Browse all episodes of Extraordinary People

David Mandell predicts the future from his dreams. To record his dreams, he paints the event and then takes a photograph of himself and the art in front of a bank showing the date and time...BEFORE the event happens.

The Man Who Paints the Future

Extraordinary People reports on Tanya Streeter as she attempts a world record for diving without scuba tanks.

The Woman Who Dives the Deepest

The story of Hayley Okines, a four-year-old with a rare disease which causes her body to age eight times faster than the normal rate.

The Child Who's Older than Her Mother

A follow up story on Sharon Parker who had most of her brain removed surgically as a child.

The Woman with the Mysterious Brain

Archie is just two years old and weighs almost six stone, or 84 pounds. He has a rare genetic disease called MOMO syndrome, which belongs to the family of overgrowth syndromes. This disease has only been diagnosed in four cases in the world. The name is an acronym of the four primary aspects of the disorder: Macrosomia (excessive birth weight), Obesity, Macrocephaly (excessive head size) and Ocular abnormalities.

Archie - The Six Stone Baby

Helen has a multiple personality disorder, probably caused by childhood abuse. Helen's lifelong friend, Dr. Ruth Selwyn, investigates the different personalities, ranging from childish to suicidal.

The Woman with Seven Personalities

This is the story of three young men who suffer from Tourette's Syndrome. Some of the symptoms of this disorder are involuntary muscle twitching, tics, and even loud verbal outbursts.

The Man Who Swears He's Normal

Novemthree, five years old, was born on November 3, in Indonesia. When he was three, tumors started growing in his face. They became so large, his face was distorted and he could hardly breathe or eat. A radical surgery was his only hope.

The Boy with a Tumour for a Face

In this episode of Extraordinary People, a group of people suffer from a rare condition called Dystonia. Dystonia is a neurological muscle disorder that causes uncontrollable, painful spasms anywhere in the body. Although not very well known, it is estimated that there are more than 500,000 people in North America alone that have the disease. This is more than Muscular Dystrophy, Huntington's Disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease combined.

Bodies Out of Control

This episode is about Zahra, a 75 year old woman from Morroco, admitted to the hospital for abdominal pains. To the surprise of the doctor, the pain was due to a baby, mummified in her womb from a pregnancy 46 years earlier. The second part of this episode is about Jane Ingram...who gave birth to a baby that developed outside of the womb, in her abdomen.

The 46-Year Pregnancy

This episode of Extraordinary People is an update on the documentary from two years ago, titled "The Child Who's Older Than Her Mother." This is the tragic story of Hayley Okines, a six year old girl born with a rare ageing condition known as Progeria.

The Child Who's Older than Her Grandmother

Juliana Wetmore was born with a genetic disease called Treacher Collins syndrome. This is her story of her severe facial disorder.

Born Without a Face

Extraordinary People looks into "savants" which are geniuses capable of calculating complex mathematics and feats of memory.

The Boy with the Incredible Brain

Extraordinary People investigates abductions of unborn babies from pregnant women. This episode follows the story of Elijah Evans who was brutally cut from his murdered mother's belly.

She Stole My Foetus

In this episode, Alison Lapper stands up for the rights of the disabled. Herself, born without arms or legs, is an artist, mother and spokesperson for the handicapped.

The Woman with the Remarkable Body

In this episode, Extraordinary People tells the story of three women tormented 24 hours a day by the need for orgasm.

A Hundred Orgasms a Day

Luciana Wulka's is just seven years old. She was diagnosed with Fibrodysplasia Ossifcans Progressiva, a rare disease, which is progressively changing all of her muscle tissue into bone.

The Girl Whose Muscles are Turning Into Bone

In this story, the deformed legs of Rosemarie Siggins were amputated when she was a child. Today, she works on cars and cares for her family in Pueblo, Colorado.

