GWR's Craig Glenday shares favourite record holder snaps from astronauts to famous faces
Guinness World Records’ Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday says one of the best things about his job is all the cool people he gets to meet.
As we celebrate our 70th anniversary by launching our Be Part of It campaign, Craig has been digging deep through his photo albums to pick out his favourite memories.
From astronauts to celebrities and serial record breakers to people with those fundamental human body records (Craig loves those ones!), he’s met so many interesting characters in his 20+ years at GWR.
If you’ve ever thought about breaking a record, why not give it a go? One day, Craig could be adding a snap of the two of you together to his photo album.
Let’s take a look at who has made the cut so far and hear what Craig has to say in his own words, although just to make it clear, Craig says these are just SOME of the many amazing people he’s had the pleasure of meeting.
Astronauts
Al Worden
Buzz Aldrin
Of all the amazing people I've met over my 23 years at GWR, the most impressive for me has to be the astronauts. They've all been super-intelligent, charming and ultimately just good human beings. They've obviously got to their positions in the various space programmes by being the best candidates, but I think it's their unique perspective on the world that makes them so enlightened. My selfie collection covers moonwalker Buzz Aldrin; the remotest human ever, Al Worden; "Space Oddity" performer Chris Hadfield; and the UK's Tim Peake, who ran the fastest marathon while in orbit (strapped to the treadmill of the ISS!).
Chris Hadfield
Tim Peake
Michel Lotito, aka “Mr Mangetout”
One of the first things I did when I took up the position of Editor-in-Chief was to contact all my favourite record breakers to meet them in person. For Mr Mangetout, I hired an air field in London and filled it with the type of things he'd eaten over the years: computer, bicycle, shopping trolley and even a Cessna light aircraft. I lost my mobile phone that day... I asked a colleague to ring it, just in case I could hear it from the stomach of this remarkable Frenchman. But no, I think I just lost it...
Sir Christopher Lee
I had a sword fight with this movie legend in the library of a private hotel in Chelsea. Just prior to this photograph, I vomited - they were fitting new carpets and the smell of carpet glue was so overwhelming that I actually threw up my breakfast. Nothing to do with being out late the night before with the UK's tallest man, Neil Fingleton, I promise! I met Sir Chris when we shared a dressing room at a Comic Con. I walked in to find him in his underpants and we stayed in touch thereafter. He'd often call me up to settle bar bets he'd made, particularly with his golfing buddies.
Katie Melua
Had an amazing few days with the fantastically talented musician Katie Melua when she was asked to perform the deepest concert. We had to do helicopter crash training in order to fly out to a gas rig off the coast of Norway - the Troll A platform, the largest human-made object that had ever moved (when it was towed out to sea after its construction). The venue was at the bottom of one of the rig's hollow legs, and it took 10 minutes to descend 303 m to the seabed in a rickety little elevator. Such an amazing, unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Orbax and Pepper
These Canadian sideshow performers and science nerds have become good friends after years of working together on all manner of record breaking. Here, Pepper is teaching me how to take a mousetrap on the tongue. It's very painful - never do it!!
Craig as Greedo
This was taken during a trip to Rancho Obi-Wan to meet Star Wars fanatic Steve Sansweet and photograph his incredible collection. I'm a huge Star Wars nerd and meeting Steve and his lovely team at the Rancho remains one of the highlights of my time at GWR.
Cathie Jung
The woman with the narrowest waist came to London and we hung out for a few days. She and her husband are obsessed with Victoriana, and they both looked fantastic in their Victorian outfits. I was amused to see that Cathie's corseted waist is narrower than my own neck!!
Charles Martinet
The original voice of Mario was one of the funnest record holders to visit the office. Charles has the most versatile voice and had everyone in stitches with his comedy accents and nonsense dialogue. A genuinely lovely guy who's brought so much joy to kids all around the world voicing these iconic videogame characters.
Elaine Davidson
One of my all-time favourites! It's always a joy to hang out with Elaine and see her latest outrageous costumes and make-up... and piercings, of course! Had the honour of counting her many modifications over my time, and we've become firm friends. The last time I met her - by accident, at London's South Bank - we created a new record for heaviest object pulled by the tongue. She has a tongue piercing that can pull the weight of a fully grown adult!
George Takei and William Shatner
George Takei
Star Trek favourite George accepted the GWR certificate for the TV show's earnings record. On the same day, I also got to meet up with Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, and present him his award for the world's most expensive kidney stone!
William Shatner
David Hasselhoff
The Baywatch and Knight Rider star was one of my first celebrity encounters at GWR. The Hoff was game for anything, so we did a brilliant photoshoot with him in a hotel celebrating his impressive title as most-watched leading man on TV. I was so honoured when he included this photograph in his official biography - I'm the first thing you see when you open his book! How exciting is that!? We stayed in touch, and he's been generous enough to come to the office to meet the team, and even invited me to see him perform at the Edinburgh Festival. What a legend!
Hugh Jackman
What can I say!? It's Hugh Jackman! Wolverine! The Greatest Showman! Genuinely one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I surprised him that day by hiding in his hotel bathroom with some follies girls, then leapt out with confetti cannons to present him his award. He was so happy to receive his certificate, and I don't think I've ever looked happier in a photograph!
Leah Shutkever
I had the pleasure of hosting a two-hour live TikTok shopping show with the glamorous glutton Leah, who made me a giant cake in the shape of the GWR book - then ate the entire thing in a matter of minutes! She is an athlete - a gastronomic gladiatrix whose ability to put away food has to be seen to be believed. And the loveliest of people - always a pleasure to spend time together.
Who will Craig meet next? You?