Episode 3 Officially Amazing

This is the world of records.

-# Biggest...

-Shoe

-Weirdest...

-Face

-# Fastest...

-Loo

-Tightest...

-Space

-# Longest...

-Snake

-Smallest...

-Van

-# Heaviest

-Cake

-Tallest...

-Man

-# Longest ears on a dog!

-Aw!

-# Most poisonous frog

-Argh!

-# And a woman with a beard

-What?!

# Officially, officially, officially

# Amazing! #

Greetings, dear viewers,

'tis I, Sherlock Shires,

and welcome to another thrilling instalment of Officially Amazing,

the show where we dedicate ourselves to discovering the most dramatic,

dynamic and daring records from around the world.

We leave no mystery unsolved in our quest for the best.

So, without further ado, let's see WATS-ON...

Watson. Wat... What's on...

It's wasted. ..in today's show.

The game, my friends, is afoot.

'Yes, stick around and you'll get to see some most singular

'Guinness World Records title attempts, including...

'I have never broken a record before,

'but today, with the help of Mr Cherry, can I finally do it?

'Over in France, we have two - yes, two - record attempts on ice,

'with each one just as terrifyingly dangerous as the other.

'And in China, this man takes on a record at a horrific height,

'using some incredible football skills.

'First, we're off to France for something...'

IT COUGHS AND SPLUTTERS

Cue the music, cue the fabulous outfits

and cue the skates.

Here I go.

All right, bear with me.

We're here to meet two ice-cool skating superstars.

These two.

'Meet figure-skating champions Alex and JD.

'They've been competing internationally since 2007,

'winning countless tournaments.

'But, hey, I can move on the ice too.'

HE GASPS AND WHIMPERS

'OK. OK, I can't! Put me down!

'Ooh, he picked me up so easily.'

Just tricks. Acrobatic ice.

-Welcome to the...

-What just happened?

'This double act bring the world of acrobatics to life on the ice.

'But remember, they're highly trained professionals,

'so next time you go skating, don't attempt the same kind of moves.'

Today, the boys will be attempting not one,

but two world records for the...

'That's one of these,

'not the dance people did to this kind of music in the '70s.'

And then Alexander will be attempting the record for the...

It sounds very impressive, it looks even more so.

Check out the moves.

'This is the incredible-looking backflip Alex will be trying to do

'over a huge distance later.

'Phew!

'But for now, it's all about the headbanger -

'a move you might have seen on Dancing On Ice.

'A headbanger is where Alex spins JD round and round by the ankles.

'It's super-dangerous.'

You've really gotta know that you're doing it right,

you've got your technique.

Yes, if I go like... something like this, he will fly.

-Never, never, never.

-No, we don't think about that.

Yes, yes.

'Hmm, I think Alex is just glad that he's not the one being spun round.

'Right, let's check out the rules.

'A headbanger is a full 360-degree rotation

'whilst holding the partner by the ankles.

'The 30-second timer starts when the partner is airborne,

'and the minimum requirement is eight headbangers

'for this brand-new record.

'And let's not forget, it's called a headbanger for a reason.

'JD's head is going to be spinning just above the rock-solid ice,

'and at the other end of his body,

'the razor-sharp blades on his skates

'are going to be near Alex's hands and body.

'This is incredibly dangerous.

'Remember, they need to complete

'at least eight headbangers in 30 seconds -

'that's eight full rotations.

'Their time starts when JD's airborne.'

KLAXON

'They're off. That's one! Ooh, I can barely watch!

'Alex has to hold JD off the ground

'and have the momentum going to keep him up in the air whilst he spins.

'Oof! And JD's being scraped a bit there.

'Ooh, and he's down.

'Ouch!

'Alex having to watch his hands don't catch on the sharp blades.'

You only achieved five.

'Just five on that attempt.

'He needs more grip, so the boys are taping Alex's hands together.'

-Bonne, chance, guys.

-Thanks.

'On Dancing On Ice, it's usually the ladies that are swung round,

'but JD is a 65kg man!

'That's a lot of weight for Alex to hold.

'Fingers crossed,

'the tape helps them get eight headbangers or more this time.

'Leg in, here we go. Come on, guys!

'He is so close to that ice.'

-KLAXON

-'Ooh, and they're off.

'JD's life is literally in Alex's hands,

'all the blood rushing to his head.