The Woman with Half of a Body

Extraordinary People reports on conjoined twins, Josie and Teresita Alvarez, and, Lori and Dori Schappell, who were surgically separated as children. However, it did not go as well for the adult conjoined twins, Laden and Leleh Bijani from Iran.

Joined at the Head

In this episode, Extraordinary People reports on the savant Kim Peek who has an amazing recall of facts and information. He can remember everything he has ever read. His condition combines a mixture of both brilliance and disability. Using a brain scan, it was determined that he is missing the normal connection between the left and right side of his brain.

The Real Rain Man

How can it be that DNA testing proves that Lydia Fairchild cannot be the mother of her own children? In this episode, Lydia was found to be a "chimera" where at her own conception, two separate fertilized eggs merged together instead of growing as two separate twins.

The Twin Inside Me

In this episode of Extraordinary People, Onnie Jackson of Nashville, Tennessee endures complicated surgery to removed excess skin from her body after losing more than 400 pounds!

The Woman Who Lost 30 Stone

In this episode of Extraordinary People, Akrit Jaswal, just twelve years old, is studying at the University of India to be a doctor. He travels to Britain to be studied by scientists at the Imperial College.

The Seven Year Old Surgeon

Audrey Santo has been in a coma since she was three years old, back in 1987. Since then, she has undergone stigmata manifestations, and religious statues in her room even cry with blood and tears. Thousands of people visit her every years in hopes for a miracle cure.

The Girl Who Makes Miracles

Extraordinary People presents an update on the Indonesian boy named Novemthree, who underwent radical surgery in Taiwan to remove a huge, facial tumor. One year later, his tumors have grown and now his life is once again in danger from suffocation and starvation.

The Boy with a Tumour for a Face (Update)

A generous couple from Atlanta, Georgia, have adopted 23 handicapped children. John and Jeanette Murphy, together with their own four children, take care of the huge family. This is the story of thier daily life.

The Couple with 27 Children

In this episode of Extraordinary People, four identical quad girls are followed in their growth in the Mathias family home.

Identical Quads

Cameron, ever since he was just a toddler, talks about another family he used to live with, called the Robertsons. Cameron knows the names of his previous family, where they lived, and can even describe the house and the landscape of his previous home on the island of Barra, some 200 miles away. But Cameron has never been there. Doctor Jim Tucker, of the University of Virginia, and Cameron's mother travel to Barra with Cameron to find the house, exactly as Cameron described.

The Boy Who Lived Before

Extraordinary People reports on Derek Paravicini. Derek is autistic, blind, retarded, and yet, is a genius at the piano. He can play anything he hears just once. This reports follows him to a major concert where he teams up with another genius pianist...with the same handicap.

The Musical Genius

Budhia Singh is just four years old when his coach, Biranchi Das enters Budhia into a controversial 40 mile run for media exposure. Budhia was an orphan, always running, as much as 20 miles a day since the age of three. Now, Biranchi is training Budhia to become the world's youngest Olympic marathon runner. But the public is not too keen on the exploitation of such of young boy.

The Four Year Old Who Ran 40 Miles

José and Julie are about to become parents of identical quads in Britain. The story by Extraordinary People covers the risky pregnancy and birth of the quads.

Britain's Identical Quads

This episode of Extraordinary People takes a look at Juliana Wetmore, who was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a genetic craniofacial disorder. This disease prevented her face from forming and developing at birth. Follow Juliana as she is assessed for and undergoes reconstructive surgery.

Building a New Face

Extraordinary People reports on the phenomena of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, which occurs in developing twin fetuses, when one of the twins dies and is enveloped by the other or where both die because of unequal distribution of blood. This reports also looks at the case of Bengali farmer, Sanjay, who underwent an operation for what was believed to be a massive tumour in his stomach, but turned out to be the semi-formed fetal remains of his twin brother.

