About Boriswatch.com
Combine a geek, a few spare hours, and an episode of Have I Got News For You, and what have you got?
Boriswatch.com, that’s what.
Back in the early 2000′s, I was sitting in a comfy armchair, laughing out loud at a mad politician called Boris Johnson guesting on the TV show Have I Got News For You. I looked him up on the internet, found very little on him, and instantly resolved to make a simple website for my own amusement. That night, the first page went up, the first post was made and, exhausted at my efforts, I retired to bed.
Turns out I wasn’t the only one who liked him. Checking the site late the next day, it logged several visits from early Boriswatchers – and to this day I’ve no idea how they found it so quickly. But it spurred me on – and I added more and more content, more and more posts, until it’s become the megalith of all things Boris that it is today.
Since that early moment, Boris’s star has risen enormously. Have I Got News For You have asked Boris back multiple times, and later released an entire 2 1/2 hour “The Full Boris” – a legendarily unedited film of one of his chairing episodes. His political career, save for one rather large cockup, has been stellar, and he is now Mayor of London – one of the most powerful politicians in the UK. He’s written many books, columns and articles. He’s been profiled in countries as far away as America and Australia, and he’s been voted Britain’s most popular politician several times. Not to mention the 2nd most kissable wax figure at Madame Tussauds. That’s when you *know* you’ve made it.
As all the while, Boriswatch.com has been there, tracking his every move. As I write (April 2009), we have 420 posts, 1032 comments and around 10,000 visitors a month. We’ve released a Boris Song and developed a range of t-shirts, mugs, and other clothing – including the now infamous Boris Thong. The site (and occasionally myself) has been featured on BBC News, Sky News, ITV News, several reporter’s weblogs and many other TV shows, newspapers and blogs. It’s been a Yahoo Pick Of The Day, picked up several internet awards for entertainment, and been the subject of a Denial of Service attack from shady sources during Boris’s London Mayor campaign – a sure sign of an established site… 
Madness, of course, but brilliant madness. It’s been a hell of a journey, and Boris’s rise has been charted, discussed and supported all the way. Needless to say, the site couldn’t survive without the great Boriswatcher community. So keep sending in those titbits, commenting on the stories and telling your friends about it – the Big Bozza’s story is still on the rise!
May Boris Be With You!
Simon
Chief Boriswatcher
