When it comes to content creation YouTube has become a veritable treasure trove of captivating and diverse channels, each with its unique appeal. Whether you’re seeking informative tutorials, side-splitting comedy, awe-inspiring travel adventures, or thought-provoking discussions, there’s something for everyone on this ever-evolving platform.

My husband and I are huge fans of YouTube and will often go down a rabbit hole of entertaining content using it. We have lost whole evenings to watching different videos on YouTube, and I’ve also grown to love a selection of different channels that focus on very different topics and themes that interest me. Some of them may surprise you, but some of them may not.

In this blog I present to you my personal selection of the top ten YouTube channels that have had a huge impact on my viewing experience. From the captivating storytelling to sheer creativity, these channels have transformed the way I consume digital media and have become an integral part of my daily entertainment.

So, sit back, relax, and prepare to embark on a delightful adventure through my top ten YouTube channels. I hope you enjoy the ones I’ve picked and remember to pop over to YouTube and like and subscribe to them if you do. In no particular order:

Hibbert Home Tech – Paul Hibbert

My husband has installed numerous smart home devices and automations throughout our home, with him having been inspired for many of them through seeing them reviewed on Paul Hibbert’s channel “Hibbert Home Tech”. Smart home devices and automations are a lifesaver for me as someone with ADHD as I am always leaving the bathroom lights on, forgetting to turn off the washing machine or dishwasher or even starting things and then abandoning them half way through.

Ever since my husband introduced me to Paul’s channel I have been hooked. His weekly videos are as hilarious as they are informative, and he has reviewed numerous different products from Govee, Phillips Hue (the less said about that one the better!), Google, Amazon and many more. Paul’s catchphrases are imprinted in my mind forever and I’ve even created a layout on my Streamdeck dedicated to different sound clips and catchphrases from Paul that I can play whenever I need a laugh.

I also love that through his channel Paul has documented his struggles with his mental health, and he has also written a book called “Troll Slayer” which details the hilarious comebacks he has shared in response to trolls in the comments section of his channel and social media channels.

“Hibbert Home Tech” is definitely a channel worth subscribing to. You’ll all be saying “Home Assistant” and “Ooh the Zigbee” in no time! You can find out more about Paul on his website www.paulhibbert.co.uk.

Retro Recipes/The Retro Show

I am a huge fan of all things retro computing and love the fact that the machines of yesteryear take me right back to happier days in my childhood. So, when I was introduced to Retro Recipes/The Retro Show via my husband I was instantly hooked on it. “Retro Recipes” is run by British actor Christian Simpson, also known as Perifractic, who appeared in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace as well as many other films, and he has also acted as a voiceover for numerous characters and numerous films, particularly in animations. He appears in “The Retro Show” every month alongside his wife Ladyfractic and his dogs Puppyfractics alongside videos of them together and separately building various retro computers and in Perifractics case doing all manner of things related to the 80s TV series Knight Rider. He has even just bought a replica KITT car and had it shipped over to the USA from the UK, and will be working on restoring it.

It is because of “Retro Recipes” that I asked my husband to find my first ever home computer on ebay, a Texas Instruments TI/99, which he did. It now has pride of place in our retro room at home and I’ll often pop in there, turn it on and get transported back to happier times playing Space Invaders and Munch Man, the Texas Instrument version of Pac-Man.

Stu’s Reviews

Another channel I love that is dedicated to smart home devices and gadgets is Stu’s Reviews, run by Stu Thomas. I particularly love the unboxing videos that Stu does and seeing what delights he has been sent as he unboxes and unwraps them to see what they are and how they work.

As a result of watching this YouTube channel my husband and I have bought a few different gadgets that we liked the look of including a rotating phone holder to use when filming videos and a personal fan cooling device. It really is a treasure trove of a channel where you will often say, “oh that looks amazing”, then it somehow finds its way into your Amazon basket and the next thing you know it is being delivered!

