Daniel & Phil Part 44: This isn't a forever home

[QuiteFriendly]

For me, it seems like the obvious choice to go by Daniel Howell from a professional point of view. If changing to his real name, why not go all out. By using Daniel Howell he always has the option to go by Dan, something that doesn't make the same sense the other way around.

Basically: "Hi, I'm Daniel Howell (you can call me Dan), and one part of my career is a youtube channel called danisnotonfire", and he can add whatever he likes to that brand.

Dan always does things because he wants to and makes excuses because he is insecure.

This is why he always is so confusing as well. In the new vid:
- don't want to be associated with the old danisnotonfire branding - okay reasonable
- makes professional life/situations easier - still reasonable
- people can't read/spell/pronounce it - you completely lost me here, is this the most important reason. Nope, nope, I refuse to believe that

[Susanisnotafish]

Now that I've slept and have some thoughts about this, I think I'm ready to ramble about stuff. Bear with me.

I think I've been waiting for some kind of rebranding since 2014, at least from 2015. At some point, as I realized Dan is actually older than I am (three years aren't that much, yes, but it is still three years) and all of the "I only wear black and have existential crises three times a day and lay face down in the corridor" stuff just started to sound very very odd to me. The dinof persona started to be very different character from DAPG!Dan and I preferred DAPG!Dan over dinof!Dan. I never disliked dinof!Dan, but the contrast between DAPG!Dan was just too clear for me. Sometimes it's actually hard to me to realize that dinof and DAPG!Dan are the same person. Or the Dan he acts like when he's in Phil's channel is also dinof. You get what I'm trying to say?

For months and months I liked AmazingPhil channel so much more than dinof, even though dinof was the channel that got me into them back in 2010. But I felt like Phil acted the same way in all the videos and he doesn't have such a strong difference in his AP-persona compared to other Phil personas. I think dinof started to give me so much secondhand embarrassment that it started to be hard to enjoy it. But yeaah, even if this is only chancing his name and burying the llamas and stuff like that. But I really like that also existential crisis is burning in the new header. I love Dan, I do, but I'm very happy about this new chapter. And I really hope it will chance the content even a little bit.

. In the new video the way Dan said "as you may have seen on the AmazingPhil channel, Phil and I are moving out", sounded to me like, as it has been for some time now, AP is a joint channel for them. Like all of their channels just happen to be both of them.

I noticed that in the last ls dan said it was his idea to do the Easter baking and to wear the pastel personas. That definitely seems like he feels ownership in amazingphil channel. Just makes me believe more that Phaniel is real.

I have been enjoying everyone's posts. Laughed so much at fancybum's sarcasm. Enjoying the . I don't think it's dan tho. Just a bit of fun. Dan would just lurk I'm pretty sure. Also is funnier than dan.

I think the next big thing IDB will get right is that Dan's bedroom is their bedroom and won't be shown on camera. Dan just explained not filming in there too much for my sensibility. As someone said, he says a lot, but doesn't say even more.

[alittledizzy]

For me, it seems like the obvious choice to go by Daniel Howell from a professional point of view. If changing to his real name, why not go all out. By using Daniel Howell he always has the option to go by Dan, something that doesn't make the same sense the other way around.

That is exactly how I interpreted it! Hopefully he'll clarify the point in the livestream later so all the handwringing over people feeling like Everything Must Change now will stop.

I also don't think that Phil should have any compulsion to change his name over completely, nor do I really think he will. I rambled at more length about it on tumblr so I'll be concise here: Phil doesn't have nearly the hangups that Dan does over being associated with his older username, because I don't think it's nearly as personal to Phil as it is to Dan. I think he finds it easy to disengage and walk away from the whole AP thing as soon as the camera shuts off, whereas Dan was much more caught up on projecting a certain image that matches up with who he wants to be in his head. Both are valid ways of handling youtube fame and pressure. Phil's probably just causes him a little less internal angst in the long run.

I also don't really think AmazingPhil is that childish, but that's an age old debate I've no desire to get into again. Besides, what I actually think will happen is that by association Phil will be credited as Phil Lester more and more because people will want to be able to post them as a duo and screenname + screenname worked, full name + full name works, but full name + screenname just looks weird.