'Oh, no, another attempt over.

'Thank goodness JD wasn't hurt.

'The first two headbangers seemed OK,

'but Alex couldn't keep JD off the ground for the third rotation.

'The tape came off Alex's hands and he just couldn't hold on.

'So, even with their Plan B of tape and a rolled-up trouser leg,

'they failed again.'

Are you happy to continue?

Do you feel like you can do this, or how's it looking?

Mm, I'm not sure that this time I can make this record, really.

I'm so sorry.

'Absolutely gutted, the headbangers record just wasn't to be this time.

'I feel so sorry for them.

'But let's not give up yet,

'there's still hope for a record on the rink today.

'Alex's longest backflip on ice.'

-Are you going to do it?

-Yes! Yes!

-And, JD, is he going to do it?

-Yes, of course he can do it. He can do it!

-Of course he is.

'There's the determination!

'Whilst Alex prepares for his first attempt,

'it's karaoke time for us.

'So, let's all sing along to one of our favourite record-based songs.'

# Most expensive things! #

Did you sing along, too?

If you couldn't keep up, don't worry, they're all on the website.

Now...

CRASH!

'Your favourite three competitors have been transported

'from across the globe to the UK,

'where, in a top-secret record-breaking bunker,

'they're competing in a series of world-record-breaking attempts

'you can try at home.

'Representing the UK, it's Sizzlin' Steve.

'For the USA, it's US Ray!

'And Japan's representative is the unforgettable Mr Cherry.

'This is...'

'Two events in, and Cherry and Sizzlin' Steve have won one each,

'with Cherry even breaking a world record along the way.

'US Ray is yet to score,

'but the series is young and Ray is resolute, and I'm backing him!

'Let's see what today's Guinness World Record attempt is

'that you can try at home.'

It's...

But first, the decider.

'Earlier on, as ever, Haruka, Ben and I took part in a challenge

'to decide the all-important order in which our competitors

'would go in the egg-holding attempt.

'This one was all about steady hands.

'And mine were... Yeah, well, I was the worst.'

You're still doing great. You are doing awesome, buddy!

'I was a bit better.'

HARUKA: 'But I was the best!

'That meant Cherry got to choose whether he went first,

'second or third in the egg-holding record attempt,

-'and he picked...'

-Second!

'A wise, tactical choice,

'because he'll get to learn from watching Ray,

'who has to go first because Al was so bad.'

AL: 'Thank you(!)

'Moving on, time to talk tactics.'

Steve, this record is for the most eggs held in the hand in 30 seconds.

How do you even go about practising for it?

First of all, I think it's an EGG-cellent record, really.

-Did you say EGG-cellent?

-Yes.

-Good.

'Oh, is that how it's going to be?

'Team USA can make bad egg puns too, you know.'

I'll be honest, I'm worried about this one that we're doing today.

Tell me your finger strategy. What are you going to do?

Well, since I have smaller hands,

I'm going to place them in certain pockets,

like in between each finger, that way they sit.

Then I'm going to stack them,

so that they kind of like form somewhat of a pyramid.

That was a great EGG-sample.

-I see what you did there.

-Yeah.

-Well, I've got a dozen of 'em.

-Ooh!

HARUKA: 'Nice work, Al. But Mr Cherry and I

'are taking the record attempt a lot more seriously.'

So, for the most eggs held in hand,

what's the hardest part of this record?

-TRANSLATION:

-'My hand is small,

'so putting the eggs between the fingers is very hard.

'The positioning is very difficult, love.

'They can quite easily fall right off.

-'Balance is the key, you see.'

-Balance?

'Balance, that's the thing.

'That is the most serious I have ever seen that man,

'but Cherry's right. This is a skills test.

'It's all about building that stack correctly.

'It's a big eggy jigsaw puzzle. Here are the rules.

'You must use medium-sized eggs, free-range if you can!

'They must be stacked one by one.

'Once the time is up,

'the eggs must be held for a full ten seconds more

'without being dropped for the attempt to be valid.

'And the egg to beat... I mean the record to beat is 27 eggs.

'OK, let's do this! Tiny hands, big heart, Ray's up first.'

These look like egg-stacking hands. Are they ready to go?

-That's right.

-Fear this hand! Fear this hand!

-Argh!

-I'm going to count you in from three, all right?

Let's focus, all right. Three, two, one, go!

