The World's Smallest Man and Me
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
In a world where the lottery of nature defines your height, size and features, individuals can become celebrities based simply on how they look.
In The World's Smallest Man and Me , broadcaster Mark Dolan sets off on a global quest to learn the truth about these individuals' lives.
Following the death of 71cm Nelson de la Rosa in 2006, a number of possible contenders for the title of World's Smallest Man emerged.
So Mark sets off to meet them, trying to discover what such a title might mean to them and their families.
Mark's journey first takes him to the village of Pokhara in Nepal, where a 16-year-old boy named Khagendra Thapa Magar lives.
Khagendra, at 64cm, is certainly one of the smallest people in the world, but is he the very smallest?
As Mark begins to learn more about Khagendra, he discovers that many people view the 16-year-old as some sort of deity or incarnation of God.
When he goes to pray at a nearby Buddhist monastery there are monks keen to capture pictures of him on mobile phones.
Being paraded around the country by his manager to make money for Khagendra and his family is one thing, but what price might the boy pay for the fame that may soon come his way if he is indeed crowned the smallest man in the world?
Mark track down another contender for the title of world's smallest
man - He Ping Ping.
Check out our photos of He Ping Ping here.
Mark travels to Inner Mongolia. After unsuccessful attempts to contact He Ping Ping's family by phone, Mark travels to his home in a remote village to see if he can arrange a meeting face-to-face.
But He Ping Ping's brother-in-law, who acts as his manager, demands Mark pay up before he can see the contender for the smallest man title.
Parting with £400 - the equivalent of two years' income for a household in rural China - Mark finally meets He Ping Ping.
A 19-year-old who plays poker and smokes two packets of cigarettes a day, He Ping Ping has the appearance of a man much older.
This episode is on CHANNEL 4, Tuesday 20 May 2008 @ 10-11.05pm.
Image Credit: CHANNEL 4
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