[Birdie]

idk if it's just the corner of the phandom i've found myself in , so it's under a spoiler

basically i've inadvertantly followed a few underage phans, so it could have been limited to them. but someone tweeted that adults being fans of dnp is creepy, and they got a lot of shit about it. later they clarified they meant 'stanning', not just enjoying their content (and i'm old enough that i didn't know what that meant). but it was just the latest in a string of people feeling that adults should only enjoy content geared towards them, and/or that dnp (especially phil) are 'creepy' for making content for younger audiences.

Man, don't I feel this. I'm not that much older than dnp's teenage audience but I feel personally attacked by that attitude in the phandom too. I don't think it's limited to a small group of phans either, I've seen it a few times on Tumblr and many younger phans seem to agree with the sentiment that "older" people (like 25+) being fans of dnp is creepy. Before I joined this forum I actually didn't have the best opinion about it because I saw people on tumblr call you guys "women in their 30s lusting over two younger men". I'm so sorry I listened to these people at first or I would have found out what a nice, respectful community this forum is way earlier.

I think it's to do with what teenagers, especially younger teenagers, expect adult life to be like. You're supposed to be responsible and serious as an adult. When I was 16 I pictured my 26 year old self working a full-time job, married and going to the theatre and stuff. But that's not a reality for most young adults these days. Guess what, my career is super unstable, I'm single and I spend my evenings watching Netflix instead of going to the theatre and I'm actually absolutely fine with that. I'm just 26 after all. I know people who are still in this place at 36 and that's absolutely fine too as long as they're happy. But I think to many younger teenagers, mid-20s or mid-30s sounds really old because they can't really imagine what "being an adult" means yet.

I'm sure this is why a lot of younger fans also feel weirded out by Phil being 30 and still into nerdy and cute stuff. It's just not what they expect adults to act like. Not judging them of course, realising "adulting" doesn't mean what you think it means is part of growing up. But I'm judging younger people trying to dictate what older people are allowed to like or do which is a big reason I left the tumblr phandom because there was a lot of sneering at older fans of dnp, calling them creepy and what not.

But anyway, even if you are a 40 year old woman "lusting" after dnp, whatever. They're both adult men and as long as you're respectful about it and don't bother them, you do you.

[cherrybomb3]

I have been enjoying everyone's posts. Laughed so much at fancybum's sarcasm. Enjoying the . I don't think it's dan tho. Just a bit of fun. Dan would just lurk I'm pretty sure. Also is funnier than dan.

first of all how dare you


or maybe ty idk

[Susanisnotafish]

I have been enjoying everyone's posts. Laughed so much at fancybum's sarcasm. Enjoying the . I don't think it's dan tho. Just a bit of fun. Dan would just lurk I'm pretty sure. Also is funnier than dan.

first of all how dare you

Wow! My first Daniel notice!?!

or maybe ty idk

You're welks!

[Strangebread]

idk if it's just the corner of the phandom i've found myself in , so it's under a spoiler

basically i've inadvertantly followed a few underage phans, so it could have been limited to them. but someone tweeted that adults being fans of dnp is creepy, and they got a lot of shit about it. later they clarified they meant 'stanning', not just enjoying their content (and i'm old enough that i didn't know what that meant). but it was just the latest in a string of people feeling that adults should only enjoy content geared towards them, and/or that dnp (especially phil) are 'creepy' for making content for younger audiences.

Man, don't I feel this. I'm not that much older than dnp's teenage audience but I feel personally attacked by that attitude in the phandom too. I don't think it's limited to a small group of phans either, I've seen it a few times on Tumblr and many younger phans seem to agree with the sentiment that "older" people (like 25+) being fans of dnp is creepy. Before I joined this forum I actually didn't have the best opinion about it because I saw people on tumblr call you guys "women in their 30s lusting over two younger men". I'm so sorry I listened to these people at first or I would have found out what a nice, respectful community this forum is way earlier.

I think it's to do with what teenagers, especially younger teenagers, expect adult life to be like. You're supposed to be responsible and serious as an adult. When I was 16 I pictured my 26 year old self working a full-time job, married and going to the theatre and stuff. But that's not a reality for most young adults these days. Guess what, my career is super unstable, I'm single and I spend my evenings watching Netflix instead of going to the theatre and I'm actually absolutely fine with that. I'm just 26 after all. I know people who are still in this place at 36 and that's absolutely fine too as long as they're happy. But I think to many younger teenagers, mid-20s or mid-30s sounds really old because they can't really imagine what "being an adult" means yet.

I'm sure this is why a lot of younger fans also feel weirded out by Phil being 30 and still into nerdy and cute stuff. It's just not what they expect adults to act like. Not judging them of course, realising "adulting" doesn't mean what you think it means is part of growing up. But I'm judging younger people trying to dictate what older people are allowed to like or do which is a big reason I left the tumblr phandom because there was a lot of sneering at older fans of dnp, calling them creepy and what not.

But anyway, even if you are a 40 year old woman "lusting" after dnp, whatever. They're both adult men and as long as you're respectful about it and don't bother them, you do you.

I have to agree. I admit I'm not as old as some of the fans, but I am 20 (nearly 21) and have been watching them for 8 years now! I am slowly getting the feeling like people think I'm too old for them, especially people my own age! Not that it bothers me because it's good content.

[VengefulBlue]

idk if it's just the corner of the phandom i've found myself in , so it's under a spoiler

basically i've inadvertantly followed a few underage phans, so it could have been limited to them. but someone tweeted that adults being fans of dnp is creepy, and they got a lot of shit about it. later they clarified they meant 'stanning', not just enjoying their content (and i'm old enough that i didn't know what that meant). but it was just the latest in a string of people feeling that adults should only enjoy content geared towards them, and/or that dnp (especially phil) are 'creepy' for making content for younger audiences.

Man, don't I feel this. I'm not that much older than dnp's teenage audience but I feel personally attacked by that attitude in the phandom too. I don't think it's limited to a small group of phans either, I've seen it a few times on Tumblr and many younger phans seem to agree with the sentiment that "older" people (like 25+) being fans of dnp is creepy. Before I joined this forum I actually didn't have the best opinion about it because I saw people on tumblr call you guys "women in their 30s lusting over two younger men". I'm so sorry I listened to these people at first or I would have found out what a nice, respectful community this forum is way earlier.

I think it's to do with what teenagers, especially younger teenagers, expect adult life to be like. You're supposed to be responsible and serious as an adult. When I was 16 I pictured my 26 year old self working a full-time job, married and going to the theatre and stuff. But that's not a reality for most young adults these days. Guess what, my career is super unstable, I'm single and I spend my evenings watching Netflix instead of going to the theatre and I'm actually absolutely fine with that. I'm just 26 after all. I know people who are still in this place at 36 and that's absolutely fine too as long as they're happy. But I think to many younger teenagers, mid-20s or mid-30s sounds really old because they can't really imagine what "being an adult" means yet.

I'm sure this is why a lot of younger fans also feel weirded out by Phil being 30 and still into nerdy and cute stuff. It's just not what they expect adults to act like. Not judging them of course, realising "adulting" doesn't mean what you think it means is part of growing up. But I'm judging younger people trying to dictate what older people are allowed to like or do which is a big reason I left the tumblr phandom because there was a lot of sneering at older fans of dnp, calling them creepy and what not.

But anyway, even if you are a 40 year old woman "lusting" after dnp, whatever. They're both adult men and as long as you're respectful about it and don't bother them, you do you.

exactly. i genuinely feel weird following these kids,
who are like, 16 or something, and i'm not even old. i'm literally 21, but the difference is so shocking. and i responded to the original tweet that was causing drama yesterday, and then deleted my tweet bc i was unintentionally harassing a literal 14 year old, and i don't wanna be mean to kids. the age thing is so much a thing right now. they make weird assumptions about deppy's relationship that just... don't make sense to people who have experience in relationships, and the kid who tweeted yesterday thinks it's weird for adults to find dnp attractive, and sometimes it's just too much. it just hits me sometimes what a drastic difference a few years makes, that at that age i might have felt the same way. i'm caught between following them because it's frankly amazing and hilarious the conclusions they reach, and not following because they're young and in such a different mindset that i see things that are very not-good.

tldr; yesterday i had to tell someone that it's not weird for adults to be attracted to other adults, and now i'm questioning my use of social media

[nephilimcat]

idk if it's just the corner of the phandom i've found myself in , so it's under a spoiler

basically i've inadvertantly followed a few underage phans, so it could have been limited to them. but someone tweeted that adults being fans of dnp is creepy, and they got a lot of shit about it. later they clarified they meant 'stanning', not just enjoying their content (and i'm old enough that i didn't know what that meant). but it was just the latest in a string of people feeling that adults should only enjoy content geared towards them, and/or that dnp (especially phil) are 'creepy' for making content for younger audiences.

Man, don't I feel this. I'm not that much older than dnp's teenage audience but I feel personally attacked by that attitude in the phandom too. I don't think it's limited to a small group of phans either, I've seen it a few times on Tumblr and many younger phans seem to agree with the sentiment that "older" people (like 25+) being fans of dnp is creepy. Before I joined this forum I actually didn't have the best opinion about it because I saw people on tumblr call you guys "women in their 30s lusting over two younger men". I'm so sorry I listened to these people at first or I would have found out what a nice, respectful community this forum is way earlier.

I think it's to do with what teenagers, especially younger teenagers, expect adult life to be like. You're supposed to be responsible and serious as an adult. When I was 16 I pictured my 26 year old self working a full-time job, married and going to the theatre and stuff. But that's not a reality for most young adults these days. Guess what, my career is super unstable, I'm single and I spend my evenings watching Netflix instead of going to the theatre and I'm actually absolutely fine with that. I'm just 26 after all. I know people who are still in this place at 36 and that's absolutely fine too as long as they're happy. But I think to many younger teenagers, mid-20s or mid-30s sounds really old because they can't really imagine what "being an adult" means yet.

I'm sure this is why a lot of younger fans also feel weirded out by Phil being 30 and still into nerdy and cute stuff. It's just not what they expect adults to act like. Not judging them of course, realising "adulting" doesn't mean what you think it means is part of growing up. But I'm judging younger people trying to dictate what older people are allowed to like or do which is a big reason I left the tumblr phandom because there was a lot of sneering at older fans of dnp, calling them creepy and what not.

But anyway, even if you are a 40 year old woman "lusting" after dnp, whatever. They're both adult men and as long as you're respectful about it and don't bother them, you do you.

exactly. i genuinely feel weird following these kids,
who are like, 16 or something, and i'm not even old. i'm literally 21, but the difference is so shocking. and i responded to the original tweet that was causing drama yesterday, and then deleted my tweet bc i was unintentionally harassing a literal 14 year old, and i don't wanna be mean to kids. the age thing is so much a thing right now. they make weird assumptions about deppy's relationship that just... don't make sense to people who have experience in relationships, and the kid who tweeted yesterday thinks it's weird for adults to find dnp attractive, and sometimes it's just too much. it just hits me sometimes what a drastic difference a few years makes, that at that age i might have felt the same way. i'm caught between following them because it's frankly amazing and hilarious the conclusions they reach, and not following because they're young and in such a different mindset that i see things that are very not-good.

tldr; yesterday i had to tell someone that it's not weird for adults to be attracted to other adults, and now i'm questioning my use of social media

Like, who else are adults supposed to be attracted to? Only adults older than them? Anyone above 35? Nobody at all because at a certain age we aren't allowed to feel attraction anymore? What goes through the minds of these kids? I find it weirder for them to be attracted to adults than adults to be attracted to other adults. Didn't know that could be a controversial opinion :wtf: Are they even aware that Dan is going to be 26 this year and Phil turned 30? They are closer to the age of most of their "old" fans than their teenage audience at this point.

