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TomSka

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Not to be confused with Tomsk, Tomsk Oblast, or Tom Scott (YouTuber).

TomSka
Ridgewell in 2017
Personal information
Born
Thomas James Ridgewell

(1990-06-27) 27 June 1990 (age 34)
Suffolk, England
OriginCambridge, England
Education
Occupations
  • YouTuber
  • filmmaker
  • vlogger
  • comedian
  • actor
  • musician
  • former animator
Partner(s)Charlie Belle (2016–present; engaged)
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2002–present
Genres
Subscribers7.36 million (main channel)
8.84 million (combined)[b]
Total views2.1 billion (main channel)
2.34 billion (combined)[a]
100,000 subscribers2010 (TomSka)
1,000,000 subscribers2012 (TomSka)[1]
Last updated: 5 September 2024

Thomas James Ridgewell (born 27 June 1990), known online as TomSka, is a British YouTuber, filmmaker, vlogger, comedian, actor, musician, and former animator. He is known for writing, directing, producing, and starring in his live-action sketch comedy YouTube videos and animated web series such as Asdfmovie (/ˈæsdəfmuːvi/ AS-dəf-moo-vee), Crash Zoom,[2] and Eddsworld where he both provided the voice and inspired the character of Tom and served as showrunner from 2012 to 2016. As of July 2024, his YouTube channel has over 7.33 million subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 2 billion views.[3]

Early life and education

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Thomas James Ridgewell was born on 27 June 1990 in Suffolk,[4] England.[5] His would-be twin sister Amelia died prenatally after Ridgewell's mother was injured in a car accident.[6] He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, in Essex until age 4 and later Cambridge. As a child, Ridgewell made short films using his parents' video camera.[7] Shortly after YouTube was established, Ridgewell created CakeBomb,[8] a website where he posted his projects, including his animated web series Asdfmovie and his late friend Edd Gould's Eddsworld. Ridgewell graduated from the University of Lincoln[9] where he studied Media Production having previously studied at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge,[10] and whilst studying created a series of unofficial advertisements for the university which received millions of views and were also featured on the BBC.[11]

Career

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As a professional YouTuber, Ridgewell earns money from revenue from his videos on the website.[12][13] He has been interviewed about this and has had this aspect of his life discussed, especially when the medium of online video was in its infancy.[5] He has appeared as a guest on the BBC's The One Show[14] and created short films for Comedy Central.[15]

In October 2007, Ridgewell created a secondary channel called TomSka & Friends (previously known as DarkSquidge).[16] As of July 2024, the channel has over 1.47 million subscribers and over 239 million views.[17] While his main channel consists of sketch comedy and animations, The "TomSka & Friends" channel shows behind-the-scenes footage of TomSka-related projects and videos, as well as vlogging.[18] Ridgewell also engages in social commentary, covering topics like mental health,[19] sexual health, and body positivity.[20] From April 2016 to February 2018, he uploaded weekly vlogs to the channel in a series named Last Week.[21]

In 2012, Ridgewell founded the media production company TurboPunch Ltd., located in London. He currently works there alongside co-writer Eddie Bowley.[22] Ridgewell also became the producer of Eddsworld after the show's creator, Edd Gould, died of leukemia.[23] He left the series in 2016, relinquishing the show to animator Matt Hargreaves.[23]

Ridgewell in 2013

In February 2013, Ridgewell was featured on the cover of Wired UK as part of a feature titled "How YouTube Reinvented the Entertainment Business".[24] In May 2013, he was featured in YouTube's first (and ultimately only) Comedy Week[25] as a guest host for its Geek Week series in August.[26]

In 2014, Ridgewell, in collaboration with video game developer Pixel Spill Studios, created the game KatataK, a side-scrolling shoot 'em up for iOS and Android devices.[27][28] In September 2014, the BBC announced Ridgewell would appear as a guest presenter on the Dan and Phil Show on BBC Radio 1.[29][30][31]

In 2016, Ridgewell filmed several sketches with the BBC for a potential sketch show on BBC Three.[32]

A book titled Sam Kills Christmas, written by Ridgewell and Eddie Bowley with illustrations by Dorina Herdewijn, was released on 8 November 2018.[33][34]

Asdfmovie

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In 2008, Ridgewell released the first episode of Asdfmovie,[35] an animated sketch comedy series featuring short clips of minimalist characters in surreal and occasionally darkly humorous situations. The "asdf" part of the name originates from the first four characters of the second row of letters on the "QWERTY" keyboard layout. He has since confirmed the backronym autism spectrum disorder friendly movie.[36]

The song "Beep Beep I'm a Sheep" by Canadian musician LilDeuceDeuce with vocals by Ridgewell and Gabriel Brown,[37] released alongside Asdfmovie10, was featured in the dance rhythm game Just Dance 2018.[38] A book based on the Asdfmovie series, titled Art is Dead: the asdf book, was written by Ridgewell, illustrated by Matt Ley and published by Little Brown on 22 October 2015.[39]

