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Colin Furze

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Colin Furze
Photograph of Colin Furze
Furze in 2024
Personal information
Born (1979-10-14) 14 October 1979 (age 45)
Stamford, Lincolnshire, England
Occupations
Websitecolinfurze.com[dead link‍]
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2006–present
Subscribers13.1 million[1]
Total views1.8 billion[1]
100,000 subscribersDecember 2013
1,000,000 subscribersMay 2015
10,000,000 subscribersApril 2020
Last updated: 21 December 2024

Colin Furze (born (1979-10-14)14 October 1979[2]) is a British YouTuber, engineer, and inventor from Stamford, Lincolnshire.

Furze left school to become a plumber until he performed on the Sky1 programme Gadget Geeks. Furze has since used his plumbing and engineering experience to build many unconventional contraptions, including a hoverbike, a wall of death, a jet-powered motorcycle made with pulsejet engines, and the world's fastest mobility scooter, pram, and dodgem. These are typically broadcast on YouTube where he celebrates subscriber milestones with increasingly extravagant fireworks.

Projects that have been sponsored include a spring-loaded hidden blade and grappling hook from Assassin's Creed, an artificial-turf-covered BMW E30 containing a hot tub and barbecue grill, and a bunker underneath his back garden to promote Sky1's television series You, Me and the Apocalypse.

Biography

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Furze in 2012

Furze has said that he attended Malcolm Sargent Primary School as a child until he entered secondary school. By then, he had already begun making underground dens and a few tree houses.[3] He became a plumber after leaving school at 16, which allowed him to focus on creating tools, gadgets, and other engineering inventions. Shortly after the death of his father, he discovered the video-sharing website YouTube, on which he shared his inventions beginning with his wall of death ramp in 2007.[3]

He and his girlfriend, Charlotte,[4] have two children.[3]

Inventions

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Furze's many contraptions are publicised on his YouTube channel. On 13 March 2010, he uploaded a video of his converted scooter, incorporating a flame thrower that could shoot flames up to 15 feet (4.5 m) in the air.[5] On 25 March 2010, Furze was arrested by Lincolnshire Police, for possessing an object converted into a firearm (in UK law, a flame thrower is a type of firearm). He was released on bail without charge the next day. This was Furze's third attempt at producing such a device, as the first did not ignite and the second burst into flames.[6][7]

On 5 May 2014, Furze posted a video to kick off his 3-week long X-Men characters special by designing a set of realistic Wolverine claws based on a pneumatic system. Within its first week it had received over three million views.[8]

On 23 October 2015, Furze released a video showing off the start of a new multi-part build, in which he would construct a Hidden Blade to promote the new Ubisoft game, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. Furze went on to make the Hidden Blade, a spring-loaded concealed blade that activates at the flick of the wrist with the help of a ring-triggered wheel mechanism, a rope launcher and a winch device, all built onto a frame that fit his wrist.

In November 2015, Furze constructed an underground bomb shelter beneath his garden, as part of a request by Sky1 to promote the series You, Me and the Apocalypse.[9] The bunker contains a corridor and a large main room, as well as a fully functional air filtration system and has an entrance shaft concealed by a garden shed.[10][11]

In 2016, Furze created a "hoverbike" using two paramotors.[12]

Furze has completed three Star Wars themed challenges in partnership with eBay. In 2016, he completed a giant AT-AT garden playhouse, followed by a full size Kylo Ren Tie Silencer in 2017. In 2019, he completed a moving Landspeeder from Star Wars A New Hope. The vehicle was auctioned off on eBay, with all of the funds going to BBC Children in Need.[13][14]

In May 2018, Furze completed a working life-size Hulk buster in partnership with eBay, which is where he gained the parts to make it from. He also worked with YouTuber James Bruton, who made the control panel to operate the machine.

In December 2020, he created a 14-metre-high trebuchet capable of throwing a washing machine.[15][16]

In March 2022, he announced the completion of a tunnel that links his house and his workshop. Lined with metal sheets and concrete, it took him three years to construct. Extensions towards the bunker and the driveway are planned next.

In April 2023, Colin constructed a machine that he said made him “weightless”. It worked by having a pivot 3 metres in the air with a 7.5-metre extendable arm and seat on one side, and a 1 tonne concrete block as a counterweight on the other. This allowed him to jump higher, as the counterweight almost balances his weight.

His main YouTube channel has 13 million subscribers, while his second channel 2 much Colin Furze has 1,110,000 subscribers as of 28 June 2024.