KLAXON

'A good start. Now, you can use raw or boiled eggs.

'We've decided to go with raw ones - messier!'

I like your technique so far.

It's not about the size of the hand, it's about the size of the man.

'Er, Ray's 5ft 2in.'

-Ooh!

-There you go, you're fine. No worries at all.

Running out of room.

You're fine on time. You're good on time.

-Ooh! Ooh!

-Don't worry about that.

-Ooh!

-'Eggs dropping everywhere.

'This is as tense as it gets and I'm not even YOLK-ing!'

That's all right. That's what eggs are for, to be cracked.

'There to be stacked, not cracked, Al.

'Zip it, Ben! 30 seconds nearly up.'

-Stop!

-All right, OK.

'Oh, Ray just sneaks one in there.

'OK. The eggs have got to stand for a whole ten seconds.'

KLAXON 'Not bad from Ray.

'We'll find out how he did after Sizzler and Mr Cherry's turn.

'Cherry's up next

'and has been watching and learning from Ray's attempt.'

-So, Cherry-san.

-What?

-OK?

Go! KLAXON

'Ooh, Cherry's hands shaking there.

'Might he crack under this intense eggy pressure?'

He could be in double digits IN his digits.

'He's overcome the wobbles and is stacking well.

'Focus now - 27 to beat.

'Look how much I'm concentrating,

'though, to be honest, I'm picturing Cherry dropping all the eggs

'and me making an omelette with them.

'Yeah, well, YOU might end up with egg on your face today, Ben.'

Stop!

'Oh, Cherry also sneaks one in just at the end.

'Could that prove to be the decisive egg?

'All he can do is wait like an egg-stacking statue.'

-And relax.

-KLAXON

-Ugh!

-OK.

'EGG-ceptional stuff from Cherry-san.'

Eggs!

'Ugh, not a raw egg.

'Urgh!'

EGG-cellent power!

'Wow!

'Well, there goes my appetite,

'and official adjudicator Anna's, too, by the looks of it.

'Big Steve's up next! More than 27 needed for a new record.

'Prepare to witness the egg-stacking maestro really EGG-cel!

'Cue the pacey music.'

KLAXON, ROCK MUSIC PLAYS

Lovely, Steve.

'Look at the speed of the man.'

Hold those eggs! Don't eat them.

'Relentless stacking, subtle repositioning.

'The Sizzler is the complete egg-stacking package.

'Ooh, dropped one there, but completely unfazed by it.

'He knows this is his destiny.

EXPLOSIONS AND CRACKLING

ROCK MUSIC PLAYS

'Ooh, I do like this music, by the way.

'Must remember to buy the ALBUMEN.'

That's 30 seconds. Now an extra ten seconds...

(Fancy a cuppa, Steve.)

-And relax.

-KLAXON

'Look at that! An Adonis!

'Well, that looked pretty close to me. Time for the results.

'27 is the current record to beat.'

Did we break a world record? Say yes, say yes!

-No!

-ALL: Oh!

'So, no world record,

'but there's still pride and a point to play for.'

OK, in third place, we have US Ray with 11.

All right. All right. That was a good one.

That was a good one. I'll take it. Who took first?

Today's winner is...

Team UK.

CHEERING

'He's cracked it! Come on!

'Ooh, an unlucky 13, also known as a baker's dozen, for Mr Cherry -

'unlucky because he was just one egg away

'from drawing with Steve's 14 eggs held,

'which will be known henceforth as the Sizzler's dozen.

'Let's see what that does to the scores.

'Team USA still on a big round zero.

'Mr Cherry remains on one win,

'but Steve's two stacking victories,

'dice and eggs,

'see him take the lead.

'EGGS-traordinary!

'Be sure to join us

'next time for another

'Officially Competitive EGG-stravaganza.

'Now, though, we return to France, and something...

-Oh!

-'Part Two.'

Argh!

Oh! Argh!

'Bonjour and welcome back to part deux

'of our French ice-skating challenge.

'Earlier, skating legends Alex and JD failed

'in their first record attempt, but they're not done yet.

'Alex is about to attempt a record so difficult

'and so dangerous, it hasn't been broken for over 30 years...'

Fellas, this is quite fast, though. Ooh, ooh!

'Earlier on, I got the guys to talk me through how Alex does it.'

When he push on the floor, he go up.

He take a lot of time and it's like a...

