For me, there is one conclusive indicator that David Blaine’s current endurance feat near Tower Bridge is nothing more than an elaborate illusion: the absence of Norris McWhirter to check that everything is above board. Or maybe his absence can be explained by the fact that he and Guinness World Records are simply not impressed with Blaine’s antics. Here are some far more impressive endurance records:

• Longest Time Spent in an Attic: ‘Stephan Kovaltchuk spent 57 years in his attic in Montchintsi, Ukraine, emerging in September, 1999.’

• Longest Full Body Ice Contact Endurance: ‘Wearing only swimming trunks, The Netherlands’ Wim Hof was able to endure standing in a tube filled with ice cubes for 66 minutes 4 seconds on the set of Tomorrow’s World , at BBC Television Centre, London, UK on March 13, 2002.’

• Most Squares Crocheted by a Single Person: ‘Susie Perkins of Cottonwood, Arizona, USA, has crocheted more than 14,000 squares over the past 25 years.’