Geoff Marshall

Marshall was born in Lambeth, south London, to parents Roy and Christina. He went to school in Croydon and Sutton, and finished his studies at the age of 15. His interest in London Transport began as a child, when he and his cousins planned to go on all the bus routes. He started his own website in the 1990s. Marshall has worked in the IT industry.{{Cite web |title=Geoff Marshall (08/1972 - ) |url=https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/people/item/2018-97 |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=London Transport Museum |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Oral history; Interview with Geoff Marshall, 2015 |url=https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/sound-recordings/item/2016-1692 |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=London Transport Museum |language=en}}

Marshall has twice held the world record for the Tube Challenge: travelling to all London Underground stations in the fastest time possible. His first record time to visit the then 270{{nbsp}}stations was achieved with Neil Blake in 18{{nbsp}}hours 35{{nbsp}}minutes and 43{{nbsp}}seconds in May 2004, on his seventh attempt.{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/every-tube-station-in-18-hours-7235423.html|title=Every Tube station in 18 hours|newspaper=Evening Standard|accessdate=5 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414051244/http://www.standard.co.uk/news/every-tube-station-in-18-hours-7235423.html|archive-date=14 April 2016|url-status=live}} This beat the previous world record of 19{{nbsp}}hours, 18{{nbsp}}minutes and 45{{nbsp}}seconds that was achieved by Jack Welsby in April 2002.{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-433122-new-record-set-on-the-tube.do|title=New record set on the tube|newspaper=Evening Standard|accessdate=24 July 2002|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305141751/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-433122-new-record-set-on-the-tube.do|archivedate=5 March 2010}}

His second record time of 16{{nbsp}}hours, 20{{nbsp}}minutes and 27{{nbsp}}seconds, was set in August 2013.{{cite news|work=BBC News|title=London Tube Station Visiting Record Broken|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24203949|accessdate=23 September 2013|date=23 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925000600/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24203949|archive-date=25 September 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|publisher=Londonist|title=New world record for Tube Challenges|url=http://londonist.com/2013/09/new-world-record-for-tube-challenge.php|accessdate=23 September 2013|date=23 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928082149/http://londonist.com/2013/09/new-world-record-for-tube-challenge.php|archive-date=28 September 2013|url-status=live}} A previous attempt which came close was covered by BBC News as part of London Underground's 150 year celebrations.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-22042127/tube-challenger-pulls-out-all-the-stops-in-latest-record-attempt|title=270 tube stations in one day|work=BBC News|access-date=14 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127195513/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-22042127/tube-challenger-pulls-out-all-the-stops-in-latest-record-attempt|archive-date=27 November 2017|url-status=live}}

Marshall subsequently wrote the stage show TubeSpotting about his multiple attempts, which he performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014,{{Cite web|url=http://broadwaybaby.com/shows/tubespotting/701509|title=Tubespotting|website=Broadway Baby|language=en-gb|access-date=17 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918021454/http://broadwaybaby.com/shows/tubespotting/701509|archive-date=18 September 2017|url-status=live}} and several times since at the London Transport Museum.

Between 2013 and 2019, Marshall was a contributor to Londonist.{{cite web|url=https://londonist.com/about_us|title=About Us|website=londonist|publisher=Londonist Ltd.|access-date=19 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711085900/https://londonist.com/about_us|archive-date=11 July 2017|url-status=live}} One of the website's video series was Secrets of the Underground, in which Marshall presented little-known facts of the London Underground. The 17-episode series originally featured just the 11 London Underground lines, but later episodes were produced for the DLR, Overground, Cable Car, and Tramlink networks, as well as bonus episodes. The series has over 17{{nbsp}}million combined views. Marshall has continued to make Secrets of... videos on his own channel.

{{Main|All the Stations}}

All the Stations was a project organised by Marshall and Vicki Pipe to visit all 2,563{{nbsp}}UK railway stations in the summer of 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-40952111|title=Couple's three months on trains|last=O'Brien|first=Jackie|date=18 August 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=14 September 2017|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830211321/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-40952111|archive-date=30 August 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Sanderson|first=Daniel|title=End of the line for whistle-stop tour couple Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe|newspaper=The Times|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/end-of-the-line-for-whistle-stop-tour-couple-geoff-marshall-and-vicki-pipe-92vwndsg9|access-date=2021-08-24|issn=0140-0460}} The pair filmed much of the journey, with daily updates posted on YouTube and other social media.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-40418506/couple-visiting-all-british-railway-stations|title=Couple's British railway stations challenge|work=BBC News|access-date=14 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808011353/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-40418506/couple-visiting-all-british-railway-stations|archive-date=8 August 2017|url-status=live}} A feature-length documentary about the journey was produced in 2018.

