The height of TV fame
QUESTION Who is the tallest presenter on TV?
At 6Ft 10in, former rugby player Martin Bayfield is Britain’s tallest tV presenter.
He joined the Metropolitan Police from school in 1985 and served in London for four years before transferring to the Bedfordshire Police in 1989. He played as lock forward for Bedford Blues and then joined Northampton Saints.
After his England debut in 1991, Martin helped secure the 1992 Five Nations grand slam. He was part of the 1993 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.
Part of the 1995 Rugby World Cup squad, he would partner future England World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson 18 times for England. Unfortunately, after playing 31 times for England, Bayfield suffered a neck injury in 1998 that forced him into early retirement.
Since then he has worked as a journalist and after-dinner speaker and appeared in Harry Potter as Robbie Coltrane’s body and stunt double for Hagrid.
He has presented the NFL and world’s strongest man coverage on Channel 5 and worked as a rugby correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live. He has also been a presenter for ItV’s coverage of the 2007 and 2011 Rugby World Cups as well as the Guinness Premiership highlights.
His former police service helped him secure a co-hosting role on Crimewatch in 2012. He also works on Bt Sport as an Aviva Premiership pundit.
Other tall tV presenters include 6ft 8in comedian Greg Davies, who hosts taskmaster on Dave, Richard Osman, the 6ft 7in co-host of quiz show Pointless and top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson at 6ft 4½ in.
Louise Chambers, Kidderminster, Worcs.
QUESTION Do family history researchers use the IGI (International Genealogical Index) compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
OWING to their belief that non-Mormons can be baptised posthumously without the consent of relatives, the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, i. e. the Mormons, have invested great energy into genealogical research, with the aim of baptising every human who has lived.
they have acquired the most reliable and extensive genealogical index in the world. the IGI is an index of parish register entries of baptisms and marriages (and a few burial records), arranged by county and then by surname. It was developed as a way to check the deceased person had not already been baptised and put through temple ordinances.
Records were taken mainly from parish registers and Mormons motivated by a desire to ensure their ancestors have been baptised into the church. Some record holders withheld information on moral grounds. the IGI is international, though records are primarily from North America, Europe and South America.
Begun as a computerised database in the Sixties, it was published in several editions on microfiche. From 1999, researchers have been able to access more than 400 million records through a free online search engine at familysearch.
org. this database forms a key starting point for genealogical research.
Once you find entries that might be your ancestors, you should search out the original parish registers at the county record office, hire a genealogist or find out if the registers are published online.
Jonathan Goldman, Ipswich, Suffolk.
QUESTION Why is HMS Victory, in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, without her topmasts?
HMS VICtORY is a 104-gun first-rate ship, ordered in 1758 and launched in 1765. She was famously Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of trafalgar in 1805.
In December 2011, BAE Systems won the contract to perform a restoration of the ship, costing more than £16 million and based on 3D models created by laser scanning. the three topmasts and booms were removed before work could begin to prevent water damage and reduce rot.
When HMS Victory docked in Portsmouth Naval Base in 1922 to become a museum ship, she was supported on 22 steel cradles. She has since pressed down on her supports and the hull has sagged.
to preserve the hull, the cradles are being replaced with 134 props to distribute the ship’s load evenly and mimic the support of the sea.
Around 400 vintage naval lanterns have been upgraded with LED lights, the hull has been repainted and Nelson’s Great Cabin has been refurbished.
A new walkway allows access to previously unseen parts. It is hoped the project will be completed in 2018.
Jason Oliver, Plymouth, Devon.
IS THERE a question to which you have always wanted to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question raised here? Send your questions and answers to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT; fax them to 01952 780111 or email them to charles.legge@dailymail.co.uk. A selection will be published but we are not able to enter into individual correspondence.