TomSka

British YouTuber and filmmaker (born 1990)

Not to be confused with Tomsk, Tomsk Oblast, or Tom Scott (YouTuber).

TomSka

Ridgewell in 2017

Personal information
Born|

Thomas James Ridgewell

(1990-06-27) 27 June 1990 (age 34)

Essex, England

Origin| Essex, England
Education|

*     * Long Road Sixth Form College
* University of Lincoln

Occupations|

* YouTuber
* filmmaker
* vlogger
* comedian
* actor
* musician
* former animator

Partner(s)| Charlie Belle (2016–present; engaged)
YouTube information
Channels|

* TomSka
* TomSka & Friends

Years active| 2002–present
Genres|

* Comedy
* sketch comedy
* action
* black comedy
* surreal comedy
* slapstick
* adult animation

Subscribers| 7.36 million (main channel)
8.84 million (combined)[b]
Total views| 2.1 billion (main channel)
2.34 billion (combined)[a]

Creator Awards

| 100,000 subscribers| 2010 (TomSka)
| 1,000,000 subscribers| 2012 (TomSka)[1]

* * *

Last updated: 5 September 2024

Thomas James Ridgewell (born 27 June 1990), known online as TomSka, is an English YouTuber, filmmaker, vlogger, comedian, actor, musician, and former animator. He is known for writing, directing, producing, and starring in his live-action sketch comedy YouTube videos and animated web series such as Asdfmovie (/ˈæsdəfmuːvi/ AS-dəf-moo-vee), Crash Zoom,[2] and Eddsworld where he both provided the voice and inspired the character of Tom and served as showrunner from 2012 to 2016. As of July 2024[update], his YouTube channel has over 7.33 million subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 2 billion views.[3]

## Early life and education

[edit]

Thomas James Ridgewell was born on 27 June 1990 in Suffolk, England.[4][5] His would-be twin sister Amelia died prenatally after Ridgewell's mother was injured in a car accident.[6] He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, in Essex until age 4 and later Cambridge. As a child, Ridgewell made short films using his parents' video camera.[7] Shortly after YouTube was established, Ridgewell created CakeBomb,[8] a website where he posted his projects, including his animated web series Asdfmovie and his late friend Edd Gould's Eddsworld. Ridgewell graduated from the University of Lincoln,[9] where he studied Media Production having previously studied at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge,[10] and whilst studying created a series of unofficial advertisements for the university, which received millions of views and were also featured on the BBC.[11]

## Career

[edit]

As a professional YouTuber, Ridgewell earns money from revenue from his videos on the website.[12][13] Ridgewell engages in social commentary through his YouTube channel, covering topics such as mental health and personal relationships.[14] From April 2016 to February 2018, he uploaded weekly vlogs to his second channel, DarkSquidge, now known as TomSka & Friends, in a series named Last Week.[15]

In 2012, Ridgewell founded the media production company TurboPunch Ltd., located in London. He currently works there alongside co-writer Eddie Bowley.[16] Ridgewell also became the producer of Eddsworld after the show's creator, Edd Gould, died of leukemia.[17] He left the series in 2016, relinquishing the show to animator Matt Hargreaves.[17]

Ridgewell in 2013

In February 2013, Ridgewell was featured on the cover of Wired UK as part of a feature titled "How YouTube Reinvented the Entertainment Business".[18] In May 2013, he was featured in YouTube's first and only Comedy Week[19] as a guest host for its Geek Week series in August.[20]

In 2016, Ridgewell filmed several sketches with the BBC for a potential sketch show on BBC Three.[21]

A book titled Sam Kills Christmas, written by Ridgewell and Eddie Bowley with illustrations by Dorina Herdewijn, was released on 8 November 2018.[22][23]

### Asdfmovie

[edit]

In 2008, Ridgewell released the first episode of Asdfmovie, an animated sketch comedy series featuring short clips of minimalist characters in surreal and occasionally darkly humorous situations.[24]

In October 2015, Ridgewell released his book based on the Asdfmovie series, Art is Dead: the asdf book, illustrated by Matt Ley and published by Little Brown 5.[24]

In 2017, His song "Beep Beep I'm a Sheep" by Canadian musician LilDeuceDeuce, with vocals by Ridgewell and Gabriel Brown,[25] was featured in the dance rhythm game Just Dance 2018.[26]

In May 2018, Ridgewell uploaded "The Muffin Song", a spin-off song of his Asdfmovie series, in collaboration with Schmoyoho. As of December 2024[update], the video has garnered over 263 million views.[27]

In 2019, Ridgewell developed a card game based on Asdfmovie in collaboration with Big Potato Games called Muffin Time: The Random Card Game.[28] He raised over £1,000,000 for the game on Kickstarter.[29] A second game, Don't Press That Mine Turtle, raised over £300,000 on Kickstarter.[30]

## Personal life

[edit]

He was raised a Jehovah's Witness but no longer practices this faith.[31] Despite this, he has expressed belief in a higher power.[32]

Ridgewell has been open about his struggles with grief, following the death of Edd Gould in 2012, and was diagnosed with depression in 2013.[33]