HE INHALES SHARPLY

HE EXHALES

Wow! It's just amazing.

'Amazingly dangerous. Here are the rules for longest backflip on ice.

'The skater must wear competition-standard skates.

'They must perform a backflip,

'then land and stop in a controlled manner.

'And the attempt is measured

'from the takeoff point to the landing point.

'Alex needs to flip more than 5 metres 48 centimetres

'to set a new world record -

'that's longer than a standard family estate car.

'And what's more, this record is older than me.

'It was set by Dancing On Ice's Robin Cousins in 1983.

'No-one's broken it since then, so it's very difficult.

'Here he comes!

'He's building up that all-important pace,

'ready to take off when he's reached his peak speed.

'Flips.

'Alex seems to just hang in midair.

'Wow! That is amazing!'

Ah, ah!

'To judge the distance,

'official adjudicator Anna measures from the hole that Alex made

'as he left the ice, to the one he made upon landing.

'But did he flip far enough?'

The record to beat was 5 metres 48.

Um, unfortunately, the jump is a little short,

-as he only achieved 5 metres 23.

-Oof!

-Are you feeling like you could give it another go, Alex?

-Yes.

-Yes, I think I can jump more long.

-Excellent!

'Alex failed by less than the length of a piece of spaghetti last time.

'Can he break this record that's stood for over three decades?'

Rolling up. Come on!

He's so fast.

'Whoa! Look at that! He was hurtling along.

'Has he just broken a 30-year-old record?

'Surely it's further than last time.

'Has he done it?'

You jumped 5 metres 50, so therefore...

ALL: Yeah!

'Wow! He's beaten the record that stood

'for over 30 years by 2 centimetres.

'But is Alex done?'

-Do you want to go again?

-Yes.

-I want to try the last time for make the speed more faster.

-OK.

So, he wants to go even faster on this one

and hopefully get even further.

'Final attempt. The record's already his, but he wants more.

'Turning early to get up as much speed going backwards as possible -

'here he comes!

'It's a wider approach, more speed.

'Don't forget, he has to land this as well.

'5 metres 50 to beat.

'Takes to the air.

'And he's safely on the ground.'

The ice flew!

'Great jump, but how did he do?'

Hold tight, everyone. Anna, what are we looking at here?

'Has Alex beaten his own brand-new world record of 5 metres 50?'

6 metres and 9 centimetres!

ALL: Yeah!

'That is amazing!'

Look at that! That is incredible.

'The record stood for over 30 years and Alex has smashed it twice,

'and by over half a metre.

'Well done, guys, officially ice cool!

'Right, here's Haruka with a high and mighty record attempt for you.'

CROWD ROARS

Welcome to China, where Iya Traore from Guinea

is trying to beat his own

world record for...

..and that is quite a massive ladder -

at 25 metres long,

it's higher than the Angel Of The North.

And he's off.

His old record to beat was 67 steps, so he needs to do 68 or more.

The ball must keep moving at all times.

Iya can use either leg,

just like that.

And finally, well,

just don't drop it, really.

Ronaldo's got nothing on Iya.

Look at the concentration!

Look at the skill!

Look how far

he still has to go!

This is impressive,

though it is taking

much longer than I th... ICE-CREAM VAN JINGLE

Oh, that's the ice-cream van.

Normally, I wouldn't do this, but I think

Iya's going to be a while.

Won't be long. DOOR OPENS

RUNNING FOOTSTEPS

Hi, a 99, please, and I'm sorry to rush you,

but I need to get back to work quite quickly.

Thank you. Is that 99p?

No, I didn't think so.

CROWD GASPS

Yum-yum-yum-yum.

Right, I'm back!

Where's the ball gone?

I can't believe I missed it.

He will be devastated

he hasn't done it,

but mostly because he's now

got to walk all the way back down.

Iya's going to try again.

Can he do it this time?

The host looks confident.

And he's off - more determined than ever.

This requires super-skills and mega stamina.

He can't see where he's going or how far he has to go.

Let's assist his progress

with the help of

a fast-forward button, shall we?

Ooh, that is high!

Looking good and...oh, no, he's dropped it again!

But has he done enough?

The official answer is yes!

With 75 steps, Iya has a new world record,

beating his previous one by eight steps.

That is Officially Amazing

and thanks to the magic of television,

here he is!

'Thanks, Haruka.