Colin Furze's Screw tank

Achievements

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On 24 October 2008, Furze revealed a 14.26-metre-long (46.8-foot) motorbike that he had built to break the world record of the longest motorcycle. This was done by attaching beams in place of the back. He completed the record by riding it a minimum of 100 m (330 feet).[17]

On 14 October 2010, it was announced that Furze had modified a mobility scooter to give it the ability to reach 71 mph (114 km/h) in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records. It took him nearly three months to build and has a 125 cc (7.6 cu in) motocross engine.[18]

On 10 October 2012, Furze posted a video showing a pram fitted with an engine which, if it travelled over 30 mph (48 km/h), would make it the world's fastest pram. He succeeded in breaking the world record by achieving 53.46 mph (86.04 km/h).[19] The pram was featured in the October 2013 copy of Popular Science Magazine, in which Furze was interviewed about his reasons for having modified the pram.[20]

On 30 March 2017, Furze posted a video showing a restored 1960s dodgem fitted with a 600 cc (37 cu in) motor cycle engine producing around 100 bhp (75 kW).[21] The dodgem achieved a top speed of 107.390 mph (172.827 km/h), with an average speed of 100.336 mph (161.475 km/h) from a run in each direction – making it the world's fastest bumper car, as approved by Guinness World Records.[22] BBC Worldwide asked Furze to complete the project for The Stig to drive.

Television

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Furze made his television debut by appearing as the 'Mystery Guest' in Episode 1, Series 3 of Russell Howard's Good News, where he showed off his mobility scooter project. The scooter was damaged in transit and was unable to work properly on stage, but Russell got on the scooter regardless and Furze pushed him around on it.

Furze appeared as one of the experts on Gadget Geeks, the short-lived Sky1 series, in which the trio of experts would consult a member of the British public to test an invention idea in the workplace, along with the journalist Tom Scott and Charles Yarnold.[23] Furze has been 'number one' multiple times on the Science Channel show Outrageous Acts of Science and has appeared on the E4 show Virtually Famous twice, demonstrating his wolverine claws on 28 July 2014 and again, the following year, showcasing the "toaster knife".[24] He went further afield, appearing on German television with his toaster knife.

He appeared as a guest and "challenge" in the third season of the German TV game show Joko gegen Klaas - Das Duell um die Welt. One of the contestants had to be Furze's assistant for a day and had to test any invention he presented.

Furze's inventions were featured on 11 February 2020 episode of Great British Inventions hosted by David Jason.[25]

Books

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Colin Furze authored "This Book Isn't Safe", a collection of projects intended for children and adults to recreate at home and spur an interest in engineering.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "About colinfurze". YouTube.
  2. ^ Furze, Colin [@colin_furze] (14 October 2020). "I'm 41 today, happy birthday me from the loo haha. #colinfurze #birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 July 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c "Colinfurze : Draw My Life". YouTube. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Colin's Girlfriend's name". colinfurze. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.
  5. ^ Direct Bikes Scooter Flame Thrower Colin Furze. DirectBikes. 13 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  6. ^ The Daily Telegraph (27 March 2010). "Flame-thrower scooter owner arrested." Archived 1 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Daily Telegraph.
  7. ^ "Plumber arrested on firearms charge for having 15ft flame thrower on back of scooter". Daily Mirror. 27 March 2010. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ^ YouTube (5 May 2014). "DIY X-MEN WOLVERINE fully automatic claws.'" Archived 4 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine YouTube.
  9. ^ Wells, Jonathan (18 November 2015). "Meet the plumber who has built an underground 'apocalypse bunker'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  10. ^ "BUNKER". COLINFURZE. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  11. ^ "VIDEO: Man builds underground apocalypse proof bunker in the back garden of his Stamford home". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  12. ^ The Daily Telegraph (29 April 2016). "British inventor builds incredible working hoverbike". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 May 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Fabricating a Metal Landspeeder that DRIVES". 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  14. ^ "A landspeeder challenge from Daisy Ridley and John Boyega". BBC Children in Need. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  15. ^ YouTuber Colin Furze creates trebuchet in Stamford Archived 27 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine. stamfordmercury.co.uk
  16. ^ THIS MASSIVE HOMEMADE TREBUCHET CAN LAUNCH WASHING MACHINES Archived 27 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Nerdist
  17. ^ Marsden, Liam (24 October 2008). "Friday funny: World's longest motorcycle record broken". Motorcycle News. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
  18. ^ The Daily Telegraph (14 October 2010). "Man builds world's fastest mobility scooter." Archived 15 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Daily Telegraph
  19. ^ ITV News (11 October 2012). "Inventor shows off 'world's fastest pram.'" Archived 15 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine ITV News
  20. ^ Gregory Mone (17 January 2013). "You Built What?!: The World's Fastest Baby Carriage". Popular Science. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  21. ^ YouTube (30 March 2017). "World's Fastest Bumper Car – 600cc 100bhp But how FAST? – Colin Furze Top Gear Project" Archived 18 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Telegraph (30 March 2017). "Top Gear's The Stig sets world speed record... in a dodgem" Archived 14 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Daily Telegraph.
  23. ^ "Gadget Geeks – Our Inventors". BSkyB. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  24. ^ "Virtually Famous Episode 1.2". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  25. ^ Brown, Matthew (11 February 2020). "YouTube inventor will feature on a television programme with actor David Jason". Stamford Mercury. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  26. ^ "This Book Isn't Safe by Colin Furze: 9780451478764 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
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