Stephen Fry’s excessive tweeting and his hard love for the Apple iPhone have pushed him to the forefront of the burgeoning love for all things tech here in the UK. But the erstwhile actor isn’t the most important web celeb on these shores. Far from it. While Fry’s telling you he’s trapped in a lift, these British geniuses are pushing the boundaries of the web.
Martin Lewis
The man behind moneysavingexpert.com has become a web colossus, helping millions shop savvy while the economy crumbles. In the 12 weeks to 3 January 2009, he was the most searched name on the web. The whole web. Consider that period includes Barack Obama’s election as the President of the US and you realise what a big deal Martin Lewis really is.
Charlie Brooker
Brooker’s coruscating columns have been a source of mirth for gaming and TV fans for years. But it’s his contributions to The Guardian’s Comment is Free site that make him one of the web’s best-loved writers. When he wished death on George W Bush, he invoked the ire of the US right and caused a media storm. His Mac vs PC column popped a flag in the sand for online debate too.
Rob Manuel
The founder of the ace B3ta, Rob Manuel, has pioneered user generated content in the UK. His newsletter about the weirdest stuff on the web, often created by its army of 100,000 readers, and is older than YouTube, starting way back in 2001. B3ta’s weekly challenge is the stuff of legend, delivering rude and puerile nonsense that’s always worth reading.
Mr Holy Moly
The anonymous founder of Holy Moly is the man all celebrities dread. His wry take on pop culture, coupled with his move to strip his site of paparazzi snaps have made him the go to guy whenever a celeb story breaks. More relevant than The Sun and every bit as funny as Popbitch, this is British humour at its harshest. Oh, and he’s not nearly as fame-hungry as Perez Hilton.
Paul Scaife
Scaife is the creator of Record of the Day, the daily music industry newsletter which sets the agenda for every music journo, website and mag going. If you want to know who’ll be gracing the cover of NME six months down the line, ROTD will tell you now. Be warned though, Scaife was also responsible for bringing The Crazy Frog to ears all over the globe.
Of course, if these chaps seem a tad too highbrow for you to follow on Twitter, you can always stay up to date with the tech mad typists at Electricpig. Follow us on Twitter now! You can find us @jamesholland, @bensillis and @joeminihane.
