Daniel Robert Middleton (born 8 November 1991), better known as DanTDM (formerly TheDiamondMinecart), is a British

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

, gamer, and author. He is primarily known for his

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videos, particularly those featuring ''

Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...

'', ''

Roblox Roblox (, ) is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to program and play games created by themselves or other users. It was created by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 200 ...

'', ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' and ''

Five Nights at Freddy's ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' (''FNaF'') is a video game series and media franchise created by Scott Cawthon that includes video games, novels, graphic novels, and films. The story arcs typically follow a night guard or other character trying t ...

''. Middleton's YouTube channel, which he started in 2012, has amassed over 29 million subscribers and 19 billion views as of 2024, making him one of the most popular content creators on the platform. Middleton began his YouTube career with ''Minecraft'' content, later expanding to other games and vlog-style videos. He has published a graphic novel, voiced a character in the UK version of the film ''

Ralph Breaks the Internet ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' is a 2018 American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is the sequel to the 2012 film ''Wreck-It Ralph''. The film was directed by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston (filmmaker), Phil Joh ...

'' (2018), and embarked on several world tours featuring live shows. In 2016, he was listed in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition for "Most views for a dedicated Minecraft video channel." Beyond his online presence, Middleton has been involved in various charitable initiatives and has won several awards, including multiple

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in tel ...

in the UK Favourite Gamer category. In 2017, Middleton topped the ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' list of Highest-Paid YouTube Stars, earning (about $16.5 million) in one year.

Personal life

Daniel Robert Middleton was born on 8 November 1991 in

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

, England, as the elder of two siblings. His parents divorced when he was a child. He attended the

University of Northampton The University of Northampton is a public university based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, and gained full university status as the University of Northampto ...

where he studied music production. Prior to his career as a YouTuber and author, he worked at

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

, telling the BBC in 2017 "When I earned enough money off YouTube to match it y wage at Tescomy wife persuaded me to do it." Middleton married his girlfriend, Jemma, in March 2013. Their first son, Asher, was born on 5 January 2020, and their second son, Miles, was born on 22 November 2022. He has openly discussed his struggles with

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

after experiencing severe depression due to the isolation of the

COVID-19 lockdowns During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology), non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar socie ...

Career

In 2012, Middleton first created ''TheDiamondMinecart'', a gaming channel. In August 2014, Middleton signed with the

multi-channel network A multi-channel network (MCN) is an organization that works with video platforms to offer assistance to channel owners in areas such as "product, programming, funding, cross-promotion, partner management, digital rights management, monetizati ...

Maker Studios Maker(s) or The Maker(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Maker'' (film), a 1997 American drama film * Maker Studios, now part of Disney Digital Network, an American multi-channel TV network *''Makers'', a 2014 British documentary seri ...

under its Polaris label. He decided to change his channel's name to ''TheDiamondMinecart // DanTDM'' later on, and on 12 December 2016, to ''DanTDM''. He currently produces videos out of his home studio in

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a market town in the North Northamptonshire, Unitary Authority area, England, from London and from Northampton, north of the River Nene. Originally named "Wendelingburgh" (the stronghold of Wændel's people), the Anglo ...

. Middleton's content is largely targeted at children, though many teens and adults watch it as well. As his original fanbase that propelled his career has grown up, Middleton has scaled back his video production schedule and focused more on creating graphic novels, hosting live shows, and DanTDM merchandise. He released a graphic novel titled '' Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal'' on 6 October 2016, which remained at the number one spot on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bookbinding, bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other clo ...

graphic books for eleven weeks. He was a featured guest at the

Cheltenham Literature Festival ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times'' Cheltenham Literature Festival, a large-scale international festival of literature held every year in October in the English spa town of Cheltenham, and part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for th ...

and went on a book tour that included parts of the UK and a visit to New York City. He then embarked on a tour through the United States and Australia in 2017. His live show at the Sydney Opera House was the second fastest to sell out in the venue's history. While acknowledging that he might not be a household name "yet", he was noted by the ''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute ...

'' as being "one of YouTube's brightest stars and biggest successes." In 2017, he starred in a web series called ''DanTDM Creates a Big Scene'' starring himself and featuring other social media entertainers and actors. The series premiered on 7 April 2017 exclusively for YouTube Red, YouTube's subscription service (now called

YouTube Premium YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is a subscription service offered by the American video platform YouTube. The service provides ad-free access to content across the service, as well as access to premium YouTube Originals ...

). The show "follows DanTDM and his group of animated friends as they battle to keep their live show on the road". That year,

TODAY Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

praised his "infectious laugh and an unmistakable British accent" and his personal growth from a "shy, low-profile YouTuber to the master of a creative empire." In 2019, Middleton was ranked 41 in UK's Top 100 Influencer List by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', which also estimated Middleton's net worth to be £25 million. In January 2025, Middleton joined Classic FM as a regular presenter. Currently, he hosts the video game music-focused series ''Next Level'', Music featured includes the soundtracks to ''Minecraft'', ''

The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...

'', ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...

'', and ''

The Elder Scrolls ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of action role-playing games, action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on Nonlinear gameplay, free-form gameplay in an ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for "Most goals scored in a game of ''

Rocket League ''Rocket League'' is a 2015 vehicular Association football, soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix for various home consoles and computers. A sequel to 2008's ''Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars'', ''Rocket League ...

'' for a team of 2" (shared with Tom "Syndicate" Cassell) and "Most goals scored in a game of Rocket League (team of three)". * Guinness World Record for "Most views for a dedicated

video channel". *

in the category UK Favourite Tipster:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. *

in the category UK Favourite Gamer: 2020.

Publications

* *

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1991 births 21st-century English male writers 21st-century English novelists English male voice actors English male web series actors Let's Players Living people Maker Studios people Mass media people from Aldershot Video game commentators English Twitch (service) streamers YouTube channels launched in 2012 English gaming YouTubers Commentary YouTubers People from Wellingborough Minecraft YouTubers Male actors from Aldershot Male actors from Northamptonshire YouTubers from Hampshire YouTubers from Northamptonshire Actors from North Northamptonshire Polaris channels