Some people like to get inspired for the day watching televangelists at 6am, while they get ready for work. Me, I’d like to have a channel of all shows like Mary Queen of Shops on BBC America.

Mary Queen of Shops comes from the same team which produces Gordon Ramsay’s F Word and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, both shows about how to improve commercial kitchen work. My problem with the Gordon Ramsay shows is that I can’t watch most food television without getting insanely hungry and desperately craving whatever is being prepared. Basically, I have way too low a threshold for food porn. Mary Queen of Shops has a similar format with none of the insatiable craving for sauteed scallops in some special parsley butter sauce following viewing.

Mary Portas is a branding and retail consultant for fashion enterprises. Each episode of this show, she takes a small floundering independent boutique and helps it improve the way it does business. She is a strong advocate of fabulous service and careful market segment focus. It doesn’t even matter if one always agrees with everything she says because part of the show’s appeal is that it puts one in a business frame of mind. It makes you think about what you would do in whatever situation is being presented. Mary Portas comes across as high energy and even playful, while simultaneously being aggressive and can-do. She seems like she would be both a lot of fun and a formidable adversary.

Fascinated by her powerhouse on-screen presence and my own wish for more shows with this sort of business theme, I started casually researching her background. The best bit I found was that she got a gig as Creative Director at Harvey Nichols, after being in charge of window dressing at both Harrods and Topshop previously. At Harvey Nichols, she not only brought in cool designers like Vivienne Westwood, but she arranged for extensive product placement and name shoutouts on the TV show Absolutely Fabulous. Having Jennifer Saunders’ Edina and Joanna Lumley’s Patsy regularly stumbling around, drunk on champagne, talking about Harvey Nicks as The place to get AbFab clothing is pure marketing genius.

This week internet superstar Fred got a last name, Figglehorn, to go with his new web site FredFigglehorn.com.

So the video above by Fred here has been viewed nearly ten million times on YouTube. According to sites which rank video views, each of the Fred videos have been viewed many many more times than that, syndicated across many sites. On YouTube, the format is called Imrov, although I’ve been told by industry professionals that the show segments are scripted, so I’m not sure why Improv is the category. Could just be because nobody knows how to categorize a lot of new formats which have sprung up via new technology. The show describes itself as follows:

“Fred Figglehorn, a six-year old with anger management issues and an alcoholic mother, uses her video camera against her wishes to posts videos to YouTube documenting (vlogging) the details of his love for Judy, hatred of bully Kevin, crush on Miss Amy, Bertha’s instigations, his annoying Grandma, his friendships with animals, and whatever else pops into his mind. The Internet’s All-Time #1 Weekly Series, with over 100 Million views.”

Of course Fred looks distinctly post-pubescent and not six, but it’s, ya know, comedy.

I understand that a team of around half a dozen people put these vids together. I assume some portion of the team is responsible for marketing, but I have not yet discerned what is particularly different or special about either the content or marketing or talent involved in these productions. Apparently, at least as presented to advertisers who might buy web tv air time or product placement, tween females are the number one demographic. Although, with these numbers, definitely not the only one.

Other than imp in the machine or perversity of the universe, I have no explanation for why Fred is an internet sensation. He doesn’t make my skin crawl or anything, like he does some folks, but I don’t really get it either.

Anyone want to take a shot at hypothesizing why Fred is the most popular boy in internet television?