Current language: English Change
Back to results
Add to ClipBin
Add to Basket9C/27496/C
L1552
ITVP Production
SUPERHUMAN
SUPERHUMAN - GIANTS
Imagine what it's like to be stared at whenever you leave your hometo be bombarded with relentless questions from strangers. This programme tells the stories of some of the most extraordinary people on the planet. Only three in every million individuals get to become members of their most exclusive club. These people aren't just tall, they're breaking the seven foot barrier. Find out how the human body grows to such an exceptional height? How do they fit in? And can they find love? Find out what it's like to live as a GIANT...
Part One -
In Part One we meet sixty-three year old CHRIS GREENER who is on his way to work. For the last thirty-nine and a half years Chris has held the exclusive title of the tallest man in Britain and at a towering 7 foot 6 and a quarter he's made a profession out of his height. Today's job is a photo shoot in Glastonbury and Chris has been booked to show how big the fence is going to be around the Glastonbury festival. It's a bizarre booking, but all part of the norm for Chris who makes a living from making personal appearances. Chris was a book keeper until being crowned Britain's tallest man in 1967 opened the door to a new profession and there are few jobs he's turned down over the years.
In the East End of London twenty-eight year old ROSS SAMBRIDGE is having a more normal day and is heading into town to go shopping. Ross likes being tall, but over the years he's had a lot of bad respect from people about his height. Ross travels in on the tube and then arrives in Oxford Street where he is immediately bombarded by questions and unwanted attention from strangers.
Back in Glastonbury Chris keeps smiling and stands tall for the cameras. His extraordinary height is caused by a condition known as acromegalic giagantism. (Science graphic) Behind his optic nerve sits the tiny pituitary gland - one of its many jobs is to manufacture a hormone which makes us grown. A benign tumour formed on his pituitary causing the gland to go into overdrive. Within the space of three years he grew a staggering twenty-two inches. Chris had radiation therapy to kill off the tumour, but he has lasting damaged to his bones and internal organs. Today is a long and tiring day for Chris and he has to sit down to rest his weary legs. He puts his tiredness down to old age, but there is actually another reason for his exhaustion.
Ross is on Oxford Street fielding questions from the general public. He lists some of the things that have been said to him over the years...'What's the weather like up there?...Watch out for the planes?...You must get a lot of snow up there? Is your cousin a tree?!!' Fortunately today the strangers have been kind and the questions polite as Ross used to get bullied badly - so much so that his mum used to follow him to school from behind and witness him being picked on. Ross acknowledges that if every day was like the one he's having today, 'the world would be a better place for him'. Not surprising as he's been called things like, 'lanky piece of shit' over the years.
Coming up - How much a giant eats and drinks - and how to find love when you're 6 foot 11 inches tall...
Part Two -
In Glastonbury, another photo shoot for Britain's tallest man, CHRIS GREENER, is over. But thirty minutes later Chris who had been feeling tired all day, collapses in a nearby café and paramedics are called...
Science graphic - Chris has a gigantic heart - twice the size of an average person's. Its muscle is so thick that it doesn't always work properly. This is a serious side effect of acromegalic gigantism. It's possible that the rhythm of Chris's heart has suddenly become irregular and may even have briefly stopped. Fortunately Chris recovers within an hour. But there is more bad news on the way...
Three hundred miles north in Durham looms a twenty-six year old giant who is about to take Chris's crown and end his long career as Britain's tallest man. Unlike Chris, NEIL FINGLETON'S height may not be caused by a medical condition. He believes he's naturally tall.
At 26-years-old Neil still lives at home with him mum Christine and he gives us a tour of their home. The last time he could get through the doorways without stooping was when he was about 9 years old. When he was born he was a stone in weight and was touching 7 feet at 10 or 11 years old. Finding clothes for Neil over the years has been a problem for his mum and Neil has stretch marks from growing so fast. To feed a giant you need giant sized portions and Neil's mum Christine has to cook up vast meals to keep Neil fed. Neil consumes around 8000 calories a day - that's three times the amount of an average man. His food bills top at least one hundred pounds a week - and that's before he's had a social life. A good night out costs him up to 100 pounds because it takes him between 20 and 25 pints to have a merry night!
