In an age where nearly half of U.S. adults say the way people behave in public is ruder than they did before the COVID pandemic, British etiquette coach and social-media personality William Hanson’s content is more valuable than ever. At 36, Hanson is something of a millennial Emily Post, with etiquette tips for every imaginable social situation, from the most inoffensive way to tell someone you forgot their name to how many pumps of cologne are necessary (two for day, three for night, FYI). Now at 3.9 million followers on Instagram and another 3.1 million on TikTok, Hanson has expanded his teachings to a podcast and the written word. He co-hosts the advice show Help I Sexted My Boss with radio personality Jordan North, and in 2026 published his internationally best-selling guide, Just Good Manners. This past summer, Hanson starred in the West End production of the Broadway parody musical Titanique, playing propriety-obsessed first-class passenger “Mother Ruth” DeWitt Bukater.

Correction, July 14

The original version of this story misstated where Hanson appeared in Titanique. It was in the West End production, not on Broadway.