[VengefulBlue]

exactly. and i know we have some young people here, so i want to be clear that this isn't meant to exclude you guys. #notallteens and all that. but there is a very vocal section that has very odd views on aging, and it makes me wonder if the feeling we older viewers get is at all like what dnp must feel about the age difference. (and i say all this as a fairly young person myself).

[blackdenim]

The 'older fans' debate is something that happens in all fandoms I think. I'm in fandom for a band I've loved since 2002 - as long as some of their newer fans have been alive - and I always see people saying 'it's weird for people over 22 to be into them' (despite the band members all being in their mid-late 30's so there isn't even the same excuse that it's weird to fancy them - it's weirder for teens to fancy them!) and I recently ventured into Tumblr to stay a bit more up-to-date on them, and saw 'people over 25 shouldn't be on Tumblr at all'.

I think some teenagers just assume that once you get to your mid 20s, you suddenly grow out of any pop culture interests you had before and just start listening to Radio 4 and watching documentaries and the news exclusively, and they're confused that Dan(iel) and particularly Phil, because he's OMGTHIRTY, don't fit into that stereotype - and neither do a lot of their fans.

[bluebox-away]

Is anybody even surprised?

Also, if they've got proper garden furniture it must be a pretty sizeable balcony/terrace situation, this must be a fairly swanky flat and I wanna see it pls

Edit to add:

I think some teenagers just assume that once you get to your mid 20s, you suddenly grow out of any pop culture interests you had before and just start listening to Radio 4 and watching documentaries and the news exclusively, and they're confused that Dan(iel) and particularly Phil, because he's OMGTHIRTY, don't fit into that stereotype - and neither do a lot of their fans.

^ so much this, I'm only in my early 20s but I already feel this a lot and it frankly puts me off getting into twitter/tumblr fandom as much as I did in my teens although that's probably good cause I frankly just don't have the time for it anymore lol.
I do wonder a little whether, if Daniel does end up making his channel vibe a bit more adult and grown up (a la Louise, I've lover her rebranding so far ) then maybe the younger fans will lose interest and it'll get back to around D&Ps actual ages? it's hard to know, but it must feel weird to them to have some fans that are so much younger than them

[blackdenim]

^ so much this, I'm only in my early 20s but I already feel this a lot and it frankly puts me off getting into twitter/tumblr fandom as much as I did in my teens although that's probably good cause I frankly just don't have the time for it anymore lol.
I do wonder a little whether, if Daniel does end up making his channel vibe a bit more adult and grown up (a la Louise, I've lover her rebranding so far ) then maybe the younger fans will lose interest and it'll get back to around D&Ps actual ages? it's hard to know, but it must feel weird to them to have some fans that are so much younger than them

I hope so but I'm doubtful! I suppose it depends on if/how his content changes. Louise is the mother of a school-aged child, and she's been through a divorce so she's naturally less relateable to teens and you could tell it was killing her trying to keep it up (I also love her rebranding).

No matter what he changes his screen name to, Dan(iel) is still very much a 'boy', as most childless guys in their mid-twenties are (in my experience growing up with four brothers!). He's into a lot of the same music and TV shows and films as his teenage audience, he loves anime and videogames, he's naturally a bit angsty, and he lives the kind of responsibility-free, money-worry free life a lot of them wish they could lead.

But he is also an adult and multifaceted, which obviously is why he wants to distance himself from the llama/Malteaser/existential crisis branding now and grow up a little. I just think it won't put the teen fans off as much as he thinks it will - because he probably has a lot more in common with his audience than he would really like to admit, or at least is someone teens feel a natural affinity to, if that makes sense?

I agree it must be so weird for them both to have fans so much younger than them - more than half his age in Phil's case. Youtube is a weird one: I don't think anyone who started out doing it expected a huge teenage fanbase. When it started it was mainly people in their late teens/early 20s making videos for other people in their late teens and early 20s. So as it's gone on, obviously all the most high-profile creators have got older and the fans coming in have got younger and younger, which I think has caused a lot of the original fans who are the same age as creators, and who the creators were originally trying to appeal to, to lose interest. Like it must be so weird for them that although they're ageing, their audience is staying the same age or even getting younger. I would hate it.

