The Wealdstone Raider

Gordon Hill[2] (born 31 January 1966), better known as The Wealdstone Raider, is an English builder who later gained prominence as an Internet meme. A long-time supporter of Wealdstone F.C., he gained attention due to a humorous viral video of him heckling opposing supporters of Whitehawk F.C. at a football match in March 2013, which ultimately ended in a 1–1 draw, with phrases such as "You want some? I'll give it ya" and "You've got no fans".[3] However, the video did not reach its peak in popularity until December 2014.

The Wealdstone Raider
Born
Gordon Hill

(1966-01-31) 31 January 1966
Harrow, London, England
OccupationRoofer, builder, charity fundraiser, novelty singer
Years active2013–present
Height1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)[1]
Websitewealdstoneraider.net

An online article by BBC News included The Wealdstone Raider in the 'top memes and viral videos' of December 2014.[4] The nickname "Wealdstone Raider" came from the title of the original video uploaded by YouTube user dazman21.[5] Coincidentally, Hill claimed his brother had the nickname of "Raider" ten years prior to the upload.[6]

Personal life

Hill, a builder by trade,[7] now has over 70,000 followers on Twitter,[8] where he has built a reputation for insulting celebrities comically using his catchphrases, including Arsenal F.C. supporter Piers Morgan.[9] He is passionate about sport.[10]

Hill as a figure has been used as the face of various T-shirts and banners at public events such as football matches, one of which was spotted at a match between PEC Zwolle and ADO Den Haag in The Netherlands.[11]

Charity work

For the majority of Hill's childhood and adolescence, he was treated by Great Ormond Street Hospital for toxoplasmosis. Of recent, Hill has since showed his gratitude to the hospital by donating the royalties from his song "Got No Fans" to them, among other charities.[1]

Hill apparently has already raised £500,000 for charity,[1] including by charging fans £2 for a photo with him,[3] and through the promotion of his charity single.[12] Hill has an agent who takes bookings for him to appear at nightclubs and events.[13]

Original video
The Wealdstone Raider
StarringGordon Hill
Release date
10 March 2013 (2013-03-10)
Running time
33.9 seconds

The original 33-second YouTube video entitled The Wealdstone Raider was uploaded to the video-sharing website on 10 March 2013, having been filmed the previous day. It features Hill at The Enclosed Ground of Whitehawk F.C., Brighton.[14] At the start of the video Hill is shown wearing a Wealdstone FC football shirt and an oversized leather jacket;[15] holding a cigarette in his right hand and a pint of beer in the other, he was being discreetly filmed at a football match by opposing supporter Darren Ward.[16] During the early moments of the video Hill appears to be aware he is being filmed and is seen taking a number of glances towards the camera[16] before saying a number of phrases for which he has now become renowned, including "You're playing shit" and "You've got no fans". Other videos on the original uploader's YouTube channel "dazman21" depict further disputes between Hill, Ward and "Jeff",[17] as well as other bystanders of the match.[18]

Hill claims to have been mildly drunk whilst heckling opposing supporters at the match.[3] He says he lost his temper due to suffering 20 minutes of personal abuse from the opposing supporters filming him at the time, who he claims were mocking his speech impediment and "funny" appearance.[19] However, the original uploader of the viral video, Darren Ward, claims this is not the case and that he was simply filming Hill whilst he himself was under the influence of alcohol because he thought it was amusing.[20] In an interview about the video, Ward said:

"What happened was, we saw this little bloke getting a bit rowdy at the football. So I turned to my mate Jeff and said 'We'll wind him up and video him'. I had no idea it'd go this big – everyone's gone mad for it."[14]

As the original video gained more attention, Hill initially did not engage with it. The publicity came while his sister (now deceased) was seriously ill in America.[21]

Subsequent videos

In April 2016, a new video of Hill being restrained by security at The Enclosed Ground of Whitehawk F.C., Brighton was uploaded to YouTube, and appeared to be part of a larger disagreement between Whitehawk and Wealdstone fans at the grounds. Reasons for the exchange seem to be disputed, with some claiming Hill was provoked.[22] In April 2017, another video was uploaded of Hill having an altercation outside of a Wetherspoons pub with two doormen, and it appeared Hill was in a drunken state.[23] These videos have attracted some viewership, though are not as widely circulated or known about as the 2013 original.