In May 2018, Ridgewell uploaded "The Muffin Song", a spin-off song of his Asdfmovie series, in collaboration with Schmoyoho. As of May 2024, the video has garnered over 256 million views.[40]

In 2019, Ridgewell developed a card game based on Asdfmovie in collaboration with Big Potato Games called Muffin Time: The Random Card Game.[41] He raised over £1,000,000 for the game on Kickstarter.[42]

Personal life

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He was raised a Jehovah's Witness but no longer practices this faith.[43] Despite this, he has expressed belief in a higher power.[44]

Though not primarily a musician by trade, Ridgewell has played bass guitar in multiple videos, including "Guitar Warfare"[45] and "Mine Turtle" as a featured artist with LilDeuceDeuce.[46]

Ridgewell is very open about his struggles with grief and depression following the death of Edd Gould in 2012. He was diagnosed with severe depression in 2013.[47] A lot of the dark humour in Ridgewell's work is influenced by this. In 2016, Ridgewell uploaded an autobiographical comic onto his tumblr blog titled "Tomska is Sad: The Cycle", which dramatises previous events in his life, alongside his dependency on alcohol.[48]

In 2021, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[49]

On 26 December 2023, Charlie Belle, his long-term partner, announced via Instagram that they had become engaged.[50][51] Ridgewell later revealed that he had proposed on Christmas Day.[51]

Filmography

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Web series

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Year Title Role Notes
2005–2016 Eddsworld Tom Also showrunner (Eddsworld Legacy), writer, director, producer, and composer
2008–present Asdfmovie Various roles Also creator, writer, director, and producer
2012 Dick Figures Mash Episode 39, "The Fart Knight Rises"
2013 Project: Library Young Troy Bennet (Episode 2, "Dinosaur") Also executive producer
2014–2016 Don't Hug Me I'm Scared Magnet (Episode 6) Also executive producer (Episodes 3, 4, 5, and 6)
2015–present Crash Zoom Ben Also creator, writer, director, and producer
2015–2021 Cyanide & Happiness Shorts Agent 7 3 Episodes
2016 Whipped Jeff
2016 YouTube Rewind: The Ultimate 2016 Challenge Himself
2016–2018, 2019, 2020 Last Week Also creator
2017 YouTube Rewind: The Shape of 2017
2018–2019, 2023–2024 Last Month Also creator
2018–2020, 2021–present #CONTENT
2021–present TryHards Also co-creator

Short films

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 Ellie Heart N/A Executive producer, special thanks
2015 Primitive Correctness Ugh Also writer and director
2016 Away N/A Executive Producer
2016 Friend Like Me Jirard the Pizza Guy
2017 Self-Conscious Computer N/A Special thanks
2021 The Last Union

Feature films

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Year Title Director Producer Writer Actor Other Role Notes
2013 Dick Figures: The Movie No No No Yes No French Cop (voice)
2015 Dude Bro Party Massacre III No No No Yes No Chaz Noodlemen (voice)
2020 Royalty Free: The Music of Kevin MacLeod No No No Himself No

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 KatataK Creator
2018 Frostpunk Various Roles
2021 MADNESS: Project Nexus Special thanks

Bibliography

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  • Ridgewell, Thomas (2010). Asdfbook.[52]
  • Ridgewell, Thomas (2010–2011). Zack Comic.[52]
  • Ridgewell, Thomas (2015). Art Is Dead, the asdf book. Little Brown Book Group. ISBN 9780751563047.
  • Ridgewell, Thomas (2018). Sam Kills Christmas. Little Brown Book Group. ISBN 9780751563054.

