Joe Sugg Real Name
Joseph Graham Sugg (born 8 September 1991) is an English YouTuber. In 2012, he began posting videos on the YouTube channel ThatcherJoe, which peaked at over 8 million subscribers. In 2018, he was a finalist on the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, and in 2019, he portrayed Ogie Anhorn in the West End production of Waitress. He is the younger brother of fellow YouTuber Zoe Sugg.
Early life and ancestry
Sugg was born in Lacock, Wiltshire, and attended The Corsham School in Corsham, Wiltshire, where he gained two A*s, an A and a B in his A-levels. The name of his YouTube channel, ThatcherJoe, is derived from his apprenticeship as a roof thatcher. He is the younger brother of Zoe Sugg, who is also a blogger and internet personality, known on YouTube as Zoella.
In a November 2021 episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, Sugg discovered that his ancestors from Jersey were working in electrical telegraphy in the early years of its development. He also found that his 7× great-grandparents were Huguenot refugees from Frênes in Normandy who fled religious persecution in France and made their way to Jersey in the mid-eighteenth century. Another ancestor lived and worked in late 17th-century London as a jeweller and survived the Great Fire of London.
Career
YouTube
Sugg created his ‘ThatcherJoe’ channel in December 2011 and reached the one-million-subscriber mark two years later. His channel became known for its pranks, impressions, and challenge videos, such as the Whisper Challenge, which became a popular YouTube trend after Sugg created a YouTuber version of the challenge in 2014. In January 2013, Sugg began his vlogging channel, ‘ThatcherJoeVlogs’, and in June 2014, he created his gaming channel, ‘ThatcherJoeGames’.
Film and television
Sugg had an uncredited voiceover role as a seagull in the 2015 UK version of the film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Also in 2015, Sugg appeared alongside Caspar Lee in the direct-to-DVD film Joe and Caspar Hit the Road, which was shown on British television channel E4 in April 2016.
A second DVD, Joe & Caspar Hit the Road USA, was released in 2016. Alongside fellow YouTubers Alfie Deyes and Marcus Butler, Sugg starred in an episode of the British television show Release the Hounds, which aired in March 2017.
In 2018, Sugg became the first social media star to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, and he was partnered with professional dancer Dianne Buswell. The pair reached the final and finished as runners-up.
Shortly after the final, the BBC announced Sugg as co-presenter of New Year Live, alongside Stacey Dooley. On 22 February 2019, Sugg co-hosted The One Show on BBC One, with Alex Jones, and he was one of the hosts for the Red Nose Day telethon on the BBC on 15 March 2019.]
Music and stage
Sugg was a member of the YouTube Boyband, which raised money for Comic Relief and became a viral hit. He also featured on the 2014 single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” as part of the Band Aid 30 charity supergroup, raising money for the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.
In September 2018, Sugg collaborated with Conor Maynard and then-housemate Byron Langley to take part in a YouTube one-hour song challenge and released “You Want My Sister”. In January 2020, Sugg released his solo debut single, “Say It Now”. In August 2021, he released his second single, “Wild Things”.
Graphic novels and book
Sugg created the storyline and characters for the graphic novel Username: Evie, published in 2015. The writing is by Matt Whyman, with illustrations by Amrit Birdi. The story is about bullied teenage schoolgirl Evie, who dreams of a place she can be herself. Her terminally ill father creates a virtual reality for her, but dies before it is completed.
After he leaves her an app that allows entry, Evie is transported into a world where everything is influenced by her personality. Username: Evie became the fastest-selling graphic novel in the UK since records began, selling 13,745 copies in its debut week. A sequel, Username: Regenerated, was published in 2016, and the third and final graphic novel in the series, Username: Uprising, was released in 2017.
Businesses
In 2018, Sugg and Caspar Lee established a management company, Margravine (now MVE), to support up-and-coming digital talent.
