The global COVID-19 pandemic forced many of us to either take up new hobbies or start uploading videos to social media to relieve our boredom, but Francis Bourgeois is one social media personality who stands out beyond the rest.
But who is Francis Bourgeois and how did he become famous? We plan to answer both these questions and more below.
In This Francis Bourgeois Post
Francis Bourgeois Quick Facts
| Name: | Luke Nicholson (social media name: Francis Bourgeois) |
| Age: | 22 |
| DoB: | July 8th 2000 |
| Nationality: | British |
| Height: | 6ft 3in / 190.5cm |
| Net Worth: | >$20,000 |
| Instagram: | @francis_bourgeois43 – 1.6m followers |
| TikTok: | @francis.bourgeois – 2.7m followers |
Who Is Francis Bourgeois?
Francis Bourgeois is the social media moniker of Luke Nicholson, a 22-year-old student born in Harlseden, West London on July 8th, 2000. Francis Bourgeois became popular during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic both in his native United Kingdom and around the world for his series of videos posted to TikTok showing him trainspotting.
His enthusiasm towards trains and unique sense of humour have earned him legions of fans and sponsorship deals.
He started trainspotting at an early age, but he quickly became bullied and teased for his hobby.
Francis moved to Frome, Somerset when he was 7 years old. Upon enrolling in secondary school, he hid his passion for trains to fit in with his peers. He admits in a TikTok video that he sold his model train set to help fund a gym membership and even chose to style his hair with gel.
He is currently enrolled at the University of Nottingham, where he is studying Engineering.
Unfortunately for you ladies, Francis Bourgeois has a girlfriend. He is currently dating Amy Linkin, who is also a student. Not much else is known about Amy, but she occasionally features in Francis’ videos.
In his later years, Francis decided to reconnect with his love for trains and trainspotting and set up his social media account to document trains he sees.
It isn’t clear why he chose the stage name of Francis Bourgeois instead of his actual name of Luke Nicholson. The ‘real’ Francis Bourgeois was a landscape painter and court painter to King George III of the United Kingdom, who lived between 1753 and 1811.
Today Bourgeois lives in Battersea, London. His bedroom overlooks 12 railway tracks.
Francis Bourgeois TikTok
It was through the video-sharing platform TikTok that Francis Bourgeois found his fame. To date, Francis’ videos have clocked up over 47 million likes and earned him over 2.7 million followers.
The majority of Francis’ TikTok videos follow a similar formula: he introduces a train that he expects to go past him and we get a point of view close-up of Francis’ face lighting up with excitement thanks to a GoPro camera strapped to his head.
Thanks to his videos and his fame on social media, he has received gifts and produced sponsored content with the likes of popstar Joe Jonas (with whom he has gone trainspotting with), Spanish singer Rosalía, French football legend Thierry Henry and streaming service Spotify. Sustainable sunglass brand Coral Eyewear even invited him as a guest to the recent Formula One race in Miami, Florida, where he hung out with F1 drivers Alex Albon and Lance Norris.
Francis Bourgeois Model Career
In January 2022, Francis Bourgeois was cast in an advert for Italian fashion house Gucci and its collaboration with The North Face. Francis plays a train conductor in the advert and checks people’s tickets on a train. The collaboration and announcement of Francis being cast were shared exclusively by Highsnobiety.
More recently, Francis was seen modelling a two-piece chequered suit at Oxfam’s ‘Fashion Fighting Poverty’ show for London Fashion Week.
Francis Bourgeois TV Show
Francis’ very own TV show is set to launch on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand on Thursday 28 February 2023.
The TikTok sensation provides his audience and guests with a glance into the art of wild transpotting.
Francis Bourgeois Book
Francis Bourgeois has also written a book, should you ever want to get some no-screen time without having to sacrifice your stream of locomotive content.
The Train Spotter’s Notebook is an adventure-filled memoir from the world’s most beloved trainspotter, published by Penguin.
Francis Bourgeois Music
Not a lot of people know this, but Francis Bourgeois is also a really big music fan and a bit of a musician himself. When he made an appearance on Amelia Dimoldenberg’s cooking show in 2022, he talked at length about how much he loved electronic music, comparing the sound of the engines to baselines on a track.
In 2022, he released a song called Whatley Quarry, under another alias – Boggy Can. And while the song hasn’t enjoyed significant commercial success, it’s a pretty good lo-fi track that references his trainspotting hobby and pays homage to the real Whatley Quarry, a quarry close to his hometown.
He is also quite active on the rave scene, saying he would like to host a rave on a train someday. In 2021, he visited and promoted The Warehouse Project – a rave club that has hosted so many internationally recognized artists. Going forward, Francis may become more active with his music, especially since he has continued to make music, even though most of it is unreleased.
Francis’ Trainspotting
He rode on the majestic Imparatum owned by France Joseph the first and Empress Elizabeth of Wittlesbar whilst acting as the ambassador of Gucci. He hoped on the Eurostar which was an age-long dream come to pass.
@francis.bourgeois This is the Majestic Imperator — one of the most luxurious trains in Europe and the setting of @gucci ‘s new campaign! #advertisement #GucciGift ♬ original sound – Francis Bourgeois
A day in the life of the luxury train spotter also involved trainspotting B7800 at Gilford, picking a sausage at Martin’s house. He also attended the Brits awards, afterwards.
Exploring the Berny Arms, the UK’s shortest train station, proved to be an adventure in nature where one could easily lose track of time and miss their train.
Glitz and Events
On the 22nd of May, he drove a class 37,37688 alongside the exceptional Alisha Lehman. Celebrating his birthday with friends, he wore a customized shirt bearing “37215” and rode in a Class 20. To resolve boredom on long train journeys, Francis suggested playing simulation games of trains you’re on like the 804 Sims Train Game. Later on, he threw a party at his house with enthralling events such as the launching of his model railway, which was a little chaotic.
He embarked on the luxurious Orient Express of Italy 1927, experiencing its various cabins and amenities like the Train Bleu’s piano party and drinks, and the Flèche Cabin adorned in creams and browns.
Afterwards, he rode in an Italian, 1930 carriage to the Coropiana SS24 event, Fashion display Of superior silky materials and quality denim materials.
At the new year, A class 31, one of its kind, which was found and abandoned had been revived at the Fife Heritage Station had its windows smashed. Efforts to revive the special train were frustrated by people who vandalised it. It is currently the only class 31 which has a loo.
Also, his Tiktok currently has 3.1 Million followers and 70 Million likes.
Next Up
Now you know all about Francis Bourgeois, his Real Name, Girlfriend, Net Worth, and Trainspotting, read about other online stars below: