The top-viewed TikTok videos in the UK in 2021

Kieran Galpin

2021 was the year of TikTok – and the platform’s only getting bigger

While 2021 has been nothing if not chaotic, the one constant in our lives has been the endless abyss of social media. While many worked from home or were isolated for weeks on end, TikTok has been both our saviour and our curse.

This year, TikTok reported 1 billion monthly active users – and for context, Twitter has only 330 million. While the popularity of the app is undeniable, what are the most viral TikTok videos of the year?

Here’s what we found:

10. Just Horsing Around

@samdracott_farrier #samdracottfarrier #learnontiktok #asmr #satisfying #satisfyingvideos #fy #farrier ♬ original sound – Sam Dracott Farrier

Farrier Sam Dracott gained over one million followers for his ASMR horse-related content. His most popular video, which depicted the farrier putting shoes on his horse, garnered 104.3m views, 4.9m likes and thousands of comments.

9. Sticky Business

@jeremylynchWait for the end… ??? @mateuspain #spiderman ♬ original sound – OrenSalman

Actor and social media personality Jeremy Lynch continuously produces stellar content – and his nostalgic Spider-Man homage is no different. His bathroom shenanigans were watched 113.9m times, so maybe he’ll appear alongside Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield in No Way Home?

8. Wholesome Content Always Triumphs

@newuk001 #Shooting #Tips #foryou #viral #fypシ ♬ original sound – newuk001

This phone hack employs a flip-flop to float your device down bodies of water. With 113.1m views, it can be assumed there are plenty of picturesque Planet Earth-style short films scattered across the UK.

7. Like Father Like Daughter

@tillyramsayGuess who’s cooking I prefer ?? @gordonramsayofficial #fyp ♬ the real sorority check – elizabeth the first

If there’s one thing the UK loves more than Gordon Ramsay, it’s his daughter Tilly. The Strictly Come Dancing star claims to prefer her mother’s cooking over her father’s – and now 120.3m viewers know it too.

6. Everyone Loves a Tradesman

@jonoseanGoing over thermoplastic means free hand ??#fyp #LiftYourDream #ocd #paint #satisfying #aesthetic #tiktok ♬ original sound – PACE&AMORE

If one TikTok summed up 2021, then it would have to be this one. Though the video itself showed 141.6m people someone painting the pavement, the true magic is that doing-nothing-bliss has been popularised through the platform.

5. Nature Documentary

@.baby.frogsWait for the end… it’s not a threat… i promise. Or is it? ? #frogarmy #tadpoles #pool #nature #fyp ♬ original sound – Baby Frogs

Having been watched 141.6m times, this TikTok demonstrates the magic of the natural world. The creator says they were building a frog army, which is very 2021 if you ask us.

4. Banksy, Eat Your Heart Out

@fatcapspraysI wonder how many of you can name this Dinosaur? ? #streetart #oddlysatisfying #asmr #artwork #neon ♬ original sound – Fat Cap Sprays

143.2m people enjoyed this Flintstone-inspired graffiti – and we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t watched it about 50 times ourselves. ASMR and art therapy are the only things carrying us through to 2022, to be honest.

3. The Pool Guy

@thep00lguy #thep00lguy #hollayaboy #satisfying #cleantok #asmr #learnontiktok ♬ original sound – thepoolguyml

This dude needs no introduction – but if you told us we’d be obsessed with pool cleaning at the end of 2021, then we would’ve probably called you crazy.

2. Education Is Always Key

@mr.colitiscrohnsA bag is nothing to be ashamed of ?♬ STAY – The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber

Mr. Colitis Crohns on TikTok uses his platform to inform people about Crohn’s disease, a condition where the gut becomes inflamed. This particular instalment received 171m views, making it the second most-watched TikTok in the UK.