The Twin Within the Twin

This documentary of Extraordinary Poeple is about 15 year old, Jeanna Giese, from Wisconsin in the USA, who survived rabies thanks to an innovative and desperate treatment tried out on her by Dr. Rodney Willougby. His technique involved putting her into a deep coma allowing her body to begin an antibody response to the disease that let Jeanna gradually regained normal function. Subsequent testing of the same technique did not have such good results.

The Girl Who Survived Rabies

In this episode of Extraordinary People, David Fitzpatrick experienced sudden inexplicable total memory loss at the age of twenty-five. The report follows David as he tries to regain his memories by travelling to places associated with his life in the hopes of triggering recollection. The report also looks at the effects on his family and his relationships with them.

The Man with No Past

Ben Underwood has taught himself to use echo location to navigate around the world. Ben is blind, but has managed to do some truly extraordinary feats.

The Boy Who Sees Without Eyes

This episode by Extraordinary People contains a rare look at Abby and Brittany Hensel, dicephalus conjoined twins, having two heads and sharing one body.

The Twins Who Share a Body

Extraordinary People looks at Danny Biddle, who was sitting only a few feet away from suicide bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan on the London Underground when Khan exploded his bomb. He talks about the events of that day on the 7th of July and how he was helped by other survivors and managed to survive in spite of severe injuries. He talks about his treatment and life since then and his recent marriage.

7/7 - The Man Who Should Be Dead

This report by Extraordinary People looks at Chris Robinson, from Dunstable in Britain, who has pre-cognitive dreams, often of disasters, and who dreamed about planes crashing into tall buildings just two days before 911 in New York. He has also helped in the discovery of missing people and has even undergone various tests to see whether he really does have precognition.

The Man Who Dreams the Future

Extraordinary People investigates the story of Sarah Scantlin, who was injured in a car accident in 1984 and awoke from a coma twenty years later. She was able to speak and think clearly, and revealed that she had been fully aware of what was going on around her during the time of her coma, but had been unable to express herself or move. The story continues as she tries to overcome the physical deterioration in her muscles and body, determined to live as full and normal of a life as possible.

The Real Sleeping Beauty

This episode of Extraordinary People centers on Alex Connerty from Liverpool, England, who was born with the rare genetic condition primordial dwarfism. This disease severely stunted his growth and means that he will grow no taller than three feet. The report follows Alez and his parents as they travel to the USA in the hopes of finding out more about the condition and his life expectantcy, while he attends the "Little People of America" convention.

The Tiniest Boy in Britain

Six year old Cameron Mott from North Carolina, USA, suffers from continuous epileptic fits caused by the progressive brain disorder called Rasmussen's Encephalitis. Extraordinary People follows Cameron and her family as she undergoes a complex and dangerous operation to cure her. The report also looks at Sean Goldthorpe, a teenager from London, England, who is undergoing exploratory treatment and monitoring to try and pinpoint how his increasing epileptic fits can be stopped.

Living with Half a Brain

Horizon looks at 19 year old Stuart Wickison, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The condition is usually fatal by the time those affected reach their early twenties. In spite of this, Stuart is determined to go to a local university Horizon follows him as he overcomes increasing medical problems.

The Boy Who Can Never Grow Old

Marlie Casseus from Haiti is just 13 years old as she undergoes dangerous and pioneering facial operations to remove a huge lesion caused by the fibrous dysplasia. Without the surgery, she is in danger of going blind and subsequently killing her from suffocation and starvation. However, the surgery itself is high risk and involves replacing facial bones.

The Girl with a New Face

Horizon reports on a 51 year old Lisbon man, Jose Mestre, whose face has been engulfed by a massive tumor. Horizon shows how Jose copes with his condition and follows him as he explores life-changing surgery.

The Man with No Face

This episode of Horizon reports on the Ibrahim twins, conjoined twins joined at the head, documenting the pioneering surgery to separate them in 2003 and their return home to Egypt and how they have recovered and developed since.

