Can a social media-famous trainspotter become an astronaut? Erm, no. And it’s far from the best use of this hugely genuine, witty personality
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ission to Space with Francis Bourgeois is a tricksy little beast. Unlike, it must be made quite clear, its presenter himself. Bourgeois, for those who have not had the absolute pleasure, is a 25-year-old engineering graduate who came to prominence on social media by making TikTok videos about his great passion: trains. The unforced joy on his face when a locomotive goes by (any locomotive, though his favourite classes are the 37 and 158 and his least favourite the 170), and his ease with his geekiness, quickly made him a star.
His other love, we are told, is space. The animating feature of this overgenerously apportioned documentary (two parts of 45 minutes each) is the question: can a trainspotter become an astronaut?
The answer, too obviously and from the very start of the film, is no. It becomes more and more likely that the makers were labouring under the delusion that to be a passionate geek is synonymous with being a savant. I mean, I get it. I’m an arts grad, too, and anyone who can look at an engine or a sum and make any kind of sense of it seems to me like a god as well. But as Bourgeois meets experts in various aspects of space exploration and we watch him fall flat on his face, sometimes literally, time and time again while he is put through some of the physical paces required of astronauts, the optimistic vibe begins to wear off. Bourgeois begins to look not like the enthusiastic amateur he is (a quality that should be protected at all costs and celebrated for its rarity), but like a young man who has been required by television’s strictures to bite off more than he can chew.
