ARCADIA Spring 2024 Digital Cover Stars: Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson

As veteran TV personalities, both Sam and Pete have had the opportunity to grow publicly on our screens for more than 10 years. We’ve seen their highs and lows and been privy to their personal journeys. Having bonded back in 2019 during a stint on Celebs Go Dating when the pair hoped to find love, although unsuccessful at the time, did come away with a blossoming bromance which would go on to change the trajectory of both of their careers.

“I’m definitely Yin and you’re definitely Yang,” Sam said jokingly when describing their friendship.

Pete added, “Well evidently, I think it’s fairly obvious. We all know that I’m the fucking shade.”

“Pete realised that he couldn’t live without me. I realised I couldn’t live without Pete and we just sort of became inseparable ever since. I latched on to him like a limpet to a rock and didn’t allow him to leave,” Sam joked.

With the pair quite literally in each other’s pockets, working consistently across their podcast, TV and event projects, there is plenty of opportunity for a prank or two in between their work commitments.

Pete interjected, “What Sam does is he will make sure he has two hours at the end of the job to ruin my fucking life.”

“Nothing we ever do feels like work, because it’s literally just two mates randomly chaotically falling through this weird little career and life that we both have. I’m not entirely sure how or why people care, but they seem to.”

When it comes to showing up on social media and putting together a skit, Pete admitted, “I think the reason that we do get on so well is because we are so different. We think completely differently about most things. My strengths are his weaknesses and his strengths are my weaknesses. I think that’s what works quite well.”

Sam agreed, “Pete is also very good at saying no and being just a bit more mature with things. When it comes to serious stuff, Pete takes control.”

Discussing the impact of pushing the boundaries with traditional advertising, Pete commented, “A lot of the time when brands come to us with ideas, I think they can sometimes play it a little bit safe.”

Sam disclosed, “You’ve also got to earn the brands’ trust. We basically run an advertising agency and so every video that I make, I like to think that it could appear on TV. I think that people are the most important thing. You should never do anything for the brand, you should do it for the people watching the video and then incorporate the brand into it, then you’re on to a winner.”

Working with such creative freedom, Sam confided that Pete was the first one to really suggest that he look into having ADHD. Opening up about the journey to his diagnosis, Sam revealed, “I think that I see my ADHD as a bit of a superpower really. But only if you’re doing what it is you enjoy doing. I’m incredibly lucky that I sort of fell into my dream job.”

He shared, “I feel like with the ADHD diagnosis, I didn’t really want to take medication for it because when I get creative, I get energy behind things. When I get excited, I think, wow we could do this and we could do that. Pete will tell you that I come up with a new business idea every couple of weeks.”

Pete interjected passionately, “Part of my role is just to harness Sam’s creativity because it’s chaotic, which is the best part. There are so many ideas, but they come thick and fast.”

Having been portrayed as an excitable and high on life person on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here last year, Sam emphasised that due to the episode lengths, that viewers only got to see only parts of his day.

“Since I came out of the I’m A Celeb jungle, people think I am this permanently happy-go-lucky guy all the time. No one is. I feel like my ups are probably higher than other people’s ups and I was just happy to kind of be there. But I definitely do have the more serious side to me as well,” Sam assured.

Despite being in the industry for over a decade, they have remained true to themselves. Pete explained, “When we first started years ago, there weren’t as many shows. The reason that a lot of people run around for six months and then disappear is because they’re trying to be the next version of something they’ve seen before. There was a lot more authenticity involved in people doing reality TV back then to what there is now, it’s a lot more manufactured.”

He added, “I would never want to get lost in this mad world that we work in. You know, having your feet on the ground and having a bit of humility is something that a lot of people on TV, especially reality TV, could do with a bit more.”

As the pair guide each other through everyday life, their hit podcast Staying Relevant has become a safe space to discuss their weekly quest for fame with their fans. Sam joked, “I would call his manager and ask to please make him come to the studio. Eventually, just to shut me up, he came to the studio and we released I think two episodes. We went to number one instantly. Then he had to stay because the people wanted to hear it.”

Pete divulged, “Surprisingly, despite being forced into doing this podcast, it has sort of become my little baby because I enjoy it so much. We get so many beautiful messages from people who are having tough times or send us some really genuinely lovely messages. The podcast has helped them get through things and that means quite a lot to me. So I’ve taken the podcast under my wing a little bit and have started doing quite a lot of work towards it.”

As both Sam and Pete prepare for their tour in April, Pete remains tight-lipped about what the show will entail. He hinted, “Staying Relevant enables us to explain that a little bit more about what we do, why we do it, and how fucking mad our lives can sometimes be. But in regards to the show, Sam still doesn’t know about it yet. He’s going to find out very soon.”

“We were gobsmacked by the response selling out the London Palladium and selling out the whole tour in less than 20 minutes is just not what we expected. We only expected to do three or four dates initially and now we’re doing 10. It’s going to be a bit of a wild one.”

You can listen to ‘Staying Relevant podcast’ on all streaming platforms.

@samthompsonuk

@p_wicks01

@stayingrelevantpodcast

Photographer 

Catherine Harbour 

Stylist 

Suzie Street  

Make-Up Artist 

Mira Parmar using Rhode Skin and YSL Beauty

Hair Stylist 

Luke Benson using Keune Haircosmetics 

Retoucher 

Lewis Hughes at Surface Retouch