31 Safe
3 American Smooth / "Breaking Free" 6 7 6 7 26 Safe
4 Cha-Cha-Cha / "Just Got Paid" 5 7 7 7 26 Safe
5 Waltz / "Rainbow Connection" 6 7 8 8A 29 Safe
6 Foxtrot / "Youngblood" 8 9 9 9 35 Safe
7 Paso Doble / "Pompeii" 7 9 9 9 34 Safe
8 Samba / "MMMBop" 7 8 8 9 32 Safe
9 Quickstep / "Dancing Fool" 8 10 10 10 38 Safe
10 Street and Commercial / "Jump Around" 7 8 10 10 35 Safe
11 Salsa / "Joseph Megamix" 8 9 9 10 36 Safe
12 Viennese Waltz / "This Year's Love" 6 8 7 8 29 Safe
Argentine Tango / "Red Right Hand" 6 8 8 8 30
Final Paso Doble / "Pompeii" 9 10 10 10 39 Runner-up
Showdance / "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" 9 10 10 10 39
Charleston / "Cotton Eye Joe" 9 9 10 10 38
Notes
^A Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Tonioli

Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour! 2019

Sugg, along with his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell, appeared in the Strictly Come Dancing Live! tour during January and February 2019.[47] The pair made Strictly Live Tour history by winning 25 shows in a row against six other couples, later becoming the overall tour winners having won 28 of the 29 shows.[48][49][50]

Couples Number of
wins[48] 		Number of
2nd places 		Wins%
Joe Sugg & Dianne Buswell 28 1 97%
Stacey Dooley & Aljaž Skorjanec 1 24 3%
Faye Tozer & Giovanni Pernice 0 4 0%
Ashley Roberts & Pasha Kovalev 0 0 0%
Graeme Swann & Karen Hauer 0 0 0%
Dr. Ranj Singh & Janette Manrara 0 0 0%
Lauren Steadman & AJ Pritchard 0 0 0%

Strictly Come Dancing: The Official Podcast

In August 2019, it was announced that Sugg would be taking over as co-host of the show's official podcast.[51]

2019 Christmas special

On 5 November 2019, it was announced that Sugg would be participating in the 2019 Christmas special episode.[52] A week later it was revealed that he would be dancing with Dianne Buswell, as he did in series 16 of the show.[53]

Dance/song Judges' score Total Result
Horwood Mabuse Ballas Tonioli
Street and Commercial / "Sleigh Ride" 10 10 10 10 40 2nd

Personal life

Sugg has been in a relationship with Dianne Buswell, his dance partner from Strictly Come Dancing, since late 2018.[54] The couple confirmed that they were living together in August 2019.[55] In February 2021, they revealed that they had bought a house together.[56]

In 2018, Sugg and Caspar Lee established a management company, Margravine (now MVE), to support up-and-coming digital talent.[57]

In August 2022, it was announced that Sugg's production company Final Straw Productions had partnered with BBC Studios to develop entertainment and factual entertainment formats for audiences of all ages.[58]

Sugg is a keen artist, and often shares his artwork on his social media channels.[59]

He is an ambassador for the charity Age UK.[60]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2015 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water Kyle the Seagull Voice role; UK version
2015 Joe and Caspar Hit the Road Himself
2016 Joe and Caspar Hit The Road: USA Himself
2019 Wonder Park Gus Voice role; UK version
2019 A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Pizza Boy Voice role
2022 The Amazing Maurice Sardines Voice role

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Release the Hounds Himself Contestant
2018 Strictly Come Dancing Himself Runner-up
2018–2019 New Year's Eve Fireworks Co-host With Stacey Dooley
2019 The One Show Co-host With Alex Jones; 1 episode
2019 The Amazing World Of Gumball Azreal Voice role
2019 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special Himself Runner-up
2020 Would I Lie to You Himself Guest panellist[61]
2020 The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off Himself Contestant; winner
2020 I'll Get This Himself Contestant[62]
2020 Countryfile Himself Guest presenter[63]
2021 Michael McIntyre's The Wheel Himself Participant[64]
2021 The Syndicate Sam Recurring role; 3 episodes
2021 Who Do You Think You Are? Himself Participant[65]
2022 Richard Osman's House of Games Himself Panellist; weekly champion[66]
2023 Great British Menu Himself Guest judge[67]
2023 The Chase: Celebrity Special Himself Contestant

