On 26 March 2011, Snow Patrol’s (UK) single “Chasing Cars” spent its 100th non-consecutive week in the UK Top 75. The song, the second release from the band’s fourth album, Eyes Open (2006), entered the UK chart at No.25 on 29 July 2006 and peaked at No.6 seven weeks later on 16 September 2006.

Sadie Purdy (UK), who was born in 1924 with a hole in her heart, had open heart surgery on 4 December 1941, aged 17. The six-hour operation of tying a valve, performed by Oswald Tubbs (UK) of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, UK, was still in its experimental stage, yet she took the record on 7 January 2004, 62 years 34 days later. Oswald Tubbs developed the transventricular ‘Tubbs’ dilator.

The longest surviving heart, lung, liver and kidney transplant patient is Mark Dolby (UK, b. 19 February 1961), who received a triple transplant on 21 August 1987, and a kidney transplant in December 2005, at Harefield Hospital, Greater London, UK. He still holds the record as of 22 April 2009, over 21 years later. He was the first man in the world and the second person ever to have a triple transplant operation.

The longest stand-up surfing ride on a river bore was 12.23 km (7.6 mi) achieved by Steve King (UK) surfing the Severn Bore on the River Severn in Gloucestershire, UK, on 30 March 2006. King completed an additional 2.66 km (1.65 mi) on the bore, but did so in the prone position. The claim was adjudicated by the British Surfing Association, but the BSA apologized for never providing King with the proper documentation to send to GWR (see letter in attached docs), hence this record Continue reading →

The longest sustained note on a wind or brass instrument is 1 min 13.38 sec on a clarinet by Philip Palmer (UK) at Coppice Performing Arts School, Wolverhampton, UK, on 27 November 2006. His first attempt was measured at 1.16 but there was a blip in volume around the minute mark, so his second attempt was decreed the successful one.

The longest tattoo session lasted for 50 hours and 10 minutes was achieved by Dave Fleet who tattooed James Llewellyn (both UK) at the Grosvenor Casino, Cardiff Bay, UK, on 27-29 October 2011. Dave runs Abracadabra parlour in Blackwood. James had tattoos of of scenes from the Bible and classic works of literature, including designs on both legs based on The Fall of Man, described in John Milton’s poem ‘Paradise Lost.’ They raised £2,300 for Cancer Research Wales.

The longest marathon theatre performance by an individual lasted 110 hr 46 min and was achieved by Adrian Hilton (UK) when he recited the complete works of Shakespeare in a ‘Bardathon’ at the Shakespeare Festival, South Bank, London, UK between 16-21 July 1987.

Les Misérables is the longest running musical in the history of the West End, with it’s 9,000th show performed at the Queen’s Theatre, London, UK on 10 August 2007. The Cameron Mackintosh/Royal Shakespeare Company production of Les Misérables first opened in the West End at The Palace on 4 December 1985 (transferred from The Barbican where it opened on 8 October 1985). It closed at the Palace Theatre on 27 March 2004 to re-opened at the Queen’s Theatre on 3 April 2004.

Since first opening at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, UK, on 18 August 1979, NewsRevue has continued its’ run in London, UK, at the Kings Head Theatre (1979), Gate Theatre (1980–85) and the Canal Café Theatre (1985 to present) as well as producing a concurrent production every August for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The cast, director and musical director change every six weeks and the show is up-dated on a weekly basis by the writing team, some of whom have been with the show since the Continue reading →

The longest thread of hand-spun wool in one hour was 99 metres and 45 centimetres (326 ft 27 in) and was achieved by Ruth Gough (UK) at the University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK on 23 September 2011. The wool was measured laid flat with no tension. Six women competed during the hour to see who would spin the longest wool: Linda Scurr, Samantha Davies, Debbie Fisher, Briony Ramsden, Linda Lewis and Ruth Gough. They are weaving the hand-spun wool into a tapestry depicting the Marie Continue reading →