YouTube star and Strictly finalist Joe Sugg, 30, talks Strictly, Suggmania and interviewing famous corpses.
What is your new show, Corpse Talk, about?
Corpse Talk is a graphic novel that YouTube Kids has turned into an animated comedy series. I do the voice of Adam, a chat-show host. Each week he’s in a graveyard interviewing the corpse of a famous character from history.
It sounds a bit morbid…
Not at all, it’s really fun – voice acting is one of the things I’ve genuinely taken to. I’ve always had this idea that, when I’m older and I’ve got kids, I can share my back catalogue of characters I’ve voiced and hope that one of them becomes their favourite show.
Are you a history buff?
Yes, I am one of the small percentage who really enjoyed history, even in primary school. I was the boy who joined the young archaeologists’ club, going out with a metal detector and trying to dig up old artefacts.
Did you find anything other than old ring pulls?
I was very lucky to grow up in Wiltshire, which used to be Wessex, so it was a bit of a hotspot for archaeologists. The field opposite our house had loads of medieval pottery lying around so when the farmer would plough the field, I’d go over with my mum and get a whole tray of it to take to our local museum. Growing up wanting to be Indiana Jones definitely helped as well.
Were you a good student?
I was. The only time I was ever naughty was when I got told off for playing basketball in a corridor at primary school. Ever since that moment I was like, right, I don’t want to get told off ever again. I didn’t like that. I wouldn’t always get homework in on time but I’d always be a good student.
Who would you interview on your own chat show?
Oh God, I would be one of the worst people to have a chat show. I’d be terrified to interview famous people because I’d get nervous. It’s a good thing I’m interviewing animated corpses. That’s where I feel safe…
You seem very well adjusted – did that transition from apprentice roof thatcher to YouTube star feel quite natural?
I was lucky that, before us, there wasn’t a career in it so we had nothing to compare it to. My uncle was my boss when I was a roof thatcher and he said, ‘Give it a crack because you never know where it could go.’ That experience of learning a trade has kept me grounded.
When you did Strictly with your partner Dianne Buswell, was there an instant spark?
No, I’m a professional and so is Dianne. I just wanted to learn to dance and, as soon as I had that first session with Dianne and the buzz of that first Saturday night, I didn’t want it to end – I didn’t want to miss out on the party.
That’s the worst FOMO you can imagine. It wasn’t until afterwards that we thought, ‘Oh, I do miss your company.’
She’s been doing Freeze The Fear with Wim Hof…
I’m so proud of Dianne for doing it. She was a little bit on the fence about it but I’ve known of Wim Hof for a while, so the chance to have one-on-one sessions with a guy that top athletes are dying to get in with? I knew she wouldn’t regret it. She had an amazing time and surprised herself.
You’ve suffered on screen as well. …
I’ve gone down in meme history! These British meme compilations usually involve the guy from , the guy who gets hit in the face with a Greggs plastic bag when he’s being interviewed, then me fainting and James Blunt going, ‘Oh, dear…’
They checked I was ok with it going out and I said they had to keep it in – it was a charity show and it was going to get more people watching!
And you’ve got a book coming out in the autumn.
Yes, it’s called Grow. I started writing it last August. It’s a personal memoir but also a guidebook to finding that balance between the online world and the real world. I grew up as a country lad, moved to London for 10 years and moved back to the countryside, where I’ve rediscovered my love for nature.
What’s the strangest place you’ve been recognised?
Probably Manila. YouTube put an event on in the Philippines and there were hundreds of people waiting outside the airport for us. We had police escorts everywhere, they stopped the traffic to let our car through.
I said to my friend, this is the closest we’ll ever get to what The Beatles experienced. It was a special trip, very surreal.
What ambitions do you have?
There are things I’m working on but they’re all in the early stages. I really enjoy gardening and growing my own veg. That feels like a big goal.
Corpse Talk is on YouTube Kids with new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