It's hard enough to be a tall man...even tougher to be a tall woman. Georgia, a rural state in the deep south of the United States is home to one of the tallest women in America. 27-year-old ALANA RENAUD has been taller than average since she was eight years old. When she was nine she was the same height as her mum at 5 foot 5. By the age of twelve she was 6 foot 2. At thirteen, 6 foot 2. And by 17 she had reached a towering 6 foot 11. Over the years Alana has had problems dating, but recently someone new came on the scene. Alana met Quentin who is 9 inches smaller than her and her dream recently came true when he proposed and they're looking forward to getting married next year.
Being extremely tall does make it hard to find love. ROSS SAMBRIDGE was single until he became a member of The Tall Club. It was there that he met his 6 foot 2 girlfriend Hilary and they've been together for four years now
It's a big day for NEIL FINGLETON who's being officially announced as Britain's tallest man. He's taking the crown from the former champion Chris Greener so Chris's agent PETER BURROUGHS is off to find out how his client is taking the blow. Chris is very stoical about losing the title that he's held for the best part of forty years.
Coming up - NEIL FINGLETON, Britain's tallest man hits Hollywood... And meet a man who has been the world record holder for the last three years.
Part Three -
6 foot 11 ALANA RENAUD wants to fulfil her dream to be a bride like any other girl, but will she find a dress that fits? We see her trying on wedding dresses in a shop where the assistants have never seen a bride as tall as her in 26 years. Out of 110 dresses there are only 4 that fit Alana's size 20 frame and the one she likes will need to be specially lengthened to fit her 40 inch legs. Finally Alana finds a dress she really likes and is thrilled to have found something that looks nice. She didn't get her hopes up so that she wouldn't be disappointed.
In Durham, the new tallest man in Britain, Neil, is packing for a trip to Hollywood. . After 10 years as a professional basketball player he's decided to have a career change and is hoping to break into acting. His mum Christine is pleased to see the back of him as he costs a fortune when he's at home - particularly the food bills!
On the Hollywood Boulevard Neil is constantly asked how tall he is by strangers. Neil is happy with this as he knows he always causes a bit of a stir wherever he goes - people pulling out cameras etc. But sometimes the daily diet of gawps can turn into something worse. A tour operator confronts Neil as he thinks he's not turned up for a tour. He's got the wrong man, but things get inexplicably nasty with the tour operator telling Neil to f*ck off etc...
The next day Neil's up early and putting the finishing touches to a script he's been given to perform in front of a top casting agent. He goes to see SHEILA MANNING who has been casting movies and commercials for over forty years and performs some lines from a script. Sheila thinks that Neil will have a working career because he doesn't mind "playing androids" or wearing "a big rubber suit with a lot of arms"! She is positive about his future.
ROSS SAMBRIDGE works in his local supermarket. For years he struggled to make himself look shorter by slouching - and years of bending over have left him with a curvature of the spine. But Ross's attitude was transformed when he realised he might become a member of the exclusive 7 foot club. Suddenly growing taller became exciting and Ross started to dream about becoming Britain's tallest man. Astonishingly this dream could come true because Ross believes he's still growing. But there's a flip side. If he is still getting taller his future health could be under threat so he's going to meet one of the world's leading experts in growth disorders, PROFESSOR BESSER.
PROFESSOR BESSER arranges for Ross to have a series of blood tests looking for excess growth hormone. He's also measured to confirm his height. If he's got acromegalic gigantism it could shorten his life. When Ross is measured he has a huge shock... He isn't actually 7 foot 5 as he thought. He's actually 6 foot 10! For years Ross has been 7 inches shorter than he believed himself to be.
Part Four -
In Inner Mongolia a crowd of onlookers gather to catch a glimpse of one man. Wherever he goes hundreds of people gather around him - overwhelmed by his sheer physical presence. At 7 foot 9, 56-year-old BAO XISHUN has been in the record books for the last three years as the tallest man in the world. Until recently Xishun was a little known wonder. For over fifty years he lived in the grasslands, leading a simple life as a herdsman. But a visitor called MR XIN saw Xishun as a golden opportunity and brought him to the city. Taking a cut of 30 to 50 percent of his appearance fees, MR XIN has made sure that Xishun is rarely out of the public eye.
