Under normal circumstances, I would never willingly do a two hour round trip to eat a potato or join a long queue of people who look a lot like Tyson Fury fans.
But this week I found myself making the journey to Tamworth, to join a queue and eat the next must have food item.
The vibe is not unlike that at a Taylor Swift concert. If they were giving out wristbands, I’m sure everyone would take one. The sense of camaraderie and friendly banter soon cheers me up.
Except I’m not here to see an award winning billionaire popstar.
I’m here to see a dad-of-nine with a pink mohawk who makes spuds in his van and also happens to have become a TikTok sensation.
Spudman, real name Ben Newman, has been making potatoes here in Staffordshire, for more than 20 years.
Since starting his TikTok account in 2021 and doing a livestream of his customers, he has become an online star.
Ben, who now has more than four million followers on TikTok, 1.7 million on Facebook and over 487,000 on Instagram.
I opt for tuna mayo with coleslaw and cheese from the famous cart, I thought it was a bargain at £7
The tuna mayo is not like the soggy stuff you sometimes get in supermarket sandwiches
He has, in the last year, hung out with US singer Teddy Swims and Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, while he was serving potatoes at a London screening to promote the pair’s new Deadpool and Wolverine film.
The ‘Lose Control’ singer stopped by to have a potato earlier this month when he was doing a gig in Birmingham (which is less than 20 miles up the road).
I am, according to the father and son standing behind me in the queue, who have come from local town Coleshill, lucky to find Spudman here. This is the fourth time they have been over the last month but only the first time they have seen him here.
The family standing in front of me have come all the way from Middlesbrough and have stopped off especially to visit Spudman on their way to London to see comedian Peter Kay.
Sarah tells me her husband is a huge fan of Spudman and has followed him on TikTok for the last few years.
Is it worth the pilgrimage just for a potato, I wonder.
In between chatting with them, I have to make a very important decision. What topping to choose.
The options are simple and very British. Barbeque pulled pork, cheese, sweetcorn, tuna mayo, coleslaw, chilli con carne, chicken curry and minced beef.
They range from £4 for a plain potato with butter to £8 for the pulled pork.
The pulled pork seems to be very popular.
Under normal circumstances, I would never willingly do a two hour round trip to eat a potato or join a long queue of people but the sense of camaraderie and friendly banter soon cheers me up
Spudman says that he has no plans to put up the prices of his jacket potatoes anytime soon
I opt for tuna mayo with coleslaw and cheese.
My potato is delicious, that perfect combination of soft and buttery with a nice, crispy skin and the coleslaw, which comes with red onions and cabbage, tastes fresh and zingy.
The tuna mayo is not like the soggy stuff you sometimes get in supermarket sandwiches.
It’s just the right texture and the cheddar cheese, even though it comes out of a big bag, also has plenty of flavour.
For £7.00, it’s what I’d call a bargain.
I ask if I can have a quick chat with the man himself who graciously obliges.
He tells me that his favourite is the pulled pork with a bit of honey drizzled on the top. And that he has no plans to put prices up anytime soon.
‘The only time we’ve ever charged more is when we’re doing an event, like Silverstone last year, when the organisers set the price.
‘There was a van next to us serving nachos for about £15 a bowl. We were definitely the cheapest traders on the site,’ he says.
Spudman tells me that his favourite jacket potato is the pulled pork with a bit of honey drizzled on the top
My potato is delicious, that perfect combination of soft and buttery with a nice, crispy skin and the coleslaw, which comes with red onions and cabbage, tastes fresh and zingy
He shows me a tally chart on the inside of the van which shows all the free jacket potatoes they have given out over the last month or so.
He always gives free jacket potatoes to people over the age of 70 and in January of this year he held a ‘free day’ where he gave away potatoes to raise money for Kidney Research UK.
I ask him if it’s usually as busy as this on a Tuesday, which is, as it turns out, market day for the quaint town of Tamworth.
The streets are lined with stalls selling everything from bread rolls to StarWars prints and bric and brac.
Newman tells me that people were queuing for about 2.5 hours last Saturday and that people come from all over the UK and some even come from abroad.
He thinks Australia is about the furthest a Spudman fan has ever come.
What does he think is the secret of his success?
‘I think the reason our TikTok has done so well is because I just try to keep it real and talk people through an average day in the van. I never use any gimmicks or filters,’ he says.
He is amazed and humble about his ongoing popularity.
In between making potatoes, managing his social media and looking after his nine kids, Newman also helps fundraise for Kidney Research UK
Spudman has previously had queues as long as 2.5 hours before and people have even come from Australia to try the jacket potatoes
‘I genuinely thought we might just be a flash in the pan, a bit like the fish and chip shop, Binley Mega Chippy in Coventry (which went viral on TikTok after posting a song) which had loads of visitors at one time then went quiet.’
Newman admits they had a bit of a ‘lull’ earlier this year in January and February but that things have really picked up over the last month or so.
‘Having a visit from Teddy Swims earlier this month was mad!’ he says.
‘The crazy thing is, TikTok stars and YouTubers are like the celebrities of today for kids,’ he says.
He doesn’t think of himself as a celebrity though and actually comes from a family of farmers.
He tries to get all his food locally. The potatoes come from a farm about 10 miles away and the butter is made in nearby Burton on Trent.
What does he make of Jeremy Clarkson then?
‘I’m actually a big fan of Clarkson and I think he [with his Amazon Prime show, Clarkson’s Farm] has done more for farmers than this government ever has or well.
‘He has helped to show people a different side to farming and how hard it is to make a living from it.’
In between making potatoes, managing his social media and looking after his nine kids, Newman also helps fundraise for Kidney Research UK.
He actually started his TikTok as part of a fundraiser for the charity and he has raised over £10,000 so far.
Newman was diagnosed with renal failure in 2010.
He has since had three transplants which all failed due to his illness. He has four children with his wife, Sarah, a nurse, and has to have dialysis five times a week.
As I turn to go, I notice the queue has tripled in size and is now half way down the street.
Spudman gives me a cheery wave before the next punter comes to ask him for a selfie. I wonder if they have actually come for the potatoes or for him.
- https://www.gofundme.com/f/raise-money-for-kidney-reseach