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Programme Four
The World’s Hairiest Man and Me
You would think that in the 21st century the freak show was dead. But in fact it is alive and well, and playing to big audiences in Mexico.
In this episode of his globe-trotting series to track down the true stories behind images circulating in the media of physical extremes, Mark Dolan first meets the 'Wool Boy' of China who is keen to become a torchbearer for the Beijing Olympics, before heading to Mexico to spend time with an extraordinary family of hairy people who have worked for decades in circuses and freak shows.
But what effect does working in genuine freak shows for years have on someone? Can they ever escape the circus and lead a normal life?
Mark catches up with two members of the 'wolf people' family who have left Mexico to seek fame and fortune from their hair in the land of opportunity: America.
He discovers the world's hairiest men have a love/hate relationship with their hair. They rely on it because it provides their livelihood, yet they're desperate to escape it and create a new life for themselves where they're not only known for being hairy.
