Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Zenger
Zenger
Martin Winter

Buzzworthy Pastime? Celebrities Help Make Beekeeping Hot New Hobby

Jason Statham tries his hand at beekeeping during the filming of Sky Original The Beekeeper. SKY VIA SWNS.

Beekeeping is one of the hottest hobby trends of 2024 thanks to a host of celebrity fans, according to a study.

 

Stars creating a buzz around the pastime include David Beckham, Beyoncé and Scarlett Johansson. Other emerging hobbies for the year ahead include origami, collecting ‘old technology’ like CDs and foraging for snacks in the wild.

 

The study, of 2,000 adults, found 47 percent are looking for more unusual pastimes, with bee-enthusiasts Beckham and Johansson, and Olympic diver Tom Daley – who loves to knit – voted the most inspiring celebrity hobbyists.

 

Open mic poetry, arranging flowers and geocaching – a kind of treasure hunt where GPS devices help to find hidden containers called geocaches – also featured in the top 25 activities.

 

While 49 percent will opt out of more sedentary hobbies like reading or blogging in favor of ones that get them outdoors and moving. And half get enjoyment from pastimes that are in some way good for the environment – like creating bug ‘hotels’ in their gardens.

 

The study was commissioned by Sky ahead of today’s (Fri) release of The Beekeeper, starring Jason Statham, which tells the story of one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance after it’s revealed he’s a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization – known as Beekeepers.

 

 “It’s good to see people are up for trying new things in 2024. I’m not surprised there’s so much buzz around beekeeping, and I’m hoping our film will only enhance that,” said  David Ayer the film’s director.

 

“We did it for real on the set, and Jason Statham genuinely learned how to open a hive and work with the bees. Always one to immerse himself in a movie, he really connected with the whole zen of beekeeping, which was quite therapeutic between all the grueling action sequences,” he added.

 

The study also found 58 percent of those who like hobbies that get them outdoors believe these are good for their mental health. While 47 percent like the idea of getting a bit fitter, and 37 percent find it helps connect them more to the natural world.

 

And 71 percent believe that if more people found hobbies that benefit other people or the environment, the world would be a better place. The study, via OnePoll, also found that 14 percent have found hobby inspiration from a movie.

 

“Could 2024 be the year that beekeeping becomes cool? With the likes of David Beckham, Scarlett Johansson and of course now Jason Statham, taking a liking to this exciting hobby, it’s the start of a wonderful relationship with nature,” said Julia Stuart, director of original film at Sky.

 

TOP 20 MOST INSPIRING CELEBRITY HOBBYISTS

  1. David Beckham – Beekeeping
  2. Tom Daley – Knitting
  3. Scarlett Johansson – Beekeeping
  4. Rod Stewart – Model railways
  5. Beyoncé Knowles – Beekeeping
  6. Sting – Beekeeping
  7. Julia Roberts – Knitting
  8. Brad Pitt – Pottery
  9. Richard Branson – Chess
  10. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers – Beekeeping
  11. Nicole Kidman – Skydiving
  12. Mike Tyson – Pigeon racing
  13. Henry Cavill – Warhammer
  14. Will Smith – Fencing
  15. Francis Bourgeois – Trainspotting
  16. Bill Gates – Plays Bridge
  17. Angelina Jolie – Collects weapons
  18. Elton John – Collects sunglasses
  19. Claudia Schiffer – Collects insects
  20. Susan Sarandon – Ping Pong

 

TOP 25 PASTIMES BRITS WANT TO TRY OUT IN 2024:

  1. Bee boxes (keeping or collecting boxes in which bees can take shelter when not in the hive)
  2. Upcycling
  3. Pottery
  4. Creative writing
  5. Dance
  6. Bug ‘hotels’ – (keeping ‘insect hotels’ – small, artificial buildings that serve as long-term lodging or a winter hibernation habitat for crawling and flying insects.)
  7. Flower arranging
  8. Knitting or crochet
  9. Sewing/clothes making
  10. Board games like chess or backgammon
  11. Gardening
  12. Foraging
  13. Collecting antiques
  14. Beekeeping
  15. Bouldering/rock climbing
  16. Coin collecting
  17. Geocaching (treasure hunt in which people use GPS devices to find hidden containers called geocaches)
  18. Origami
  19. Collecting old technology
  20. Tabletop games, like Warhammer
  21. Stone skipping or skimming
  22. Tapestry
  23. Stand-up comedy
  24. Open mic poetry reading
  25. Parkour

Produced in association with SWNS Talker

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.