'Now, from one record breaker to another,

'it's time for Mr Cherry to try and help me

'get my first ever record in...

Oh!

CHOMPING

-Eugh!

-Bwrrpp!

BOING!

'Mr Cherry, the record-breaking man from Japan.

'He's got style, power, nerves of steel

'and a cracking bum.'

CRACK!

'This is Cherry's first time in the UK.

'And while he samples the delights our wonderful isles have to offer...

On me 'ead, son!

Goal!

'..I am determined to learn from him and get a record for myself.'

Put it there!

It's great!

'It certainly is, Mr Cherry.'

Anyone for tennis? Anyone for tennis?

Mr Cherry too! Serve!

GLASS SMASHES

What could be more British than tennis?

You've got Wimbledon, Andy Murray and, of course,

strawberries and cream.

Today, we've brought Mr Cherry along to a tennis club for a lesson,

and to help him get into the swing of things,

he'll need one of these...

..a couple of these...

..and less of this.

'Well, we'll allow Mr Cherry a quick play on the court,

'but that's not the main reason he's here today.

'He's here to help me

'try and get my first Guinness World Records title.

'Even with tennis coach James there to help advise,

'Mr Cherry is still terrible at it.'

Home run!

'That's not even near the right sport.

'I think we'll get on with what Cherry knows best -

'world record attempts.'

Well, that's the warm-up over

and now Mr Cherry's finished making a racket, it's record time!

But what could that record be?

Is it fastest serve, longest rally,

most racquet and ball bounces on one leg?

Well, here's a little clue.

Yes, that's right, it's...

Hmm, that rings a bell.

BELL RINGS

'Remember this Officially Amazing pair?

'It's Haruna and Kodai Yamagishi, also from Japan,

'who smashed this very record last series, with 62 catches.

'However, the record has been broken again

'and now stands at 69 tennis balls caught,

'by none other than Ashrita Furman, with help from friend Bipin Larkin.'

Well, yeah, they were pretty good last year,

but me and Mr Cherry could be game, set and catch.

Thank you.

'These are the all-important rules -

'The catcher must wear a standard boxing glove,

'which must be laced up,

'thrower and catcher must stand three metres apart,

'throwing and catching standard tennis balls with just one hand,

'and the target to beat is 69.

'Can we do it?

'Ooh, I'm so nervous!'

Official adjudicator Anna has joined us

to make sure everything's above board.

-Are you happy, Anna?

-Yeah, I'm all good, thank you.

Excellent. Well, if you can count us down, then, please.

OK. Are you ready?

-Yeah!

-Ready.

Three, two, one, go!

Al Jackson here, to talk you through this attempt.

We all know what this means to Ben. Good luck, guys.

They're off to a good start and they're in a good rhythm.

Great catch from Cherry!

To count, it has to settle in the glove before he releases it.

Ooh, see, that one won't count.

The ball has to come to rest in Cherry's glove.

Catch after catch!

69 to beat, remember - more than one catch every second.

This is actually really hard work,

you can hear Ben panting with exhaustion.

Ugh!

Boy, he wants this record badly.

-Stop!

-Oh!

Oh-ha-ha!

Ugh, that was tough, but we got a bit of a rhythm going.

-Nice rhythm. Nice rhythm.

-Yeah, nice rhythm.

-Nice rhythm.

-Ugh!

Teamwork makes the dream work. Man, what an effort!

'Aw, thanks, Al.'

Well done, Cherry.

Official adjudicator Anna, you watched it all, were we ace?

OK, so the record to beat was 69.

'For the love of record breaking, we gave it our all,

'until we'd run out of DEUCE!

'I can't RACQUET any longer! 69 to beat!

And you got 70!

CHEERING

Oh! Oh, that is it! I've never got a record before.

-This is what Mr Cherry brings out in you. We are Wimble-DONE!

-Yeah!

'It's only taken me three series, but now I, Ben Shires,

'am Officially Amazing too!

'What a way to end the show. See you next time.'

# Well, Ben is very merry

# Cos with the help of Cherry

# He's a record breaker after all

# It was game, set and match

# As Cherry managed to catch

# 70 of Ben's tennis balls

# Iya reached new heights

# With his football juggling might

# On the ice there could be no slipping

# As Alex did the longest backflipping

# And Sizzlin' Steve had the other boys

# Beaten with eggs

# It's all Officially Amazing! #