Whether they're the hardest, bestest, fastest or strongest (or just have the largest collection of crisp packets), Guinness World Record breakers are without exception people who push the limits human achievement to its extremes.
Join hosts Josh Taylor & Sam Grocott on a journey to meet the most amazing world record holders on the planet, and to unravel some of the most brilliant and bizarre world records ever broken. As they discover just what it takes to make it into the great book!
...Or in short, the most fascinating people in the world, interviewed by two of the most average.
Good evening ladies and gentleman, and welcome to Old Tra-pod! Yes, it's a packed house here tonight at the Theatre of Streams, and boy do we have a fixture for you today.
As ever, the home side are HBFS AFC, a side with more initials than fans. And with zero world records and 10 losses to their name, this fixture feels more like a third round FA cup tie than a league game.
No, it's the visiting team the crowd are here to see today. All the way from Lancashire, he's the Kevin Keegan of kick-ups, the Ronaldinho of round-the-worlds, the Figo of football freestyling...it's John Farnworth!
6 Dec 2025
Ep10: Fire Stunts with Joe Toedling
You might want to put on some oven gloves, because boy do we have a scorcher of an episode for you this week!
For lucky episode number 7 we are joined by Hollywood's second favourite Austrian, stuntman 'Burning' Joe Toedling. If a world record involves being set on fire for an uncomfortable amount of time, Joe probably holds it. Joe tells us all about his favourite times being on fire, times it nearly went very badly wrong, and why exactly he believes he's able to survive being on fire longer than anyone else in the world.
We also discuss our favourite fire related world records in 'Record Breaker of the Week' and take a rundown of this week's record-related news in 'GB News', featuring both a really old horse and Bonnie Blue (spoiler...we recorded this episode nearly a year ago, so the news is a tad out of date)
AND could this be the week Sam or Josh finally break a world record?! It might just be...
11 Nov 2025
Ep9: Poo Records with George Frandsen
*WARNING: The episode contains gratuitous puns about poop*
Today we're talking a load of sh*t - both metaphorically and literally - because this episode's guest is the owner of the world's largest collection of fossilised poo (coprolites), and esteemed founder of 'The Poozeum' in Arizona, USA. It's the magnificent George Frandsen! Simply the world's number one when it comes to number twos.
With this theme unavoidably dumped on our desks, we dig deep into all records poop related. And what a journey that is! Who would've known there were so many layers to the wonderful world of poo? ...Well, George Frandsen as it turns out.
An inevitably childish, but genuinely fascinating interview with our new favourite museum curator. What a guy. What a subject. What an episode!
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
4 Nov 2025
Ep8: Halloween Special *Boneless Episode*
Come and listen to the episode that has (unofficially) broken the world record for 'The spookiest ever Halloween special edition of a podcast specifically about world record breakers'. It's both spooktacular AND fangtastic...two original puns that no Halloween-themed thing has claimed to be, ever.
No world record holding guest this week - just two hosts who are distinctly average in almost every skill and category other than enthusiasm for world records. Along with some very spooky trivia, and a brilliant game that is in no way convoluted to explain.
Ghostly nuns, massive vegetables, skateboarding pigs, and a man who lives under a beer garden, you name a tenuously-linked Halloween world record, we got it!
Happy Halloween!
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
19 Oct 2025
Ep7: Supersized Art with Rob Hallifax
After a lengthy break we are back harder, better, faster, stronger and more hyperbolic than ever!
For the first episode of Series 2 we are joined live in the studio by superstar designer Rob Hallifax. Two-time world record holder and creator of the both the world's smallest and the world's largest playing cards (check out our Instagram for photos).
We discuss out favourite ever tiny and giant art based world records, new years resolutions, and introduce a brand new feature which in no way dates the show and is definitely a good idea of a podcast we do in our spare time and has average turn around time of about 5 months per episode.
Welcome back and enjoy!
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
18 Sept 2024
Ep6: April Choi
In our sixth episode, we meet multiple world record holder April Choi – best known in the record-breaking community for her world-class whip-cracking talents! From the longest whip to the fastest whip, and all the various niche whip-cracking and even fire-breathing related stunts in between, April would put Indiana Jones to shame if it ever came down to a head-to-head contest.
A NASA engineer by trade, April uses actual rocket science to break world records – tune in to hear Josh & Sam just about manage to keep up with her geekily impressive explanations.