The Boys Joined at the Head

Horizon updates a previous documentary on nine year old Hayley Okines, who suffers from the ageing disease, Progeria. They follow her as she embarks on a journey to test a new drug in the USA and deals with the grief of losing her eleven year old friend and fellow progeria sufferer.

Hope for Hayley

In this report by Extraordinary People, Oscar Pistorius, a South African Para-olympic champion, had his legs amputated when he was born. Today, he uses state-of-the art artifical legs with carbon fiber feet to run. Over the course of a year, he tries to break into the world of normal athletic competition while the International Association of Athletics Federation considers whether he has an unfair advantage or not using his artificial legs.

The Fastest Man on No Legs

Extraordinary People looks at sisters Lucy and Hannah Betts, and Dana and Lara Bowen, who have the genetic disorder Harlequin Ichthyosis, which makes their skin grow at an abnormal rate. This report follows them in their daily life, including three baths a day to remove excess skin build up.

The Girls with Too Much Skin

This documentary by Extraordinary People is about Manuel Urib from Mexico, who weighs more than 1218 pounds and is completely bed-ridden. This report follows him over a year as he follows a special diet program created by various doctors and medical personnel from around the world as he begins to lose weight.

The World's Heaviest Man

This episode of Extraordinary People is about Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic savant artist, who has the extraordinary ability to draw detailed pictures of buildings and cities entirely from memory. This report looks at his life and work, and also as he attempts to draw a 4 meter panorama drawing of London in just five days, based on a fifteen minute helicopter ride above the city.

The Human Camera

Extraordinary People brings you the story of Dede, an Indonsian man, who suffers from a bizarre skin condition that has left him covered in organic tree-like growths. He travels to the USA to see a dermatologist, Dr Gaspari from the University of Maryland, who concludes that the condition is linked to warts that have formed out of control due to the body's inability to cope with them because of an immuno-deficiency condition.

Half Man Half Tree

This report by Extraordinary People is about the lives and experiences of three children who were born with the Primordial Dwarfism. With this disease, the children can only expect to grow to just three feet tall.

World's Smallest Kids

This episode of Extraordinary People features 36 year old Ukranian, Leonid Stadnyk, who is the tallest living man in the world at 8'4". Professor Michael Besser, the UK's leading specialist in gigantism, travels to the Ukraine to see if he can save him from a potentially life threatening condition.

The World's Tallest man

Extraordinary People explores the life of Cheri Robertson, who was fitted with a prototype electronic vision system 15 years after losing her sight an automobile accident. However, Jens Naumann, the first patient to undergo the prototype surgery, considers having his defective system removed, Cheri begins to have problems with her system too. The documentary also looks at Evan Reynolds, who has the world's most advanced bionic hand.

Robochick and the Bionic Boy

In this story, Extraordinary People follows three women as they prepare to give birth without medical attention, anesthetics, or professional intervention. Known as freebirthing, it is becoming increasingly popular in the UK and America despite doctor's reservations about the practice, and the issue of legalility.

Outlaw Births

Extraordinary People investigates Savantism, a rare disorder in which sufferers of developmental disabilities, often autism, are capable of acts of genius that far outstrip their expected level of ability. In Flo and Kay's case, they each have extraordinary memories for facts and dates. Through interviews with several medical professionals, the film attempts to expose the truth behind this amazing and misunderstood condition.

The Rainman Twins

Documentary about Mary Sellars, a woman whose legs are four times larger than average and who suffers from an extreme form of Proteus Syndrome. Follows her as she travels to see doctors' in the USA and meets various amputees, as she may have to undergo amputation in order to resolve growing health problems that her condition is causing.

http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/842912

Woman with Giant Legs

In this episode of Extraordinary People, at just 2 foot and 9 inches, Indian muscleman Aditya 'Romeo' Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder. Romeo is well-known in his hometown of Phagwara, India, for his ability to lift 1.5 kilogram dumbbells, despite his overall 9 kilogram body weight. Every day, crowds flock to the local gym to the see the mini-muscleman in training.