He endorsed the Labour Party in the 2017 United Kingdom general election[34] and expressed his opposition to both Brexit[35] and the Conservative Party.[36]

In 2021, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[37]

On 26 December 2023, Charlie Belle, his long-term partner, announced via Instagram that they had become engaged.[38][39] Ridgewell later revealed he had proposed on Christmas Day.[39]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Web series

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2005–2016  | Eddsworld | Tom  | Also showrunner (Eddsworld Legacy), writer, director, producer, and composer
2008–present  | Asdfmovie | Various roles  | Also creator, writer, director, and producer
2012  | Dick Figures | Mash  | Episode 39, "The Fart Knight Rises"
2013  | Project: Library | Young Troy Bennet (Episode 2, "Dinosaur")  | Also executive producer
2014–2016  | Don't Hug Me I'm Scared | Magnet (Episode 6)  | Also executive producer (Episodes 3, 4, 5, and 6)
2015–present  | Crash Zoom | Ben  | Also creator, writer, director, and producer
2015–2021  | Cyanide & Happiness Shorts | Agent 7  | 3 Episodes
2016  | Whipped | Jeff  |
2016  | YouTube Rewind: The Ultimate 2016 Challenge | Himself  |
2016–2018, 2019, 2020  | Last Week | Also creator
2017  | YouTube Rewind: The Shape of 2017 |
2018–2019, 2023–2024  | Last Month | Also creator
2018–2020, 2021–present  | #CONTENT
2021–present  | TryHards | Also co-creator
2024–2025  | Battle For Dream Island | Pineapple  | Voiced in 3 Episodes (BFDIA 10, BFDIA 17, and TPOT 15) [citation needed]

### Short films

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2012  | Ellie Heart | N/A  | Executive producer, special thanks
2015  | Primitive Correctness | Ugh  | Also writer and director
2016  | Away | N/A  | Executive Producer
2016  | Friend Like Me | Jirard the Pizza Guy  |
2017  | Self-Conscious Computer | N/A  | Special thanks
2021  | The Last Union

### Feature films

[edit]

Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Other | Role | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2013 | Dick Figures: The Movie | No | No | No | Yes | No | French Cop (voice) |
2015 | Dude Bro Party Massacre III | No | No | No | Yes | No | Chaz Noodlemen (voice) |
2020 | Royalty Free: The Music of Kevin MacLeod | No | No | No | Himself | No |  |

### Video games

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2014  | KatataK |  | Creator
2018  | Frostpunk | Various Roles  |
2021  | MADNESS: Project Nexus |  | Special thanks

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Ridgewell, Thomas (2010). Asdfbook.[40]
* Ridgewell, Thomas (2010–2011). Zack Comic.[40]
* Ridgewell, Thomas (2015). Art Is Dead, the asdf book. Little Brown Book Group. ISBN 9780751563047.
* Ridgewell, Thomas (2018). Sam Kills Christmas. Little Brown Book Group. ISBN 9780751563054.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Views, broken down by channel:
2.1 billion (TomSka)
243 million (TomSka & Friends)