[onetruetrash]

With all of this focus on rebranding, I've noticed how much Phil hasn't changed. He has the same sheets from 2008, the same hair but just shorter, the same profile picture. He's gotten rid of some old things, but it's mostly the same.

[cherrybomb3]

With all of this focus on rebranding, I've noticed how much Phil hasn't changed. He has the same sheets from 2008, the same hair but just shorter, the same profile picture. He's gotten rid of some old things, but it's mostly the same.

if it aint broke...

[onetruetrash]

With all of this focus on rebranding, I've noticed how much Phil hasn't changed. He has the same sheets from 2008, the same hair but just shorter, the same profile picture. He's gotten rid of some old things, but it's mostly the same.

if it aint broke...

Good point

[Ashling Rae]

Aha! I love this discussion. +1 to everyone's comments on the age thing, so far everyone seems to be on the same page. Disorganized rant beneath spoiler.

I basically peaced out on Tumblr because there was a meetup for 28+ year olds (and I'll admit some of the things said were pretty problematic, a la "age is just a number") and so many people were throwing out "If someone is 25+ then I don't want them following me". I'm turning 24 this year. And I certainly don't want to make people feel uncomfortable, but I wasn't following teenagers for their selfies, I was following them for their D&P content. Essentially, it's hard to be an older fan of them and feel any sense of community (outside of IDB, this has been pretty incredible). It's not the fault of teenagers who don't feel comfortable interacting with adults. But it is just a sucky situation in general.

But yes, some people definitely take it too far. Like, sorry that I'm a fan of people in my age range? I'm sorry that I'm attracted to adults between my age and 7 years older than me? I'm sorry that it's only socially accepted to be a fan of anything when you're a teen, and adults aren't allowed to be genuinely enthusiastic about anything?

The worst was I was a fanfiction writer and limited myself and refused to write smut because I don't want teens reading my smut. Yet I still had some younger friends/fans that loved my writing and said repeatedly that I should write smut and I'm like, haha, no. And then I think about all of the content they would like to make, but feel restricted because their fans run so much younger than they are. RIP "Draw Phil Naked" and "Sexy End Screen Dance" because that was most likely the reason. And I think it was the right choice. But I also consider that if they wanted to rebrand and do more adult-oriented content, they'd, well, they'd be awfully conflicted, wouldn't they? I won't even get into that side of the rant.

I guess I just don't get it because I feel like if I were to meet D&P, at 23 y/o, not freaking out outwardly, they'd probably find it refreshing. Not that they don't appreciate their teenage fans, they obviously do, but it's gotta feel nice to occasionally be able to relate to their fans on that level and have no age-based restrictions they need to live by. So I don't know why people would want us as older fans to get out of their space because D&P probably welcome us with the most open arms..

[malday]

Do you guys think they are slowly moving away from the Dan and Phil joint act (as presenters) ?

[VengefulBlue]

I was a fanfiction writer and limited myself and refused to write smut because I don't want teens reading my smut.

this is why i don't comment on the quality of explicit fics. the authors could be teens and i am not engaging in that kind of conversation with a kid. not even to correct the glaring inaccuracies. i am not educating children on the mechanics/dynamics of sex. nope.

[Strangebread]

Do you guys think they are slowly moving away from the Dan and Phil joint act (as presenters) ?

I don't think so. They have been doing a lot more Dan and Phil game stuff recently and they would be toning it down if they didn't want to be a joint act. I also think with the fact they did a live show together after the move was to illustrate the fact that them moving house didn't signify then moving apart (either on a friendships/relationship/youtuber basis or all of them).

[Ashling Rae]

I was a fanfiction writer and limited myself and refused to write smut because I don't want teens reading my smut.

this is why i don't comment on the quality of explicit fics. the authors could be teens and i am not engaging in that kind of conversation with a kid. not even to correct the glaring inaccuracies. i am not educating children on the mechanics/dynamics of sex. nope.

