Peter Oakley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Oakley
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Oakley in 2011
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| Born | 20 August 1927 Belper, Derbyshire, England
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| Died | 23 March 2014 (aged 86) Bakewell, Derbyshire, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 2006–2014 |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Oakley |
| YouTube information | |
| Genre | Vlogging, autobiography |
| Subscribers | 100 thousand |
| Total views | 11.2 million |
| Subscriber and view counts updated as of 22 January 2023. | |
Peter Oakley (born August 20, 1927 – died March 23, 2014) was a British man who became famous online. He was known as geriatric1927 on YouTube. He started posting videos in August 2006.
His first videos were a series called Telling it all. In these videos, he shared stories about his life. He quickly became very popular with many people on YouTube.
Peter Oakley shared that he worked as a radar mechanic during World War II. He also loved motorcycles his whole life. He lived alone after his wife passed away.
Many news outlets around the world reported on his sudden fame. At first, he didn't want to do interviews. He just wanted to talk to his YouTube friends. But he later gave his first interview to the BBC's The Money Programme. This show was on TV in February 2007.
By mid-2006, Peter Oakley had the most subscribers on YouTube. He reached this top spot in just over a week. He even passed users who had been on the site for a long time. In November 2006, he had 30,000 subscribers. He was also the first YouTube user to reach 25,000 subscribers.
He uploaded 434 videos between 2006 and 2014. These videos covered many topics, from his childhood to how to set up a Google account. In 2009, he started a second channel for music called Geriatric1927Blues. His main channel reached 100,000 subscribers in January 2023.
Sadly, Peter Oakley was later diagnosed with cancer. It was too advanced to be treated. He posted his last video on February 12, 2014. He passed away about a month later, on March 23, 2014.
Telling It All Series
Peter Oakley's first video was called "first try." It has been watched over three million times. After that, he started his life story series, Telling It All. These videos made him an Internet celebrity very quickly.
News places like BBC News and GMTV talked about him. Websites using his username also appeared. In Telling it all 7, Peter Oakley said he was not connected to these other websites. He had no control over what they showed.
In his video series, Peter Oakley talked about important times in his life. These included:
- Growing up during World War II. He lived in Norwich, which was bombed by the Luftwaffe.
- His time in primary and secondary education in England in the 1930s. He was lucky to continue his education past age 14. This was a special chance for smart children back then.
- Joining the British Army. He was chosen to be a radar technician. This job kept him out of fighting. He was glad he didn't have to see "the horrors of war." But his role was still very important for the war effort.
- Going back to his normal life and old job after the war.
- Studying in Leicester, England. There, he met his future wife. He also found his love for motorcycling.
- His job in Leicester as a public-health inspector.
In 2010, his friend and fellow YouTuber, Al Chantrey, wrote a song for him. The song was called 'Telling It All'. It was based on Oakley's video series and talked about his life. Al Chantrey posted the song on his own channel in March 2014. This was a tribute to Peter after his illness was announced.
Peter Oakley was also featured in Yahoo! Current Buzz. This section showed the most searched topics online. His feature was called "Retired and Wired."
Peter Oakley's Influence
Peter Oakley's success on YouTube inspired many other older people. Especially men who had many life experiences to share. They started posting their own vlogs.
Jonathan King said Peter Oakley inspired his YouTube videos in 2006. Peter also influenced Martin H. Slobodkin (1920–2006), a World War II veteran. Martin started posting his own blogs as MHarris1920. Martin passed away in October 2006. Many YouTube users sent tributes after his wife, Teresa, announced his death. His wife temporarily took over his blogs.
Another older person influenced by Oakley was Bernhard von Schwerin (1927-2022). He was known as bernie1927. He was also a World War II veteran, but he fought for Germany. Peter Oakley encouraged him. Bernhard talked about his youth and his many travels. He also spoke about moving to the U.S. in 1951.
Artist Annemarie Wright was so inspired by Peter Oakley's story. She created a piece of art dedicated to him. The artwork showed Oakley with lyrics from The Zimmers' song "My Generation".
Media Appearances
On August 17, 2006, Peter Oakley uploaded "Telling it all 7." In this video, he talked about all the media attention he was getting. He said this was not what he wanted. He also repeated that any websites using his username were not connected to him. He had received many messages from companies wanting to interview him. But he preferred to talk only to his fellow YouTubers, whom he saw as friends.
On February 16, 2007, Peter Oakley appeared on TV for the first time. It was on a special episode of the BBC's The Money Programme. The episode was called "Coming to Your Screen: DIY TV." This show was filmed in late 2006. He also did a radio interview for the BBC World Service. In March 2007, Oakley announced he was working on TV shows about "silver surfing." This term means older people using the internet.
Peter Oakley was part of a BBC documentary. In it, he joined The Zimmers. This was a group of older people brought together by filmmaker Tim Samuels. They sang The Who's famous song "My Generation." They did this to show the challenges older people face in Britain. The song was released in May 2007. It raised money for the charity Age Concern. As part of The Zimmers, Oakley also recorded a song called "Old and Wise" by the Alan Parsons Project. His work with the band took him to Washington, D.C. in September 2007. He was a guest of the AARP, a group that helps older people.
See also
In Spanish: Peter Oakley para niños
