Benjamin Rich, better known by his
YouTube channel name
Bald and Bankrupt, is an English travel
vlogger and author. As of January 2022, his channel has 3.3 million subscribers and over 461 million views.
The defining characteristic of Rich's channel is his interest in the
post-Soviet states. However, he first started vlogging from India after filing for bankruptcy in the UK due to a failed business venture, which (alongside his shaved head) inspired the name of his channel. Ever since he ventured into Eastern Europe, the attention to his videos has increased.
In March 2019, Hindustan Times reported on how he exposed scams against tourists in Delhi Airport, from inflated prices to rickshaw drivers and false claims. In June 2019, Rich was discussed in the Slovak press for his visit to Luník IX, which he described as "Europe's largest poor Roma neighbourhood". The article described how, despite warnings about the estate being among the most dangerous in Europe, he was welcomed by local people who spoke fluent English and invited him to their surprisingly modern and clean homes, which he described as "better than [his] apartment in Britain". Swedish YouTube personality PewDiePie stated in a July 2019 episode of the YouTube podcast series Cold Ones that Bald and Bankrupt is his favourite YouTube channel.
Afisha Daily journalist Lyubava Zaitseva wrote about Rich's choice of Russian destinations in September 2019, stating that even its Russian readers had "not seen such Russia" and praising him for "trying to distance himself from tourist places" and showing cities "from the inside, communicating with local residents". In November 2019, Russia Beyond named Rich's channel in its list of six YouTube vlogs "where foreigners show you real Russia". It noted his "openness to local people and unpredictability".