Notes

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  1. ^ Views, broken down by channel:
    2.1 billion (TomSka)
    243 million (TomSka & Friends)
  2. ^ Subscribers, broken down by channel:
    7.36 million (TomSka)
    1.48 million (TomSka & Friends)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ ChewingSand (3 October 2012), Hazel and Tom are Professional, archived from the original on 8 June 2023, retrieved 13 June 2016
  2. ^ Klein, Jessica (17 August 2014). "Between Comedies, TomSka Also Educates His YouTube Fans – VideoInk". VideoInk, Inc. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  3. ^ "TomSka's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  4. ^ Ridgewell, Thomas (8 August 2023). "Last Month I Got Old – Youtube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Tim; Fox, Killian; Michael, Lizzi (6 April 2013). "YouTube UK: 20 of Britain's most popular online video bloggers". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  6. ^ TomSka & Friends (25 February 2016). The Complete History of Me (1/3). Retrieved 23 May 2024 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Clarkson, Stephanie (2015). Vlog It!. United Kingdom: Scholastic UK. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4071-6512-7.
  8. ^ "CakeBomb". CakeBomb. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  9. ^ Cousins, Rachael (27 August 2014). "Former University of Lincoln students to guest present on Radio 1". Lincolnshire Echo. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  10. ^ Atkins, Paul (5 September 2024). "Long Road Sixth Form College marks 50 years and wants your memories". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  11. ^ Johnson, Sarah (18 August 2011). "Appointment to view: The University of Lincoln goes viral". Campaign. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  12. ^ "The Tom Ridgewell show: the 22-year-old making £10,000 a month from his bedroom on YouTube". Evening Standard. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  13. ^ Whitworth, Dan (19 April 2011). "YouTube star TomSka 'makes thousands' every month". Newsbeat. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  14. ^ thepod96 (23 November 2011). "TomSka and Bing on The One Show – BBC One". YouTube. The One Show. BBC. Archived from the original on 5 December 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "YouTube Sensation TomSka Takes Over Comedycentral.co.uk". ViacomCBS. 16 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  16. ^ "DarkSquidge – YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  17. ^ "DarkSquidge's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  18. ^ "TomSka & Friends - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  19. ^ Griffin, Louise (18 February 2019). "TomSka opens up about the dark side of asdfmovie, repairing relationships, and getting a 'real job'". Metro. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  20. ^ THE SEX TALK, 13 December 2013, archived from the original on 30 November 2020, retrieved 7 June 2021
  21. ^ O'Dell, Liam (8 September 2017). "TomSka Announces the End of Last Week". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  22. ^ "TURBOPUNCH LIMITED". Datalog. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  23. ^ a b Gutelle, Sam (23 March 2016). "TomSka's New Documentary Explains How Eddsworld Survived Its Creator's Death". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  24. ^ Cheshire, Tom (7 February 2013). "Talent Tube: how Britain's new YouTube superstars built a global fanbase". Wired UK. Archived from the original on 15 May 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  25. ^ "YouTube's Comedy Week shows how much comedy has changed". Telegraph.co.uk. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  26. ^ Vincent, James (25 July 2013). "YouTube Launches 'Geek Week', Nerds Left in the Shade". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  27. ^ "KatataK". KatataK. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  28. ^ Saylor, Jacob (29 December 2014). "KatataK Is Now Out for iOS and Android". Gameranx. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  29. ^ "New youth presenters for Radio 1". BBC. 22 August 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  30. ^ Lewis, Tim (6 April 2013). "YouTube superstars: the generation taking on TV – and winning". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  31. ^ Burrell, Ian (22 August 2014). "Radio 1 to hire 'YouTube-famous' vloggers to broadcast online". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  32. ^ Fitzgerald, Claire (3 December 2015). "Tom Ridgewell Working with BBC Comedy". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  33. ^ Weiss, Geoff (24 September 2018). "U.K. YouTube Vet TomSka Has Written A Kids' Book Called 'Sam Kills Christmas'". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  34. ^ Griffin, Louise (7 November 2018). "TomSka is ready to 'take down' Christmas with his new book, and we're not mad". Metro. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  35. ^ Dillon, Poppy (12 August 2015). "Tom Ridgewell to Release asdf Comic Book". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  36. ^ Thomas Ridgewell (18 November 2023). "it's "friendly" not "funny" but yea". twitter.com.
  37. ^ Melnychuk, Mark (7 April 2017). "Regina musician's latest video racking up millions of views on YouTube". Regina Leader-post. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  38. ^ Sounders, Mike (23 August 2017). "Random time: Beep beep like a sheep in Just Dance 2018". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  39. ^ Dillon, Poppy (12 August 2015). "Tom Ridgewell to Release asdf Comic Book". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  40. ^ "TomSka's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) – Social Blade". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  41. ^ O'Dell, Liam (14 August 2019). "TomSka Announces asdfmovie Card Game". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  42. ^ Hutchins, Robert (16 September 2019). "Big Potato and Turbo Punch join £1m club on Kickstarter with Muffin Time success". ToyNews. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  43. ^ DarkSquidge (7 October 2015). "The Day My Faith Died". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  44. ^ DarkSquidge (28 January 2013). "7 Facts About TomSka". YouTube. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  45. ^ Page, Justin (20 May 2013). "Guitar Warfare, An Explosive Guitar Battle Between Good and Evil". Laughing Squid. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  46. ^ TomSka (22 June 2012). "MINE TURTLE (asdfmovie song)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  47. ^ I Am Depressed. Retrieved 9 May 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  48. ^ "So I wrote a comic..." Tumblr. April 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  49. ^ Thomas Ridgewell (17 November 2022). "Oh yeah, I have ADHD. I only mentioned this in passing once but I was finally diagnosed in 2021, surprising absolutely no one. If I ever find myself vlogging again, I'll go into more detail. Either that or you'll have to wait for The Complete History of Me 4 (2027) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯". twitter.com.
  50. ^ Charlie Belle. "said no, obviously x". Instagram. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  51. ^ a b Thomas Ridgewell (19 January 2024). "Last Month I Proposed". YouTube.
  52. ^ a b "The TomSka Iceberg Explained #CONTENT". YouTube. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
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