Being the tallest man in the world has proved lucrative for Xishun, but seven weeks ago he lost his crown to a man from a remote rural village in the Ukraine. At a staggering 8 foot 4 inches, LEONID STADNYK is a full seven inches taller than Xishun. He's new to the Guinness World Record Books, but is a reluctant title holder.
37-year-old Leonid is a simple farmer who has shunned the limelight for many years and is deeply unsure about his newfound fame, but if he decides to embrace it like Xishun he could soon find his life transformed...
By moving to the city Xishun had found fame and friendship, but there was still something else missing in his life. Fortunately MR XIN came to the rescue again and introduced Xishun to one of his friends. At 29 years old, XIA SHUJUAN is nearly half Xishun's age and at 5 foot 6 is 27 inches smaller, but a month after they met they were married and they're planning a traditional Mongolian ceremony in a couple of weeks.
Updates -
A week after his visit to the doctor, Ross has been given the all clear, but he's still upset that he's no longer in the exclusive 7 foot club. Alana and Quentin are looking forward to getting married next year. Chris, Britain's former tallest man is resting his legs and embracing his retirement. Still optimistic, Neil's still waiting to land his first acting role. And separated by 27 years and 27 inches, Xishun and Xia Shujuan have recently celebrated with a traditional Mongolian wedding ceremony.
Contributors -
ALAN RENAUD - USA's Tallest Woman
BAO XISHUN - World's Tallest Man
CHRIS GREENER - UK's Tallest Man
CHRISTINE FINGLETON - Neil's Mother
HILLARY - Ross's Girlfriend
LEONID STADNYK -Tallest Man From Ukraine
LINDA SAMBRIDGE - Ross's Mum
MR SHIN - Bao Xishun's Agent
NEIL FINGLETON - UK's New Tallest Man
PETER BURROUGHS - Chris's Agent
PROFESSOR MIKE BESSER
QUENTIN HAGEWOOD - Alan's Fiance
ROSS SAMBRIDGE - Tall Man
SHEILA MANNING - Hollywood Casting Agent
XIA SHUJUAN IV - Bao Xishun's Wife
Part One -
In Part One we meet sixty-three year old CHRIS GREENER who is on his way to work. For the last thirty-nine and a half years Chris has held the exclusive title of the tallest man in Britain and at a towering 7 foot 6 and a quarter he's made a profession out of his height. Today's job is a photo shoot in Glastonbury and Chris has been booked to show how big the fence is going to be around the Glastonbury festival. It's a bizarre booking, but all part of the norm for Chris who makes a living from making personal appearances. Chris was a book keeper until being crowned Britain's tallest man in 1967 opened the door to a new profession and there are few jobs he's turned down over the years.
In the East End of London twenty-eight year old ROSS SAMBRIDGE is having a more normal day and is heading into town to go shopping. Ross likes being tall, but over the years he's had a lot of bad respect from people about his height. Ross travels in on the tube and then arrives in Oxford Street where he is immediately bombarded by questions and unwanted attention from strangers.
Back in Glastonbury Chris keeps smiling and stands tall for the cameras. His extraordinary height is caused by a condition known as acromegalic giagantism. (Science graphic) Behind his optic nerve sits the tiny pituitary gland - one of its many jobs is to manufacture a hormone which makes us grown. A benign tumour formed on his pituitary causing the gland to go into overdrive. Within the space of three years he grew a staggering twenty-two inches. Chris had radiation therapy to kill off the tumour, but he has lasting damaged to his bones and internal organs. Today is a long and tiring day for Chris and he has to sit down to rest his weary legs. He puts his tiredness down to old age, but there is actually another reason for his exhaustion.
Ross is on Oxford Street fielding questions from the general public. He lists some of the things that have been said to him over the years...'What's the weather like up there?...Watch out for the planes?...You must get a lot of snow up there? Is your cousin a tree?!!' Fortunately today the strangers have been kind and the questions polite as Ross used to get bullied badly - so much so that his mum used to follow him to school from behind and witness him being picked on. Ross acknowledges that if every day was like the one he's having today, 'the world would be a better place for him'. Not surprising as he's been called things like, 'lanky piece of shit' over the years.
Coming up - How much a giant eats and drinks - and how to find love when you're 6 foot 11 inches tall...
Part Two -
In Glastonbury, another photo shoot for Britain's tallest man, CHRIS GREENER, is over. But thirty minutes later Chris who had been feeling tired all day, collapses in a nearby café and paramedics are called...