Music career

Various parodies, remakes and songs have since been created from the original video, this in turn influenced Hill's decision on releasing a charity single based on the viral video, saying:

"Everybody else is making money out of me, so I thought; why don't I make a few pounds for charity."[24]

In 2014, the Daily Mirror started a campaign to get The Raider to Christmas number one, to which he obliged by recording a charity single called "Got No Fans", the royalties of which all go to the charities Great Ormond Street Hospital, Wealdstone Youth FC and the Northamptonshire-based charity Autism Concern.[2] On 21 December 2014, the Raider charted at number 5 in the Christmas charts, led by X Factor winner Ben Haenow.[25] However, he topped the week's UK Indie Chart.[26] Hill dropped down to 46 in the following week's chart, the final week of the year.[27]

Discography

As lead artist
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[25] 		UK Indie Chart IRE
[28]		 SCO
"Got No Fans" 2014 518513 Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK IRE SCO
"No Ground No Fans"
(feat. The Wealdstone Raider)		 2013 ––— Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Filmography

The media attention of which Hill has gained from the viral video and his charity single has led to an array of television appearances and interviews. In addition, stock footage of the Raider has been used by various filmmakers for several YouTube Poop mash-up videos, as well as for the dubbing of a number of popular television programmes and films, including Lord Sugar's The Apprentice and the Academy Award-winning blockbuster, Oliver!.[29]

Television

Year

TV programme

Role

Network

Note(s)

Ref(s)

2013 Rude Tube Himself Channel 4 Series 7, episode 1
Episode aired 8 September 2013
Featured original video and a guest interview		 [30]
2014 Matchday Live with Fletch and Sav Himself BT Sport Episode aired 28 December 2014

Guest appearance
2015 Britain Sees Red: Caught on Camera Himself ITV Series 1, episode 1. Featured original video and a guest interview

References
  1. McGlade, James (16 December 2014). "The infinite appeal of the Wealdstone Raider". 101 Great Goals. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. Innes, Richard (12 December 2014). "EXCLUSIVE! The Wealdstone Raider's Christmas single: look out Simon Cowell". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  3. Gibbs, Thom. "The very best of the Wealdstone Raider". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  4. Lee, Dave (30 December 2014). "The top memes and viral videos of 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  5. dazman21's channel on YouTube.
  6. "Wealdstone Raider speaks: "KSI's Got No Fans!"". YouTube. talkSport. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  7. Fletcher, Harry (19 December 2014). "Wealdstone Raider enters top 5 with 'Got No Fans'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  8. Butler, Mike (27 December 2014). "The Wealdstone Raider's rise to fame is a victory for the internet". FootballFanCast.com. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  9. "The Wealdstone Raider Has Finally Joined Twitter And He's Brilliant!". TheSportBible. 6 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  10. De Menezes, Jack (20 December 2014). "The Wealdstone Raider admits 'I love the darts' as YouTube sensation makes appearance at the World Darts Championship". The Independent. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  11. Proctor, Iam (8 December 2014). "Campaign begins to get cult personality Wealdstone Raider to Christmas #1". Newspaper. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  12. "Wealdstone Raider announced as special guest to appear at Northampton club on New Year's Eve". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  13. "Internet sensation The Wealdstone Raider is 'in talks to appear on Celebrity Big Brother'". Eurosport. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  14. Davies, Gareth (16 December 2014). "Whitehawk's 'Wealdstone Raider' is internet sensation". The Argus. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  15. Pellatt, Corey (5 December 2014). "The Wealdstone Raider Is Now Being Booked for Nightclub Appearances". Complex. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  16. McGlade, James (16 December 2014). "The infinite appeal of the Wealdstone Raider [@BabboPieta Feature]". 101 Great Goals. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  17. Ward, Darren (26 March 2013). "The Wealdstone Raider 2". YouTube. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  18. Ward, Darren (14 December 2014). "Wealdstone Raider". YouTube. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  19. "Wealdstone Raider at the Darts! Plus Phil Taylor, Gravity Darts & Supergeil!". YouTube. Professional Darts Corporation. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  20. "Video message to The Wealdstone Raider (Gordon Hill)". YouTube. dazman21. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  21. "ON THE WIRE | Wealdstone Raider at the Darts! Plus Phil Taylor, Gravity Darts & Supergeil!". YouTube. Professional Darts Corporation. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  22. "Wealdstone Raider at it again! (Original) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  23. "Wealdstone raider at it again this time with the bouncer - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  24. "ON THE WIRE | Wealdstone Raider at the Darts! Plus Phil Taylor, Gravity Darts & Supergeil!". YouTube. Professional Darts Corporation. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  25. "Ben Haenow beats Mark Ronson to claim Christmas number one". BBC News. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  26. "20 December 2014". London: Official Charts Company. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  27. "Official Singles Chart UK". Official Charts Company. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  28. Peak positions in Ireland:
  29. "Wealdstone Raider puts his own twist on Mark Lester in Oliver!". Gloucestershire Echo. Local World. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  30. "Rude Tube: Season 7 Episode 1". LocateTV. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
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