The Yogscast is a group of video gaming content creators, formed in 2008 and now consisting of a multi-channel network. The group produces various online video game-related series including discussion and RPG sessions, and studio-promoted "challenge" videos. It has also produced a number of large scale live action events.

The first major success of the group came in the form of their Minecraft series, which featured the group playing together in a survival multiplayer gamemode. The resulting narrative-driven series of Let's Play videos became highly popular, attracting a large audience and growing the popularity of the Yogscast as a whole. The series has since been expanded with several modpack-based series, such as Jaffa Factory, Tekkit and MoonQuest.

Nilesy is the most senior member of the Yogscast, having joined the team around the time that the group began posting Cataclysm videos on their main channel. Nilesy is often referred to by other members of the Yogscast as 'the big brother', and is one of the most experienced players in the group.

Nilesy's nickname and player character name, 'Nilesy', derives from the character of Niles Crane from the US television show Fraiser. His character's Tekkit skin is based on Dwight Schrute from the US television show The Office. Nilesy is 6 feet 1 inch tall, and he works as a call centre agent in the mornings before recording Yogscast videos in the evenings.

Among other things, Nilesy has a wide range of accents and is known to make outrageously outlandish statements. He also loves a good pun, as illustrated by his 'Cara Mia' song in the livestream of the 8th of December 2012, much to the amusement of Zyluss, Duncan, HybridPanda and all 17 (thousand) viewers of the stream.