Famous Overnight

How ordinary people go viral

B1+ · Reading, vocabulary and discussion · Work in pairs and small groups where the task tells you to.

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1Before you read

Look at the picture above. In pairs, discuss for two minutes: why do people film strangers in public places? Have you ever filmed something and shared it online?

2Reading: Two silent stars

Listen to the story as you read.

Two of this year's most popular internet stars have almost nothing in common, except that neither of them says a word. The first is a football fan from Germany. Every weekend he travels across the country to watch matches in different stadiums. He has never played a single minute of professional football. Instead, he quietly films his journeys: early trains, stadium snacks, crowded stands and empty platforms at midnight. He posts short clips of each trip online. In 2026 his account exploded, and hundreds of thousands of followers now wait for his next journey. The second star is 61 years old and works as a technician at an ice rink. Between events, while the building is quiet, he glides backwards across the fresh ice with surprising elegance. One visitor filmed him and shared the clip, and millions of people watched it within days. Fans now visit the rink just to see him skate. Neither man asked for fame. It simply arrived, overnight.

Two of this year's most popular internet stars have almost nothing in common — except that neither of them says a word.

The first is a football fan from Germany. Every weekend he travels across the country to watch matches in different stadiums. He has never played a single minute of professional football. Instead, he quietly films his journeys: early trains, stadium snacks, crowded stands and empty platforms at midnight. He posts short clips of each trip online. In 2026 his account exploded, and hundreds of thousands of followers now wait for his next journey.

The second star is 61 years old and works as a technician at an ice rink. Between events, while the building is quiet, he glides backwards across the fresh ice with surprising elegance. One visitor filmed him and shared the clip, and millions of people watched it within days. Fans now visit the rink just to see him skate.

Neither man asked for fame. It simply arrived — overnight.

Lesson illustration

3Fame & social media words

Match each word or phrase with its definition. Compare your answers with a partner.

4Check your understanding

Choose the correct answer for each question. Then check with your partner: do you agree?

1. What do the two men have in common?

2. What does the football fan film?

3. How many followers does the fan's account have now?

4. Who filmed the ice-rink technician?

5. When does the technician skate backwards across the ice?

6. How has the rink changed since the clip went viral?

5Use the new words

Complete the sentences with words from the box. Use each word once.

viralaccountshareclipovernightfollowerspostfame

1. My cousin's dance video went ______ last month — five million views in a week!

2. He opened a new ______ so he could upload his cooking videos.

3. Did you ______ that photo with your friends? I saw it on three different pages.

4. The interview was too long, so they only published a short ______ .

5. She became famous almost ______ — one day nobody knew her, the next day everyone did.

6. He has more than 300,000 ______ who watch every video he uploads.

7. I usually ______ photos of my dog at the weekend.

8. Some people enjoy ______ , but others hate being recognised in the street.

6Reporting verbs

When journalists write about viral stars, they use reporting verbs:

Choose the correct reporting verb in each sentence.

1. The fan

that his videos are one hundred percent real, but some viewers still have doubts.

2. The technician

that, yes, he does sometimes practise his moves at home after work.

3. The manager said the rink had nothing to do with the video: she

using the famous clip for advertising.

4. A reporter

that, interestingly, both men became famous in the same month.

5. The fan

to have visited more than two hundred stadiums.

6. At first, the technician

that the skater in the video was him — but his colleagues recognised the jacket.

7Going viral: good or bad?

Sort these results of going viral into advantages and disadvantages. Then compare with your group: which one matters most?

Advantages · Disadvantages

8Talk about it

  1. In pairs: Would you enjoy having 500,000 followers? What would be the best part — and the worst?
  2. In pairs: Both men became famous without saying a word. Why do you think silent videos are so popular?
  3. In small groups: Think of someone from your country who went viral. What happened, and where are they now?
  4. In small groups: Imagine a video of you goes viral tomorrow. Agree on two rules your group would follow to protect your private life.

9Role-play: The interview

Work in pairs. Student A is a journalist. Student B went viral last week — choose who you are: the football fan, the ice-rink technician, or your own viral star.

The journalist interviews the new star for 3–4 minutes. Use at least three reporting verbs from Exercise 6 when you tell the class what your partner said. Then swap roles.

Question starters: How did it all begin? · How has your life changed? · Some people say your videos are staged — what do you answer? · What will you do next?

Journalist: before you start, write three questions you will ask the new star.

This lesson is interactive: open this page in a browser to fill in the answers and get them checked automatically. Teachers can copy the lesson and edit every part of it.