Science graphic - Chris has a gigantic heart - twice the size of an average person's. Its muscle is so thick that it doesn't always work properly. This is a serious side effect of acromegalic gigantism. It's possible that the rhythm of Chris's heart has suddenly become irregular and may even have briefly stopped. Fortunately Chris recovers within an hour. But there is more bad news on the way...
Three hundred miles north in Durham looms a twenty-six year old giant who is about to take Chris's crown and end his long career as Britain's tallest man. Unlike Chris, NEIL FINGLETON'S height may not be caused by a medical condition. He believes he's naturally tall.
At 26-years-old Neil still lives at home with him mum Christine and he gives us a tour of their home. The last time he could get through the doorways without stooping was when he was about 9 years old. When he was born he was a stone in weight and was touching 7 feet at 10 or 11 years old. Finding clothes for Neil over the years has been a problem for his mum and Neil has stretch marks from growing so fast. To feed a giant you need giant sized portions and Neil's mum Christine has to cook up vast meals to keep Neil fed. Neil consumes around 8000 calories a day - that's three times the amount of an average man. His food bills top at least one hundred pounds a week - and that's before he's had a social life. A good night out costs him up to 100 pounds because it takes him between 20 and 25 pints to have a merry night!
It's hard enough to be a tall man...even tougher to be a tall woman. Georgia, a rural state in the deep south of the United States is home to one of the tallest women in America. 27-year-old ALANA RENAUD has been taller than average since she was eight years old. When she was nine she was the same height as her mum at 5 foot 5. By the age of twelve she was 6 foot 2. At thirteen, 6 foot 2. And by 17 she had reached a towering 6 foot 11. Over the years Alana has had problems dating, but recently someone new came on the scene. Alana met Quentin who is 9 inches smaller than her and her dream recently came true when he proposed and they're looking forward to getting married next year.
Being extremely tall does make it hard to find love. ROSS SAMBRIDGE was single until he became a member of The Tall Club. It was there that he met his 6 foot 2 girlfriend Hilary and they've been together for four years now
It's a big day for NEIL FINGLETON who's being officially announced as Britain's tallest man. He's taking the crown from the former champion Chris Greener so Chris's agent PETER BURROUGHS is off to find out how his client is taking the blow. Chris is very stoical about losing the title that he's held for the best part of forty years.
Coming up - NEIL FINGLETON, Britain's tallest man hits Hollywood... And meet a man who has been the world record holder for the last three years.
Part Three -
6 foot 11 ALANA RENAUD wants to fulfil her dream to be a bride like any other girl, but will she find a dress that fits? We see her trying on wedding dresses in a shop where the assistants have never seen a bride as tall as her in 26 years. Out of 110 dresses there are only 4 that fit Alana's size 20 frame and the one she likes will need to be specially lengthened to fit her 40 inch legs. Finally Alana finds a dress she really likes and is thrilled to have found something that looks nice. She didn't get her hopes up so that she wouldn't be disappointed.
In Durham, the new tallest man in Britain, Neil, is packing for a trip to Hollywood. . After 10 years as a professional basketball player he's decided to have a career change and is hoping to break into acting. His mum Christine is pleased to see the back of him as he costs a fortune when he's at home - particularly the food bills!
On the Hollywood Boulevard Neil is constantly asked how tall he is by strangers. Neil is happy with this as he knows he always causes a bit of a stir wherever he goes - people pulling out cameras etc. But sometimes the daily diet of gawps can turn into something worse. A tour operator confronts Neil as he thinks he's not turned up for a tour. He's got the wrong man, but things get inexplicably nasty with the tour operator telling Neil to f*ck off etc...
The next day Neil's up early and putting the finishing touches to a script he's been given to perform in front of a top casting agent. He goes to see SHEILA MANNING who has been casting movies and commercials for over forty years and performs some lines from a script. Sheila thinks that Neil will have a working career because he doesn't mind "playing androids" or wearing "a big rubber suit with a lot of arms"! She is positive about his future.
ROSS SAMBRIDGE works in his local supermarket. For years he struggled to make himself look shorter by slouching - and years of bending over have left him with a curvature of the spine. But Ross's attitude was transformed when he realised he might become a member of the exclusive 7 foot club. Suddenly growing taller became exciting and Ross started to dream about becoming Britain's tallest man. Astonishingly this dream could come true because Ross believes he's still growing. But there's a flip side. If he is still getting taller his future health could be under threat so he's going to meet one of the world's leading experts in growth disorders, PROFESSOR BESSER.