Stage

Year Title Role Venue
2019 Waitress Ogie Anhorn Adelphi Theatre

Podcast

Year Title Role
2019–present Strictly Come Dancing: The Official Podcast Co-presenter

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated Award Work Result
2015 BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards Best British Vlogger Won
2016 Streamy Awards Best International YouTube Channel ThatcherJoe Nominated
2019 Global Awards Social Media Superstar Won
2020 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Supporting Actor In a Musical Waitress Nominated

References

  1. ^ Sugg, Joe (12 May 2013). "Draw My Life | Thatcher Joe". YouTube. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b "About ThatcherJoe". YouTube.
  3. ^ Smith, Julia Llewellyn. "Joe Sugg on YouTube, Strictly and acting in The Syndicate". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  4. ^ "ZOE AND JOE BACK TO SCHOOL & GRAPHIC NOVEL TITLE!", YouTube, retrieved 15 May 2021
  5. ^ a b Mcintosh, Steven (25 September 2017). "Joe Sugg: 8 things to know about one of YouTube's biggest stars". BBC News. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  6. ^ Woods, Judith (3 April 2014). "Zoella: The squeaky clean big sister no teen should be without". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Joe Sugg on Who Do You Think You Are?: Everything you need to know". Who Do You Think You Are Magazine. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. ^ "1 Million Subscribers | ThatcherJoe", YouTube, retrieved 3 May 2021
  9. ^ "Five of the Best: YouTuber Whispers". teneightymagazine.com. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ^ "An introduction to ThatcherJoeVlogs | ThatcherJoe - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  11. ^ "And so it begins.. | Sims 3 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Joe on Instagram: "Meet R-41, I'm voicing this new robot opposite the deadly Daleks in an animated @bbcdoctorwho series for #TimeLordVictorious! Coming to…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  13. ^ "YouTube orders animated history chatshow voiced by social media celeb Joe Sugg". C21media. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  14. ^ Skulskyj, Lee (20 February 2015). "Caspar Lee and Joe Sugg land mega roles in The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water". Metro. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  15. ^ Joe and Caspar Hit the Road at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  16. ^ "BBC Worldwide sells Joe & Caspar Hit the Road to UK Channel E4". Media Centre. BBC Worldwide. 31 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  17. ^ Joe & Caspar Hit the Road USA at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  18. ^ Weiss, Geoff (2 February 2017). "The Trailer For Marcus Butler, Alfie Deyes, And Joe Sugg's Reality TV Debut Has Arrived". Tubefilter. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  19. ^ a b "Social media star Joe Sugg signs up for Strictly 2018". Strictly Come Dancing. BBC One. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  20. ^ a b "It's time to meet your 2018 couples!". BBC One. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Stacey and Kevin win Strictly 2018!". Strictly Come Dancing. BBC One. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  22. ^ "BBC – Stacey Dooley and Joe Sugg take One Step Beyond the ballroom as they join Madness at this year's New Year's Eve celebrations on BBC One". BBC Media Centre. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  23. ^ "BBC One – The One Show, 22/02/2019". BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  24. ^ "BBC Shows and Tours – Shows – Comic Relief 2019: Live Show". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  25. ^ "Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee join cast of adorable animated film Wonder Park". Metro. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  26. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (21 May 2019). "'Strictly' Star Joe Sugg Guests on Cartoon Network's 'Gumball'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  27. ^ Sugg, Joe (3 July 2019). "Exciting news to share with ya this morning! I can finally announce that I've been working with a childhood hero of mine @aardman and landed myself a cameo role as the 'pizza boy' in the new Shaun the sheep movie: FARMAGEDDON! In cinemas October 18th". @Joe_Sugg. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  28. ^ Storey, Katie (2 April 2020). "Joe Sugg reveals the real reason why he fainted during Celebrity Bake Off and it's pretty gross". Metro.
