Throng

Wednesday 10th June 9.00pm

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.

Wednesday 3rd June 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring extraordinary tales of human experience continues. Liam Hoekstra is just like any other happy toddler, with one remarkable difference – he has 40 per cent more muscle than the average child his age. Keen to learn more about his incredible abilities, his parents submit him for a series of tests. Could Liam’s condition hold the key to a cure for muscular dystrophy?

Wednesday 27th May 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring extraordinary tales of human experience continues. Liam Hoekstra is just like any other happy toddler, with one remarkable difference – he has 40 per cent more muscle than the average child his age. Keen to learn more about his incredible abilities, his parents submit him for a series of tests. Could Liam’s condition hold the key to a cure for muscular dystrophy?

Wednesday 20th May 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. In Puerto Rico, a man claims to be able conduct electricity through his body. Forty-year-old Jose can withstand high-voltage currents without any apparent ill effects, powering light bulbs and firing sparks from his fingers. Meanwhile, in Brighton, a woman reports that her body mysteriously affects electrical appliances. Can scientists explain these unusual abilities?

Jose lives in the small town of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. Since the age of 13, when he was abandoned by his grandfather, he has lived alone – and has developed an extraordinary ability. Jose is seemingly capable of transmitting high-voltage current through his body. “People don’t believe that electricity passes through my body, but I will show everyone it’s true,” he says.

Wednesday 13th May 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. Five-year- old Juliana Wetmore has the most severe case of Treacher Collins syndrome ever seen. Juliana was born with over half of her cranial bones missing and has undergone 27 operations as doctors endeavour to build her a functional face. This film follows Juliana as she prepares for yet another major operation and begins her education.

Juliana Wetmore is a most extraordinary child. The five-year-old suffers from an extreme condition called Treacher Collins syndrome. Born with a severely deformed face, Juliana has undergone round after round of risky surgery in a bid to rebuild her features and give her the hope of a better life.

Wednesday 6th May 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition follows a radical procedure to save the life of a woman suffering from liver cancer. Thanks to an operation that has been undertaken only twice before, mother of four Christina Wright has another chance at life – but only if her son is prepared to risk his own.

With organ donation in Britain at an all-time low, liver cancer patient Christina Wright may not reach the top of the waiting list in time to save her life. However, surgeons at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds have come up with a radical solution to the problem – adult-to-adult live liver transplants. With risks involved to the donor as well as the recipient, this operation has been performed only twice before. “Our live donors take a risk with their life in order to save the life of another individual,” explains consultant hepatologist Dr Charlie Millsom.

Wednesday 29th April 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition follows the story of Rudy Santos, a Filipino man who was born with three extra limbs attached to his abdomen. At the age of 55, Rudy is beginning to suffer poor health as a result of the additional weight. Could his rare condition be killing him?

Once a star of mythical proportions, 55-year-old ‘Octopus Man’ Rudy Santos could command up to 20,000 pesos per night as the main attraction at a travelling freak show. Owing to comparisons with the god Shiva, Rudy became a national celebrity, with women lining up to be with him. Then, he disappeared. In hiding from tax officials, Rudy has not been seen for nearly a decade. But with his health in crisis, it could finally be time for Rudy to explore his mysterious condition.

Wednesday 22nd April 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition follows a leading Chinese surgeon as he performs a partial face transplant on a man mauled by a bear. Meanwhile, a burns victim hopes that the successful outcome of this case will pave the way for his own full face transplant.

In 2005, doctors in France made international headlines when they performed the first-ever face transplant. Six months later, surgeons in China surprised the world with the news that they had performed their own facial transplant. This film follows the tale of this pioneering treatment and the prospects it holds for other patients.

Wednesday 15th April 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition looks at three British toddlers with a rare condition that means they are among the smallest people in the world. The cameras follow primordial dwarves Liam, Finn and Alex as they make new friends, endure medical procedures and make their way in life.

Born with an incredibly rare condition called microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type 2 (MOPD II), three-year-olds Liam, Finn and Alex are less than half the size of other children their age. Three of only 150 diagnosed primordial dwarves in the world, the children face an uncertain future. Along with the physical challenges posed by everyday life, primordial dwarves and their families must deal with the risk of life-threatening brain conditions that could develop at any time.

Wednesday 8th April 9.00pm

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition revisits morbidly obese Mexican Manuel Uribe as he prepares for the biggest day of his life. Weighing in at some 560kg when he earned the dubious title of the world’s heaviest man in 2006, Manuel has since shed some pounds, found love and is now due to marry.

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition features a group of Indonesian circus performers whose shocking medical conditions made them the star attraction in a travelling freak show. With the show now disbanded, the performers have returned to their respective villages where they face the prospect of finding work outside the circus. ‘Extraordinary People’ follows a British surgeon as he travels to Indonesia to see if he can help the people combat their conditions.

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition revisits the story of Dede, the Indonesian fisherman afflicted with tree-like growths on his limbs. A doctor in America has proposed a non-invasive treatment to cure Dede’s condition, but time is running out as medics in Indonesia press ahead with radical surgery.

Thirty-six-year-old fisherman Dede – better known as the ‘Tree Man’ – hopes to find a cure for the illness that has afflicted him for over ten years. Dede’s limbs are covered in horn-like growths and his skin is spotted with warts. His bizarre conditionhas left him unable to work and entirely dependent on his family. “I want to be cured so I can fish and earn money so that I can support my children,” he says.

Help is at hand in the form of Dr Anthony Gaspari, a dermatologist at the University of Maryland.Read more

Wednesday 18th March at 9:00pm on five

New Series

Five’s acclaimed documentary strand returns for a new run of programmes exploring some remarkable tales of human experience from across the globe. The series opens with the story of Ronnie and Donnie Galyon who, at 57 years old, are the oldest conjoined twins in the world. The cameras follow the brothers as they attempt to fulfil a lifelong dream of watching their favourite American football team play.

The documentary series exploring remarkable stories of human experience continues. This instalment features a girl born with a rare and debilitating defect which gives her a mermaidlike appearance. As she prepares to undergo surgery to have her legs separated, the girl’s parents agonise over their decision to allow the risky procedure to go ahead.

Shiloh Pepin suffers from sirenomelia or ‘mermaid syndrome’, a rare condition that means her legs have been fused together since birth. In most cases, a sirenomelia sufferer dies at birth or soon after, but Shiloh has defeated the odds in making it to her eighth birthday. It has not been an easy journey for her and her parents, Leslie and Elmer. As Shiloh was born with only one kidney and no lower colon, bladder, uterus or genitals, she has already endured years of medical treatment in her short life.

The documentary series exploring remarkable stories of human experience continues. Psychic Derek Ogilvie claims he can read the minds of infants who are too young to communicate verbally. Now he agrees to undergo a series of experiments to test the limits of his alleged abilities. He even faces the ultimate sceptic in the form of James Randi, an investigator who has offered $1million to anyone who can provide evidence of the supernatural.

At a meeting room in Scotland, dozens of 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. “I open up and allow information to freely come from the child,” he explains. “That information may take the form of an image, a picture or a movie.”