Francis Bourgeois (trainspotter)

Luke Magnus Nicolson (born 9 July 2000 ), known as Francis Bourgeois, is a British trainspotter, social media personality, model, and author.

He is most known for his lighthearted and humorous videos on the topic of trains, posted to TikTok and Instagram.

As of May 2023, he has over 2.9 million TikTok followers and 1.8 million Instagram followers.

Bourgeois is often characterised as recording himself through the fisheye lens of a GoPro mounted in front of his face or by juxtaposing trainspotting with contemporary fashion.

He is also known for his penchant for scootering, which he frequently incorporates into his videos and other public appearances.

After several of his videos went viral, Bourgeois began collaborating with celebrities such as Joe Jonas and brands including Gucci and The North Face.

He has authored one book, The Trainspotter's Notebook, and hosts the digital series Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois for Channel 4.

Bourgeois was born in Harlesden, north-west London.

His mother works for the National Health Service and his father is a photography teacher.

He also has one younger brother named Benjamin.

No one in Bourgeois' family has a background in trains or engineering.

He developed an interest in trains during his early childhood, noting his parents and grandparents became aware of his interest when he was "about three."

Bourgeois remembers being "obsessed" with BRIO wooden train sets, the "stage before you go to Hornby trains," as well as Hot Wheels.

After visiting the Peco factory at Pecorama in Devon at the age of four, his grandmother gave him his first model railway set, a Hornby set consisting of a "Pannier tank and some old freight wagons"; his set would gradually receive additions at Christmas and birthdays.

At the age of seven, he moved to rural Frome, Somerset.

Despite there being "far less railway action," he says the nearby Whatley Quarry continued to pique his interest and evolve his passion for freight trains.

During his childhood, Bourgeois was mocked by peers for his hobby.

When he entered secondary school at the age of 15, he suppressed his interest in trains as a means to fit in better and sold his railway sets.

Throughout his adolescence, his hobbies consisted of BMX, mountain biking, and going to the skate park.

"Being a train enthusiast at secondary school is difficult," he explained, "gym memberships and trendy clothes took precedence at that point, regrettably."

Bourgeois credits his Year 11 teacher for discouraging him from acting mischievously, and as a result, he began to excel in algebra and A-Level physics, which would set him on a path to pursue mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham.

He then rekindled his trainspotting pastime during the period of COVID-19 restrictions and frequented the Pot Lane overbridge in Berkley on the edge of Frome.

He considers it his favourite location alongside Willesden Junction.

In the first year of his social media presence, it was widely believed that Bourgeois had borrowed his moniker from the 18th-century court painter of the same name.

It was later revealed in an interview that the name "Francis" was chosen because "he likes France and the way they do trains," and "Bourgeois" was inspired by a visit with his father to a sculpture exhibition by Louise Bourgeois at either the London's Tate Gallery or Somerset's Hauser & Wirth gallery.

Given the perception amongst his school peers that trainspotting was uncool, he explained that his pseudonym allowed him to "feel a bit more protected" when making videos.

When he was applying for his fourth-year work placement, the university staff informed him that potential employers might search his name, and this is not something he wanted to worry about.

Additionally, he believes that "Francis Bourgeois" has "a bit more of a ring to it" than his given name.

Bourgeois' initial TikTok posts consisted of fake "interviews" and comedic doctored videos of himself conversing with celebrities over Instagram Live, including British rapper Swarmz, drill artist Digga D, and alt-pop artist Billie Eilish, as well as Kylie Jenner, which garnered him an early following.

By May 2021, he had just under 250,000 followers.

In October 2021, two of his videos went viral, the first featuring him at Brighton railway station reacting to a GB Class 73/9 locomotive and the name it was given, "Dick Mabutt"; this video accumulated over 12 million views.

Another shows his reaction to the arrival of a British Rail Class 377 train travelling from Littlehampton to Southampton Central, during which he waves at the train driver and then proceeds to fall out of his chair; the video has garnered over six million views.

Later that month, Bourgeois appeared with Josie Gibson on the ITV daytime magazine programme This Morning to discuss the success of his TikTok videos.

In late November 2021, Bourgeois registered Francis Bourgeois Limited as a private limited company.

In January 2022, he signed with the Books division of YMU, an international talent management company, and he became a brand ambassador for GB Railfreight.

In 2020, Bourgeois and his brother began shooting videos and posting them to TikTok.

He explained: "Honestly, I just started out because I wanted a creative outlet during lockdown, and my first videos were just having fun. I was trainspotting most days and that kind of crept into my videos – then one thing led to another."

He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham, expressing a desire to pursue industrial engineering and "create new railways or revitalize older lines" as a civil engineer.

He was hired by Rolls-Royce and briefly worked at a car factory in Portsmouth, but resigned in November 2021 following his social media growth.

His parents supported this decision granted that he take the module to convert his bachelor's degree to a master's.