In August 2022, it was announced that Sugg’s production company Final Straw Productions had partnered with BBC Studios to develop entertainment and factual entertainment formats for audiences of all ages. In 2024, Final Straw Productions released a dating show pilot on YouTube called Date Me At My Worst, hosted by TikTok star Max Balegde.0]
Strictly Come Dancing
From September 2018, Sugg participated in the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Australian dancer Dianne Buswell. They reached the final, finishing as runners-up.
| Week no. | Dance/song | Judges’ score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Ballas | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Jive / “Take On Me” | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | No elimination |
| 2 | Charleston / “Cotton Eye Joe” | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 3 | American Smooth / “Breaking Free” | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 4 | Cha-Cha-Cha / “Just Got Paid” | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 5 | Waltz / “Rainbow Connection” | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8A | 29 | Safe |
| 6 | Foxtrot / “Youngblood” | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 7 | Paso Doble / “Pompeii” | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 8 | Samba / “MMMBop” | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 | Safe |
| 9 | Quickstep / “Dancing Fool” | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 10 | Street and Commercial / “Jump Around” | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 35 | Safe |
| 11 | Salsa / “Joseph Megamix” | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 36 | Safe |
| 12 | Viennese Waltz / “This Year’s Love” | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 29 | Safe |
| Argentine Tango / “Red Right Hand” | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 30 | ||
| Final | Paso Doble / “Pompeii” | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Runner-up |
| Showdance / “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | ||
| Charleston / “Cotton Eye Joe” | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 | ||
Notes
^A Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Tonioli
Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour! 2019
Sugg, along with his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell, appeared in the Strictly Come Dancing Live! tour during January and February 2019. The pair made Strictly Live Tour history by winning 25 shows in a row against six other couples, later becoming the overall tour winners having won 28 of the 29 shows.
| Couples | Number of wins[52] | Number of 2nd places | Wins% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Sugg & Dianne Buswell | 28 | 1 | 97% |
| Stacey Dooley & Aljaž Skorjanec | 1 | 24 | 3% |
| Faye Tozer & Giovanni Pernice | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| Ashley Roberts & Pasha Kovalev | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Graeme Swann & Karen Hauer | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Dr. Ranj Singh & Janette Manrara | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Lauren Steadman & AJ Pritchard | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Strictly Come Dancing: The Official Podcast
In August 2019, it was announced that Sugg would be taking over as co-host of the show’s official podcast, which he presented until 2023.
2019 Christmas special
On 5 November 2019, it was announced that Sugg would be participating in the 2019 Christmas special episode. A week later it was revealed that he would be dancing with Dianne Buswell, as he did in series 16 of the show.
| Dance/song | Judges’ score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Tonioli | |||
| Street and Commercial / “Sleigh Ride” | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 2nd |
Personal life
Sugg has been in a relationship with Dianne Buswell, his dance partner from Strictly Come Dancing, since late 2018.The couple confirmed that they were living together in August 2019, and in February 2021, they revealed that they had bought a house together.In September 2025, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child, a son.
Sugg is an ambassador for the charity Age UK.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water | Kyle the Seagull | Voice role; UK version |
| Joe and Caspar Hit the Road | Himself | ||
| 2016 | Joe and Caspar Hit The Road: USA | Himself | |
| 2019 | Wonder Park | Gus | Voice role; UK version |
| A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon | Pizza Boy | Voice role | |
| 2022 | The Amazing Maurice | Sardines | Voice role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Release the Hounds | Himself | Contestant |
| 2018 | Strictly Come Dancing | Himself | Runner-up |
| 2018–2019 | New Year’s Eve Fireworks | Co-host | With Stacey Dooley |
| 2019 | The One Show | Co-host | With Alex Jones; 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Amazing World Of Gumball | Azreal | Voice role; UK version |
| 2019 | Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special | Himself | Runner-up |
| 2020 | Would I Lie to You | Himself | Guest panellist |
| 2020 | The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off | Himself | Contestant; winner |
| 2020 | I’ll Get This | Himself | Contestant |
| 2020 | Countryfile | Himself | Guest presenter |
| 2020 | Daleks! | R-41 | Voice role |
| 2021 | Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel | Himself | Participant |
| 2021 | The Syndicate | Sam | Recurring role; 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Himself | Participant |
| 2022 | Richard Osman’s House of Games | Himself | Panellist; weekly champion |
| 2023 | Great British Menu | Himself | Guest judge |
| 2023 | The Chase: Celebrity Special | Himself | Contestant |
| 2025 | The Hit List | Himself | Contestant; winner |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Waitress | Ogie Anhorn | Adelphi Theatre |
Podcast
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2023 | Strictly Come Dancing: The Official Podcast | Co-presenter |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | BBC Radio 1’s Teen Awards | Best British Vlogger | Won | |
| 2016 | Streamy Awards | Best International YouTube Channel | ThatcherJoe | Nominated |
| 2019 | Global Awards | Social Media Superstar | Won | |
| 2020 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Supporting Actor In a Musical | Waitress | Nominated |
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