DanTDM British YouTuber With 29.2M Subscribers

Early life

Daniel Robert Middleton, who publishes under the name DanTDM, was born on 8 November 1991 in Aldershot, England. He is the elder of two siblings. His education took him through Weavers Academy and later the University of Northampton, where he studied music production; the University of Nottingham also appears in his listed education. Before video making became his full-time job he worked at the supermarket chain Tesco. He later told the BBC that he made the switch once his YouTube income matched his wage there.

Career

Middleton started his gaming channel in 2012 under the name TheDiamondMinecart, building it around Minecraft videos. He later widened the range to other games and to vlog-style uploads. In August 2014 he signed with the multi-channel network Maker Studios, joining its Polaris label. His channel name changed along the way, first to TheDiamondMinecart // DanTDM and then, on 12 December 2016, to DanTDM. He records from a home studio in Wellingborough. As of October 2025 the main channel counted 29.2 million subscribers, and two further channels linked to him stood at 3.2 million and 1.8 million.

His material is aimed mostly at children, although teenagers and adults watch as well. As the audience that first followed him grew older, he reduced the pace of regular uploads and gave more attention to books, live shows and merchandise.

In October 2016 he released a graphic novel, Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal, which held first place on The New York Times list for hardcover graphic books for eleven weeks. A book tour followed, taking in parts of the United Kingdom and New York City, and he was a guest at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. In 2017 he toured the United States and Australia with a live show, and his Sydney Opera House date became the second-fastest sell-out in the venue's history. That year he also starred in a web series, DanTDM Creates a Big Scene, which premiered on 7 April 2017 on YouTube Red, the paid service later renamed YouTube Premium.

Middleton has taken a few screen and voice roles. He lent his voice to a character in the UK release of Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). His credits include Free Guy (2021) and A Minecraft Movie (2025). In 2019 The Sunday Times placed him 41st on its list of the UK's top 100 influencers. In January 2025 he joined the radio station Classic FM as a regular presenter, hosting Next Level, a series centred on video game music, with soundtracks from Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and The Elder Scrolls.

Recognition

YouTube has presented him with three creator awards: the Silver Play Button and Gold Play Button in 2013 and the Diamond Play Button in 2016. Guinness World Records recognised his channel for the most views for a dedicated Minecraft video channel, and he also holds Rocket League records for goals scored in a game, one shared with Tom "Syndicate" Cassell. At the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the UK he won the Favourite Tipster category in 2015 and 2016 and Favourite Gamer in 2020. Forbes named him the top earner among YouTube stars in 2017.

Personal life

Middleton married his partner, Jemma Middleton, in March 2013. The couple have two children.