  29. ^ Joe Anderton (10 August 2020). "Strictly's Joe Sugg lands first TV acting role with two Corrie stars". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  30. ^ televisual.com (7 May 2021). "David Tennant, Joe Sugg added to Amazing Maurice cast". Televisual. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  31. ^ Dobbins, Amanda (21 April 2014). "Meet the YouTube Boy Band". Vulture. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  32. ^ Dredge, Stuart (21 March 2014). "YouTube Boy Band's cover version of It's All About You becomes viral hit | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  33. ^ Petridis, Alexis (16 November 2014). "Do They Know It's Christmas review – in tune with non-musical times". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  34. ^ Pearce, Tilly (26 November 2018). "Strictly's Joe Sugg has music 'good to go' after secret recording sessions with Conor Maynard". Metro. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  35. ^ "WE WROTE A SONG IN 1 HOUR". youtube.com. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2023 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ Karasin, Ekin (3 February 2020). "Joe Sugg releases 80s-style debut song and fans reckon it's all about girlfriend Dianne Buswell". Metro.
  37. ^ "Joe Sugg releases new single 'Wild Things'". CelebMix. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  38. ^ Mackrell, Daniel (20 August 2019). "When will Joe Sugg be performing in Waitress in London and how to get tickets?". Metro. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  39. ^ "A Message from Joe-gie – Final Show Sat 30th Nov". Facebook. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  40. ^ Sugg, Joe (8 September 2015). Username – Evie (Illustrated ed.). Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781473619135. OCLC 922842890.
  41. ^ Sproull, Patrick (6 November 2015). "Joe Sugg: 'When I said I was doing a graphic novel, a lot of my fans thought it was something sexual...'". the Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  42. ^ Sugg, Joe (10 September 2015). Username: Evie. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781473619128.
  43. ^ "Joe Sugg Breaks Records with Username: Evie's First Week of Sales - Superfame". superfame.com. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  44. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (20 June 2016). "Joe Sugg's second graphic novel to Hodder". The Bookseller. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  45. ^ Hodson, Charleyy (2 March 2017). "Joe Sugg Just Announced The FINAL Book In His Username Series". We The Unicorns. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  46. ^ "Penguin Michael Joseph scoops social media star Joe Sugg's ode to nature". The Bookseller. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  47. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing Live! The Line Up". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  48. ^ a b Darvill, Josh (10 February 2019). "Strictly Come Dancing 2019 live tour results! Winners revealed!". TellyMix. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  49. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing Live on Instagram: 'And the winners of the final 2019 @strictlycomedancinglive show were... @joe_sugg and @diannebuswell With a phenomenal 28/29 tour wins...'". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  50. ^ "The overall winners of the Strictly Come Dancing tour have been announced – and it's not Stacey Dooley!". Hello!. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  51. ^ Davies, Megan (25 August 2019). "Joe Sugg takes over as host of Strictly Come Dancing's official podcast". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  52. ^ "Meet the Strictly Celebrities for Christmas 2019". BBC Blogs. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  53. ^ Edwards, Chris (12 November 2019). "Strictly Come Dancing reveals the professional dancers for 2019 Christmas special". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  54. ^ "Joe Sugg 'confirms' Dianne Buswell romance following Strictly final". Evening Standard. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  55. ^ "I Asked Her to Move In". YouTube, ThatcherJoeVlogs. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  56. ^ "Strictly's Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg show off secluded garden paradise at their new home". HELLO!. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  57. ^ Pearce, Tilly (7 June 2018). "Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee launch new company to find the next YouTube megastar". Metro. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  58. ^ "BBC Studios partners with Joe Sugg's new production company - Final Straw Productions". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  59. ^ YOU SAY IT I'LL DRAW IT, retrieved 18 November 2021
  60. ^ "Youtube sensation Joe Sugg teams up with Age UK". Age UK. 7 October 2016.
  61. ^ "Would I Lie To You? Series 13, Episode 6". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  62. ^ "I'll Get This - Series 2 - Extra Helping: Episode 3", BBC, retrieved 9 January 2021
  63. ^ Countryfile
  64. ^ "The Wheel viewers criticise contestants for repeatedly 'shutting down' Joe Sugg". Entertainment Daily. 24 January 2021.
  65. ^ "Dame Judi Dench, Pixie Lott, Joe Lycett, Alex Scott and Josh Widdicombe among stars set to take part in a new series of Who Do You Think You Are?". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  66. ^ "BBC Two - Richard Osman's House of Games, Series 6, Week 5: Monday". BBC. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  67. ^ "BBC Two - Great British Menu, Series 18, North East England: Judging". BBC. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.