‘We milked the hell out of it’: what happens after local food places go viral?

TikTok sensation the Spudman, Ben Newman, at his stall in Tamworth. ‘I’m just very good at shouting about it.’ Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian

Ben Newman, also known as the Spudman, spends as much time posing for selfies these days as he does selling jacket potatoes from his van in the middle of Tamworth.

His shop is the latest viral sensation on TikTok and has seen people travel from all over the world to try his food – jacket potatoes with classic toppings such as butter, cheese and beans – although Newman isn’t quite sure why.