Minty Comedic Arts

I am a huge film/movie buff, so when I stumbled across Minty Comedic Arts I was hooked. Minty is an Australian YouTuber whose videos covers ten things you don’t know about a particular film, they are so well put together and researched, he must spend hours and hours getting each video just right. I also love how he makes his opening title sequences like the film he is covering and that he dresses like a main character in the film he is reviewing.

Some of my favourites that he has done include the Star Wars films, the Indiana Jones Films and the Back to the Future films, but I love his hilarious take on his top ten things you didn’t know videos and look forward to seeing new ones go up on his channel every week.

Ozzy Man Reviews

Now this is a channel I go to whenever I feel I need a good laugh! I assume that because of my autistic brain I find things happening to others such as slips, trips, and falls hysterical, which is strange because I hate it when something like that happens to me. But when it is someone else, I can’t help but be in absolute fits of laughter.

Not only are the video clips hysterical but his commentary for each one is as well, watching a clip or two from “Ozzy Man Reviews” always cheers me up. There are a few videos that are a little bit close to the mark for me, like one where he was commentating over footage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, but I just avoid watching those.

So pop over to “Ozzy Man Reviews” AKA Ethan Marrell on YouTube and take a trip to destination f**ked!

Artisan Electrics

Last year I had solar energy installed when the price of gas and electric went up and the cost of living crisis hit instead of spending thousands on having a new kitchen installed. I knew nothing about kilowatt hours, how solar energy works or how it is installed so when I came across the YouTube channel for Artisan Electrics, a leading electrician company that specialises in solar energy installations, I was hooked. I’ve learnt so much about solar energy from the channel and seen them do the most intricate and complicated installations.

My only wish is that they were situated closer to where I am, being out in Cambridgeshire they don’t come out to do work outside their main area which is a huge shame, but I’d happily recommend them to anyone in the Cambridgeshire area who is looking to install solar energy.

Puro Fail Show

Another channel that makes me laugh containing lots of video mishaps, trips, slips and falls and helps to cheer me up! I particularly love the videos of people getting scared by the James Brown “I Feel Good” prank, where the intro to the song is played and the scream at the beginning makes people jump out of their skin. This definitely did not give my husband any ideas about doing it, nor did it give him ideas of doing the wake up pranks on me, and he did not scare me to death with them not just once but several times!

So make sure you head over to the Puro Fail Show channel and check them out😊

Stam Fine

Another film and TV series review YouTube channel that I love is Stam Fine, and through this channel I’ve learnt a lot about various films and TV series that I haven’t got round to watching yet.

He has covered some really obscure series and films such as Manimal and Escape From New York, as well as more mainstream series like Babylon 5 and V.

Weird History

This description of this channel is, “As weird as people seem today, we don’t hold a candle to history. Welcome to the annals of history your social studies class never covered in high school. Boring dates and places? Not here. This is for the extreme, the unexpected, the untold, and above all, the flat-out weird parts of history.”

Weird History contains lots of historical videos that talk about years gone by, but I really love their “Timeline” video series. Starting from the 1970s and ending in the year 2000 these videos take you through a journey of nostalgia focusing on the history of the USA including old television commercials, sport, and current affairs.

Atomic Hobo

Atomic Hobo is the YouTube channel for author Julia McDowell, whose recent book “Attack Warning Red” focuses on the cold war period of history and a time when we were all petrified of nuclear war and the bomb being dropped at any second.

I have a huge interest in all things to do with nuclear war and that time period which I got from watching the BBC Docu-Drama film “Threads” when I was 15 years old at school, so “Atomic Hobo” is one of my must-watch and go-to YouTube channels. If you do decide to go and check out this channel, always make sure you “duck and cover”.

Conclusion

In compiling this list, I’ve aimed to showcase the channels that I love in the YouTube community. This list is just the tip of the iceberg, as I’m always finding new channels and content on there. I will be reviewing some of these channels in much more detail in separate blogs over the course of the coming weeks, likely starting with Retro Recipes/The Retro Show.

I absolutely encourage you all to engage with these channels and their communities. Leave a comment, share your thoughts, and become an active part of the conversation. The beauty of YouTube lies not only in the content but also in the connections we forge with fellow viewers and creators around the world.