Elder British gentleman celebrates the generation gap with the most wholesome TikToks ever

Brian Smith's calm-inducing TikToks appeal to young and old alike.
We live in a time when the oldest among us grew up without most of the things today's youth utilize in their daily lives. No computers, no televisions, no internet, no mobile phones (much less smartphones). It's a completely different world, and that generation gap has only gotten wider the more quickly technology has advanced.
But a generation gap doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, there's a great deal that people from different generations can learn from one another. And one gentleman from the grandparent generation is using TikTok to celebrate those differences with the most wholesome—and oddly soothing—videos.
Brian Smith was born in the 1940s and the world has changed incredibly since then. Smith acknowledges and marvels at what's changed, while also asking questions of younger people, while also lulling everyone onto a Zen state with his David Attenborough-like voice.
In one video, he shared how strange it was that he made a phone call on his watch, which used to be used to tell time, while making a video on his phone, which used to be used to make phone calls.
@brian..smith Making a telephone call #phone #watch #time #tiktok
Then he followed up that video with a full-circle commentary on posting that video on TikTok, which is the sound that clocks and watches used to make. Delightful.
@brian..smith Reply to @dylancostley #watch #phone #time #tiktok
Smith often responds to the comments on his videos, such as when someone called him "W human." Just watch. Seriously wholesome.
@brian..smith Reply to @2_millimeter_defeater_ #generations #language #youth
Frequently, Smith will pose questions to his young audience, asking them about how they use technology.
@brian..smith Reply to @fnatma Does text have a future? #communication #text #video
His sincere curiosity and desire to learn about the sociological differences between generations is inspiring.
@brian..smith Do you use email? #asktiktok
@brian..smith Talk to me about usernames #name #username #handles
Definitely David Attenborough vibes, with some Bob Ross and Fred Rogers thrown in for good measure.
The gentleman even has an epic model train setup, because of course he does.
@brian..smith Model railway #model #railway #underground #tube
Smith shares snippets of history and also weighs in on current events. He has a special interest in Russia's invasion of Ukraine because he made a Russian friend online a while back and learned to speak Russian as a result.
He shared his concerns many times in the months leading up to the invasion.
@brian..smith William Hague in today’s Times newspaper #politics
And he's spoken out for peace along with most of the world.
@brian..smith Reply to @green4x Peace in Ukraine #мир #peace #ukraine #украина #україна
But the generational commentary Smith shares is the best. It's great to see someone of the older generation embracing technology, remaining curious and keeping an open mind. He loves to learn and it's so fun to see him with one foot in his own generation and one in, as he says, "Generation Zed."
@brian..smith Reply to @bmcdeez #change #history #technology
Seriously, Brian Smith. Be more lovable.
@brian..smith I do love TikTok #fun #barber #fleetstreet
Follow @brian..smith on TikTok.
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Resurfaced video of French skier's groin incident has people giving the announcer a gold medal
"The boys took a beating on that one."
Downhill skiing is a sport rife with injuries, but not usually this kind.
A good commentator can make all the difference when watching sports, even when an event goes smoothly. But it's when something goes wrong that great announcers rise to the top. There's no better example of a great announcer in a surprise moment than when French skier Yannick Bertrand took a gate to the groin in a 2007 super-G race.
Competitive skiers fly down runs at incredible speeds, often exceeding 60 mph. Hitting something hard at that speed would definitely hurt, but hitting something hard with a particularly sensitive part of your body would be excruciating. So when Bertrand slammed right into a gate family-jewels-first, his high-pitched scream was unsurprising. What was surprising was the perfect commentary that immediately followed.
This is a clip you really just have to see and hear to fully appreciate:
- YouTube youtu.be
It's unclear who the announcer is, even after multiple Google inquiries, which is unfortunate because that gentleman deserves a medal. The commentary gets better with each repeated viewing, with highlights like:
"The gate the groin for Yannick Bertrand, and you could hear it. And if you're a man, you could feel it."
"Oh, the Frenchman. Oh-ho, monsieurrrrrr."
"The boys took a beating on that one."
"That guy needs a hug."
"Those are the moments that change your life if you're a man, I tell you what."
"When you crash through a gate, when you do it at high rate of speed, it's gonna hurt and it's going to leave a mark in most cases. And in this particular case, not the area where you want to leave a mark."
Imagine watching a man take a hit to the privates at 60 mph and having to make impromptu commentary straddling the line between professionalism and acknowledging the universal reality of what just happened. There are certain things you can't say on network television that you might feel compelled to say. There's a visceral element to this scenario that could easily be taken too far in the commentary, and the inherent humor element could be seen as insensitive and offensive if not handled just right.
The announcer nailed it. 10/10. No notes.
The clip frequently resurfaces during the Winter Olympic Games, though the incident didn't happen during an Olympic event. Yannick Bertrand was competing at the FIS World Cup super-G race in Kvitfjell, Norway in 2007, when the unfortunate accident occurred. Bertrand had competed at the Turin Olympics the year before, however, coming in 24th in the downhill and super-G events.
As painful as the gate to the groin clearly as, Bertrand did not appear to suffer any damage that kept him from the sport. In fact, he continued competing in international downhill and super-G races until 2014.
According to a 2018 study, Alpine skiing is a notoriously dangerous sport with a reported injury rate of 36.7 per 100 World Cup athletes per season. Of course, it's the knees and not the coin purse that are the most common casualty of ski racing, which we saw clearly in U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn's harrowing experiences at the 2026 Olympics. Vonn was competing with a torn ACL and ended up being helicoptered off of the mountain after an ugly crash that did additional damage to her legs, requiring multiple surgeries (though what caused the crash was reportedly unrelated to her ACL tear). Still, she says she has no regrets.
As Bertrand's return to the slopes shows, the risk of injury doesn't stop those who live for the thrill of victory, even when the agony of defeat hits them right in the rocks.