PROFESSOR BESSER arranges for Ross to have a series of blood tests looking for excess growth hormone. He's also measured to confirm his height. If he's got acromegalic gigantism it could shorten his life. When Ross is measured he has a huge shock... He isn't actually 7 foot 5 as he thought. He's actually 6 foot 10! For years Ross has been 7 inches shorter than he believed himself to be.
Part Four -
In Inner Mongolia a crowd of onlookers gather to catch a glimpse of one man. Wherever he goes hundreds of people gather around him - overwhelmed by his sheer physical presence. At 7 foot 9, 56-year-old BAO XISHUN has been in the record books for the last three years as the tallest man in the world. Until recently Xishun was a little known wonder. For over fifty years he lived in the grasslands, leading a simple life as a herdsman. But a visitor called MR XIN saw Xishun as a golden opportunity and brought him to the city. Taking a cut of 30 to 50 percent of his appearance fees, MR XIN has made sure that Xishun is rarely out of the public eye.
Being the tallest man in the world has proved lucrative for Xishun, but seven weeks ago he lost his crown to a man from a remote rural village in the Ukraine. At a staggering 8 foot 4 inches, LEONID STADNYK is a full seven inches taller than Xishun. He's new to the Guinness World Record Books, but is a reluctant title holder.
37-year-old Leonid is a simple farmer who has shunned the limelight for many years and is deeply unsure about his newfound fame, but if he decides to embrace it like Xishun he could soon find his life transformed...
By moving to the city Xishun had found fame and friendship, but there was still something else missing in his life. Fortunately MR XIN came to the rescue again and introduced Xishun to one of his friends. At 29 years old, XIA SHUJUAN is nearly half Xishun's age and at 5 foot 6 is 27 inches smaller, but a month after they met they were married and they're planning a traditional Mongolian ceremony in a couple of weeks.
Updates -
A week after his visit to the doctor, Ross has been given the all clear, but he's still upset that he's no longer in the exclusive 7 foot club. Alana and Quentin are looking forward to getting married next year. Chris, Britain's former tallest man is resting his legs and embracing his retirement. Still optimistic, Neil's still waiting to land his first acting role. And separated by 27 years and 27 inches, Xishun and Xia Shujuan have recently celebrated with a traditional Mongolian wedding ceremony.
Contributors -
ALAN RENAUD - USA's Tallest Woman
BAO XISHUN - World's Tallest Man
CHRIS GREENER - UK's Tallest Man
CHRISTINE FINGLETON - Neil's Mother
HILLARY - Ross's Girlfriend
LEONID STADNYK -Tallest Man From Ukraine
LINDA SAMBRIDGE - Ross's Mum
MR SHIN - Bao Xishun's Agent
NEIL FINGLETON - UK's New Tallest Man
PETER BURROUGHS - Chris's Agent
PROFESSOR MIKE BESSER
QUENTIN HAGEWOOD - Alan's Fiance
ROSS SAMBRIDGE - Tall Man
SHEILA MANNING - Hollywood Casting Agent
XIA SHUJUAN IV - Bao Xishun's Wife
SUPERHUMAN: GIANTS
J756
Narrator - SAM HAZELDINE
Executive Producers - JEREMY PHILLIPS, JIM ALLEN
Associate Producer - REBECCA SAPONIERE
Editors - ADRIAN GORDON, PAUL BOLTON
Producer/Director - ANOUSHKA CECIL
ITV Productions Limited 2007
ITV Productions
Executive Producers - JEREMY PHILLIPS, JIM ALLEN
Associate Producer - REBECCA SAPONIERE
Editors - ADRIAN GORDON, PAUL BOLTON
Producer/Director - ANOUSHKA CECIL
ITV Productions Limited 2007
ITV Productions
ITV STUDIOS LIMITED
FACTUAL
47
56
2008-12-07
FACTUALS (LONDON)
PROGRAMME
UK VERSION
Colour
Stereo
60
ITV NETWORK LIMITED
ITV STUDIOS LIMITED
My Basket
Your basket is empty