2. ^ Subscribers, broken down by channel:
7.36 million (TomSka)
1.48 million (TomSka & Friends)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ ChewingSand (3 October 2012), Hazel and Tom are Professional, archived from the original on 8 June 2023, retrieved 13 June 2016
2. ^ Klein, Jessica (17 August 2014). "Between Comedies, TomSka Also Educates His YouTube Fans – VideoInk". VideoInk, Inc. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
3. ^ "TomSka's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
4. ^ Ridgewell, Thomas (8 August 2023). "Last Month I Got Old – Youtube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
5. ^ Lewis, Tim; Fox, Killian; Michael, Lizzi (6 April 2013). "YouTube UK: 20 of Britain's most popular online video bloggers". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
6. ^ TomSka & Friends (25 February 2016). The Complete History of Me (1/3). Retrieved 23 May 2024 - via YouTube.
7. ^ Clarkson, Stephanie (2015). Vlog It!. United Kingdom: Scholastic UK. p. 57\. ISBN 978-1-4071-6512-7.
8. ^ "CakeBomb". CakeBomb. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
9. ^ Cousins, Rachael (27 August 2014). "Former University of Lincoln students to guest present on Radio 1". Lincolnshire Echo. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
10. ^ Atkins, Paul (5 September 2024). "Long Road Sixth Form College marks 50 years and wants your memories". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
11. ^ Johnson, Sarah (18 August 2011). "Appointment to view: The University of Lincoln goes viral". Campaign. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
12. ^ "The Tom Ridgewell show: the 22-year-old making £10,000 a month from his bedroom on YouTube". Evening Standard. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
13. ^ Whitworth, Dan (19 April 2011). "YouTube star TomSka 'makes thousands' every month". Newsbeat. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
14. ^ Griffin, Louise (18 February 2019). "TomSka opens up about the dark side of asdfmovie, repairing relationships, and getting a 'real job'". Metro. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
15. ^ O'Dell, Liam (8 September 2017). "TomSka Announces the End of Last Week". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
16. ^ "TURBOPUNCH LIMITED". Datalog. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
17. ^ a b Gutelle, Sam (23 March 2016). "TomSka's New Documentary Explains How Eddsworld Survived Its Creator's Death". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
18. ^ Cheshire, Tom (7 February 2013). "Talent Tube: how Britain's new YouTube superstars built a global fanbase". Wired UK. Archived from the original on 15 May 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
19. ^ "YouTube's Comedy Week shows how much comedy has changed". Telegraph.co.uk. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
20. ^ Vincent, James (25 July 2013). "YouTube Launches 'Geek Week', Nerds Left in the Shade". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
21. ^ Fitzgerald, Claire (3 December 2015). "Tom Ridgewell Working with BBC Comedy". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
22. ^ Weiss, Geoff (24 September 2018). "U.K. YouTube Vet TomSka Has Written A Kids' Book Called 'Sam Kills Christmas'". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
23. ^ Griffin, Louise (7 November 2018). "TomSka is ready to 'take down' Christmas with his new book, and we're not mad". Metro. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
24. ^ a b Dillon, Poppy (12 August 2015). "Tom Ridgewell to Release asdf Comic Book". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
25. ^ Melnychuk, Mark (7 April 2017). "Regina musician's latest video racking up millions of views on YouTube". Regina Leader-post. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
26. ^ Sounders, Mike (23 August 2017). "Random time: Beep beep like a sheep in Just Dance 2018". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
27. ^ "TomSka's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) – Social Blade". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
28. ^ O'Dell, Liam (14 August 2019). "TomSka Announces asdfmovie Card Game". TenEighty. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
29. ^ Hutchins, Robert (16 September 2019). "Big Potato and Turbo Punch join £1m club on Kickstarter with Muffin Time success". ToyNews. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
30. ^ @thetomska (3 July 2024). "Good news, everyone!". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 30 December 2024.
31. ^ DarkSquidge (7 October 2015). "The Day My Faith Died". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
32. ^ DarkSquidge (28 January 2013). "7 Facts About TomSka". YouTube. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
33. ^ I Am Depressed. Retrieved 9 May 2024 - via www.youtube.com.
34. ^ Ridgewell, Thomas [@thetomska] (2 June 2017). "Over the past few weeks Corbyn has really won me over – I'll definitely be voting Labour next week" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 September 2020 - via Twitter.
35. ^ Lawrence, Derek (27 June 2016). "VidCon: TomSka compares Brexit to zombie apocalypse". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
36. ^ Ridgewell, Thomas [@thetomska] (26 November 2019). "Look. I don't want Brexit. I don't want the Tories in power anymore" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 September 2020 - via Twitter.
37. ^ Thomas Ridgewell (17 November 2022). "Oh yeah, I have ADHD. I only mentioned this in passing once but I was finally diagnosed in 2021, surprising absolutely no one. If I ever find myself vlogging again, I'll go into more detail. Either that or you'll have to wait for The Complete History of Me 4 (2027) ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯". twitter.com.
38. ^ Charlie Belle. "said no, obviously x". Instagram. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
39. ^ a b Thomas Ridgewell (19 January 2024). "Last Month I Proposed". YouTube.
40. ^ a b "The TomSka Iceberg Explained #CONTENT". YouTube. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* TomSka at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Newgrounds

Games that debuted
on Newgrounds|

* Pico's School (1999)
* Alien Hominid (2002)
* Kaboom: The Suicide Bombing Game (2002)
* Super Smash Flash (2006)
* Fancy Pants (2006; 2008)
* Flash Element TD (2007)
* V-Tech Rampage (2007)
* Super Meat Boy (2008)
* Raid Gaza! (2009)
* Aether (2009)
* Faith Fighter (2009)
* Spewer (2009)
* Loved (2010)
* The Room Tribute (2010)
* Super Mario Bros. Crossover (2010)
* The Scale of the Universe (2010; 2012)
* Abobo's Big Adventure (2012)
* Dys4ia (2012)
* Friday Night Funkin' (TBA)

Films/series that debuted
on Newgrounds|

* "All your base are belong to us" (2001)
* Xiao Xiao (2001–2002)
* Broken Saints (2001–2003)
* Neurotically Yours (2002–present)
* "Badgers" (2003)
* Eddsworld (2003–present)
* "Numa Numa" (2004)
* Salad Fingers (2004–present)
* "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" (2005)
* Charlie the Unicorn (2005)
* Minushi (2007)
* Saturday Morning Watchmen (2009)
* Ollie & Scoops (2019–present)

Associated people|

* Alan Becker
* Brad Borne
* Kira Buckland
* Neil Cicierega
* John Cooney
* Michael Cusack
* David Firth
* Tom Fulp
* Max Gilardi
* Tyler Glaiel
* Edd Gould
* Zach Hadel
* Arin Hanson
* Jazza
* Edmund McMillen
* Chris Niosi
* Ross O'Donovan
* Chris O'Neill
* Dan Paladin
* Adam Phillips
* Jonti Picking
* TomSka

Related articles|

* The Behemoth
* Nightmare Cops
* Adobe Flash
* Browser games

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