Plus, we delve into the archives to chat about our favourite Olympic World Records, and Josh reveals what happened next after taking one slurp too many of Pepper X, the world's hottest sauce, in the previous episode. Mild spoiler alert: it involves a petrol station and a very, very wet t-shirt.
Thanks for listening, and please get in touch with any world record stories you'd like to share with us!
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/?hl=en)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail
22 Jul 2024
Ep5: Smokin' Ed Currie
Some like it hot. Some like it burning. Smokin' Ed Currie is one of the latter sort, and hot sauce lovers around the world are eternally grateful.
Ed is our special guest for Episode 5 of Hardest Bestest Fastest Strongest, and the esteemed grower of Pepper X—the world's hottest chilli pepper. Being the generous South Carolinian he is, Ed sent 3 of his hottest Pepper X sauces for Sam and Josh to try live on air. What could go wrong! (Spoiler alert: one of us is a bona fide "chilli head", the other is not).
Before that rather abrupt and clammy ending, Ed reveals all about the science, high security and scoville units behind Pepper X, his REAL reaction to eating a whole Pepper X, and one or two pranks and mishaps you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of.
As per usual, Josh and Sam also discuss what records they've been reading about, from epic crowdsurfing to old-fashioned Hollywood taboos.
If you love hot sauce, this one's for you!
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
12 Jun 2024
Ep4: Captain Beany
This week's guest is not only full of beans, he is often quite literally covered in them. In 1986, Captain Beany clinched the world record for the longest time ever spent immersed in a bath of baked beans – 100 hours, in the name of charity, and a record which, perhaps rather unsurprisingly, still stands today.
In this episode, we meet the man "beaneath" the beans, hearing all about this legendary record attempt, and how it birthed the cape-wearing, baked bean-obsessed, deed poll-official superhero known as Captain Beany. We recommend that you Google him immediately, and prepare yourself for an unrelenting bombardment of baked bean puns.
Josh and Sam also dust off a few other retro records from the 1980s in Record Breakers of The Week.
As ever, if you enjoy this episode please follow and give us a rating. And if this triggers any record-breaking memories of your own, please do write in and tell:
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
Instagram: @hardestbestestpod
27 May 2024
Ep3: The Amazing Amazi
Our guest this week is multiple world record holder Mariam “Amazi" Olayiwola. A former scientist who, after a tragic accident 5 years ago, quit the laboratory to become a full-time hula hooping performance artist. A move that is clearly working out because Amazi has just broken her THIRD hula hooping world record!
WARNING: Listening to this episode may result in you immediately quitting your job and chasing your dreams.
Also, we discuss a speed eating legend, a long haul flight from hell, and a shoe salesman from Bradford, before once again attempting to get into the record books ourselves.
If you like it, give us a rating.
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
19 May 2024
Ep2: World Record Ron
For our second episode, we are joined by the late Ron Sarchian, a.k.a. World Record Ron – a bona fide record-breaking legend with 53 world records to his name. From punchbag marathons to the most watermelons karate-chopped in a minute, his range of world record titles is truly outstanding – and 23 of them were broken while undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer in January 2022.
We were honoured and lucky enough to meet and record with Ron before his passing in February this year. We absolutely loved chatting with him and hearing all of his wonderful stories from over the years.
We debated whether or not to release this episode but decided that not to... wouldn't be in the spirit of World Record Ron. So we hope you enjoy this tribute to him. An inspiring and brilliant man to the very end.
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
13 May 2024
Ep1: Magical Martin Rees
For our first episode, we are joined by world record-breaking magician Martin Rees, who features in the Guinness World Records 2024 book for his great array of magic-based world records. Magic under water? Magic in a wind tunnel? Magic in space!? Taking magician ambition to the next level, Martin tells us all about his current and previously held world records, as well as those he hopes to break.
Plus, we ruminate on world record breakers plucked from the archives (expect controversy)—and our very first world record attempt in the studio goes off with a bang! (Or several).
Please listen, like, subscribe, and give us a rating if you enjoy the episode! All the bestest!
IG: @hardestbestestpod (https://www.instagram.com/hardestbestestpod/)
Email: hardestbestestpod@gmail.com
6 May 2024
Trailer: Hardest Bestest Fastest Strongest
Are you mesmerised by implausible human feats? Enchanted by extraordinary achievements? Or intrigued by wonderfully weird obsessions?
Dive into the world of record-breaking brilliance, with Hardest Bestest Fastest Strongest – a brand new podcast about world records and the most amazing humans who break them, interviewed by two of the most average.
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5.0 / 5
12 ratings
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