Funded through Kickstarter, the journey started on 7 May in {{rws|Penzance}} and finished 105 days later on 19 August in {{rws|Wick}}. The series consisted of 59{{nbsp}}main videos and 12{{nbsp}}bonus videos. Marshall and Pipe visited every station in Great Britain, including those that are served by only a small number of trains,{{Cite news|url=http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2017-06-25/all-the-stations-challenge-visits-the-wests-least-used-station/|title='All The Stations' challenge calls at the West Country's least-used station|work=ITV News|access-date=14 September 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915024205/http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2017-06-25/all-the-stations-challenge-visits-the-wests-least-used-station/|archive-date=15 September 2017|url-status=live}} including Shippea Hill station on 3 June, where 19 people joined them, meaning more passengers used the station in a single day than had in the whole of the previous year.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-40124036|title=Least visited station in rail challenge|date=3 June 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=14 September 2017|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904001231/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-40124036|archive-date=4 September 2017|url-status=live}}

In 2019, Marshall and Pipe crowdfunded All the Stations Ireland, in which they spent three weeks visiting all 198{{nbsp}}railway stations in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland during March and April 2019. Subsequently, they spent three days in July 2019 visiting the Isle of Man to travel to every station on the island.

File:Geoff Marshall being interviewed at opening of Elizabeth line - 52106845703.jpg in May 2022]]

Marshall occasionally gives interviews on London TV and radio concerning transport stories, but first appeared on TV featuring in series 1 of ITV documentary The Tube. The second episode, titled "24 Hours", showed his unsuccessful attempt to beat Jack Welsby's Tube Challenge world record.{{cite web |title=Can You Visit Every London Tube Station In 24 Hours? {{!}} The Tube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujIOMlofXI |website=YouTube |publisher=Spark |access-date=4 May 2021 |language=en |date=7 November 2018}} This was followed later in 2003 by "Race Around The Underground", part of Carlton Television's Metroland documentary series,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI3MImngkMY&t=310s|title=Race Around The Underground (Part 1)|last= Marshall, Geoff|date=4 February 2017|publisher=|via=YouTube}} in which Marshall would have broken the record, had the Richmond Branch of the District Line not suffered a signal failure.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8VQPf5SPKo&t=130s|title=Race Around The Underground (Part 2)|last=Marshall|first = Geoff|date=5 February 2017|publisher=|via=YouTube}}

He appeared on Sky 1's quiz show The Fanatics, answering questions about the London Underground. He appeared in an episode of More4's The World's Most Beautiful Railway in September 2019, highlighting the Caledonian Sleeper and Corrour railway station in the Scottish Highlands.More4's The World's Most Beautiful Railway, September 2019

Underground: USA was a 12-week documentary road trip which Marshall undertook between June and September 2009 in the US. He travelled to all 48 mainland states and, in each one, visited a town or a place that shared a name with a station on the London Underground map: for example, Epping, Maine, where the journey started. Despite having his filming equipment stolen during the trip,{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedigitel.com/s/charleston/digitel-feature-video-crime-features/our-videographer-just-had-6000-equipment-stolen-090629-103533/|title=Our videographer just had $6,000 in equipment stolen {{!}} TheDigitel|website=www.thedigitel.com|language=en|access-date=14 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914220008/http://www.thedigitel.com/s/charleston/digitel-feature-video-crime-features/our-videographer-just-had-6000-equipment-stolen-090629-103533/|archive-date=14 September 2017|url-status=live}} Marshall turned the story into a one-hour YouTube documentary, as well as publishing an accompanying book.

Marshall first organised a tube-based charity event in 2005 with Tube Relief, in response to the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Using the slogan "Not Afraid", around 50{{nbsp}}people took part and raised over £11,000 for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4180368.stm|title=Tube challenge for bomb charity|date=25 August 2005|access-date=14 September 2017|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809093236/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4180368.stm|archive-date=9 August 2017|url-status=live}}

Subsequently, Marshall organised a series of Walk the Tube events to raise money for charities, by getting a group of people to visit every tube station, though not as a record attempt. These events took place in 2014, 2015, and 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H1OF9dSMD4|title=Walk The Tube 2014|first = Geoff|last=Marshall|date=24 June 2014|via=YouTube|access-date=20 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018225844/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H1OF9dSMD4|archive-date=18 October 2016|url-status=live}}

• {{cite book |title=Underground: USA |publisher=Blurb, Inc. |first=Geoff |last=Marshall |year=2013 |isbn=978-1304633927}}
• {{cite book |title=Tube Station Trivia |publisher=Capital Transport |first=Geoff |last=Marshall |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-85414-431-7}}
• {{cite book |title=The Railway Adventures: Places, Trains, People and Stations |publisher=September Publishing |first1=Geoff |last1=Marshall |first2=Vicki |last2=Pipe |year=2018 |isbn=978-1910463871}}
• {{cite book |title=The London Underground: 50 Things to See and Do |publisher=September Publishing |first1=Geoff |last1=Marshall |first2=Vicki |last2=Pipe |year=2020 |isbn=978-1912836253}}
• {{cite book |title=Great British Railways: 50 Things to See and Do |publisher=September Publishing |first1=Vicki |last1=Pipe |first2=Geoff |last2=Marshall |year=2020 |isbn=978-1912836284}}

Flickr - [https://www.flickr.com/photos/geofftech/ GeoffTech]

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Category:Living people

Category:People associated with transport in London

Category:YouTubers from London

Category:YouTube travel vloggers

Category:1972 births

Category:People from Lambeth