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

World's Smallest Kids

The Human Camera

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.

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.

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

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.

Half Man Half Tree

Seasons11

Season 6 Episodes21

Discussion

Episode Summary