Definitely same. There were so many fics I read that were just all wrong. And that's not even mentioning the amount of flat out coerced/forced sex fics out there that aren't labelled. If it's labelled I can see it as a thing. Some people just want to read some messed up stuff, or write and share for whatever reason. I try not to judge. But when it isn't labelled it makes me cringe so hard because it feels like these kids don't realize that it is not okay.

[thephandommenace]

I was so naive to think that I'd have my life sorted or that I'd feel like an adult by 23. Life really doesn't follow a formula for everyone and I'm starting to wonder just how many people are married, have their own houses and babies, and do only 'adult' things or whatever by their mid-20s or 30s? They're a rare breed. It's the damn media, man. It's built in a foundation of lies. Or I've just been living in my uni bubble for too long. I've also realised that I want none of those things in my adult life. And that doesn't make me weird or juvenile, I think that's pretty normal.

I remember the feeling of being infatuated with adults as a young child/teenager when I had a huge crush on David Tennant and being disheartened there was a 24-year difference... like I ever had a chance But you're also aware as a kid that there's so much pressure around you to act more grown-up than you really feel and an assumption that you have to grow out of the things you like eventually. Adults seem so cool and like they have their shit together.

I wonder if any of these teenagers feel like they're 'outgrowing' D&P, as they both make pretty light content and haven't changed in style for many years, except more recently Dan(iel) who's trying to distance himself from that.

I don't really care if Phil rebrands or not. I think it would be out of character for him to actively change his username on everything anyway, and AmazingPhil doesn't sound cringey at all to me. I'm so bored of seeing people's real names in their YouTube channels and I admire people who can come up with a catchy username that hasn't been taken. I find it amazing (pun not intended) that Phil can have such a simplistic name as 'AmazingPhil' because he was one of the first to use the site before all the good names got taken.

[lefthandedism]

I agree it must be so weird for them both to have fans so much younger than them - more than half his age in Phil's case. Youtube is a weird one: I don't think anyone who started out doing it expected a huge teenage fanbase. When it started it was mainly people in their late teens/early 20s making videos for other people in their late teens and early 20s. So as it's gone on, obviously all the most high-profile creators have got older and the fans coming in have got younger and younger, which I think has caused a lot of the original fans who are the same age as creators, and who the creators were originally trying to appeal to, to lose interest. Like it must be so weird for them that although they're ageing, their audience is staying the same age or even getting younger. I would hate it.

Well, it is possibly true that the average age has gotten younger (let's see what the new phandom survey says!), but I think the range is probably getting broader. That is evidenced here, obviously, but I think I can point out to the teenagers (to whom I'm old enough to remind them of their mom) that people their parents' age are not quite as hopeless as they like to think.

Most to all of my (middle-aged) friends watch YouTube videos, and this shouldn't be a surprise. Whether they watch/follow YouTubers is a trickier question, but I know some do. Whether they're like me, maybe not so many, but it's not that far off the norm. People become invested in things, and what they become invested in is a combination of available "things" and personal taste. It's a truism that teenagers like to feel that have a monopoly on something that older folks don't understand, but whatever. People will like what they like, and I think most adults have grown a thick enough skin to not let themselves be bullied by teenagers.

tl;dr: YouTube is increasingly more mainstream, and more people of all ages are watching.

[DatCog]

With all of this focus on rebranding, I've noticed how much Phil hasn't changed. He has the same sheets from 2008, the same hair but just shorter, the same profile picture. He's gotten rid of some old things, but it's mostly the same.

if it aint broke...

Agreed - Phil seems perfectly happy with his 'brand' and I'd hate to think he's now being bombarded with 'change your hair', 'change your username', 'change your channel' just because Dan has done so.

I hope they have a nice view from their balcony...I wonder how high up they are!

I'm really old and I love watching YouTube...it's sad that this is probably the only place I can admit to that

[thank you bridge]

Okay, a bit off-topic to the age discussion, but still.
So with all this duplex/pigeon/garden/the neighbour situation, a thought crossed my mind and not sure that anyone mentioned it before. Could it be that the new house is literally a duplex house with a proper garden, etc, and they occupy 1/2 of it?
Also, was it stated that they are still in London, not in some Brighton or in any more private place?