The World's Smallest Muscleman

In this report by Extraordinary People, mothers flock to see a man who offers them the seemingly miraculous possibility of communicating with their infants. Derek Ogilvie says he can interpret babies' thoughts and feelings. The report follows Derek as he undergoes tests to determine if his ability is real...or not.

The Million Dollar Mind Reader

Little Shiloh Pepin has sirenomelia or "mermaid syndrome", a rare birth condition where her legs have been fused together at birth. In most cases, persons born with sirenomelia die at birth, or get surgery to separate the fused legs. Shiloh has defeated the odds in making it to her eighth birthday.

The Little Mermaid

Ronnie and Donnie Galyon are the world's oldest conjoined twins at 57. The show takes a look at their lives.

The World's Oldest Conjoined Twins

The show takes a look at an Indonesian fisherman called Dede who is afflicted with tree like growths on his limbs.

Tree Man - The Cure

The series takes a look at the lives of some Indonesian circus performers whose medical conditions made them the main attraction in a freak show. After the circus finished the individuals tried to adjust to a normal life and a British surgeon headed out to Indonesia to see if he could help them.

Freak Show Family

Cameras follow the planet's heaviest man as he prepares to get married in Mexico.

The World's Heaviest Man Gets Married

The series follows the daily lives of three primordial dwarves.

Britain's Tiniest Toddlers

The cameras follow a Chinese surgeon as he attempts a partial face transplant on a man who was attacked by a bear.

The Man With Someone Else's Face

The series takes a look at the life of Rudy Santos who had three extra limbs when he was born.

Octopus Man

A son prepares to risk his own life in an effort to save that of his mother.

The Man Who Shared His Liver

The series tells the story of five-year-old Juliana who was born with a severe case of Treacher Collins syndrome.

Growing Up Without a Face

The series takes a look at a man in Puerto Rico who says he can conduct electricity through his body.

Electric Human

The series takes a look at Liam Hoekstra who has 40 per cent more muscle than the average child his age.

The World's Strongest Toddler

The documentary strand exploring extraordinary tales of human experience concludes with the story of two children suffering from congenital hypertrichosis, or ‘werewolf syndrome’. The programme investigates how genetic research may hold the key to giving these children normal lives – and potentially helping millions of others.

Seven-year-old Nat Sasuphan from Thailand was born with congenital hypertrichosis, an extremely rare and incurable disorder that causes the sufferer to grow excessive hair on the face and body. “The worst thing at school is when the new students make fun of me,” says Nat, whose father is worried that Nat’s condition will cause her to develop an inferiority complex. Removing the hair is tricky: laser treatment had bad side effects, hair removal cream leaves a rash and shaving may harm the skin.

Real Wolf Kids

The story of two-year-old primordial dwarf Charlotte as she and her family undergo the process of diagnosing her condition.

Hayley: The 96-Year-Old Schoolgirl

The remarkable story of Bangladeshi conjoined twins Trishna and Krishna, and the fight by medical professionals to save their lives.

The Tiniest Girl in the World

The story of 13-year-old Hayley, who suffers from progeria, a rare syndrome that brings about the physical signs of premature ageing.

Hayley - The 96 Year Old Schoolgirl

A team of British doctors journey to Vietnam to operate on a group of adults and children with serious facial deformities.

7 New Faces In 7 Days

Extraordinary People is a television documentary series broadcast on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom. Each programme follows the lives of people with a rare medical condition or unusual ability. People featured have or had rare illnesses such as rabies and eye cancer. Many of these people do activities previously thought impossible for people in their condition.

The show began airing on 28 March 2003.

All Episodes of Extraordinary People

Season 1

The Man Who Paints the Future

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 3/28/2003

The Woman Who Dives the Deepest

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/2/2003

The Child Who's Older than Her Mother

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/2/2003

The Woman with the Mysterious Brain

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/21/2003