British fart-ist who toots on command takes title for longest career as a flatulist

Once upon a time in a stinky room far far away… Paul Oldfield (UK) was practising yoga and while in the “full lotus” position realized he could inhale through his anus. 

Startled and delighted by the discovery of this skill, which he calls “controlled anal voicing”, Paul began to spend hours practising his craft by taking in air through his butt and expelling it back out at will to create some truly incredible farts. Emboldened by the laughter and shock of those in his ‘blast zone’, the train driver from Cheshire then started to wonder if he could take his gas on the go.

Thus began the origin story of Mr Methane – the green and purple-clad ‘superhero’ terrorizing audiences as a flatulist for over 35 years with his freaky and fantastic farting skills. 

The Guinness World Records title for longest career as a flatulist requires proof that the applicant makes their living from years of passing gas – eliminating talented short-term farters from the running. But it’s been a long time since Paul first started farting for friends in the early 1980s at Ryles Park County High School in Macclesfield. 

“Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to put the ‘art’ into fart!” Mr Methane once cheekily said to the judges and audience of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, before laying on his back with his legs spread-eagle in the air, microphone held close to his posterior. 

He got about 40 seconds into a flatulent rendition of "Blue Danube" before getting X-ed by all the judges – Simon Cowell calling him a “disgusting creature”. But by that point, Mr Methane’s talents had already blew up the nation, and he was performing regularly as a flatulist.

Paul had made his first professional appearance as Mr Methane in 1990 while working as a train driver, and his first paid TV job was on the Yorkshire Television programme The James Whale Radio Show in December that year. In July the following year, he had amassed sufficient professional credits to qualify for membership of the actors' union Equity, and by the end of 1991, he gave up his full-time job as a British Rail train driver and started performing his act internationally.

Oddly enough, there are rules to being a performing flatulist – and Paul has to pass gas in front of an audience, typically on cue, at various pitches and in time with music. He comes from a long and stinky line of performing artists that have been recorded in literature from as early as the 12th century, and have been documented not only in medieval Europe but also as far afield as Edo-period Japan. 

Historical fartists, flatulists or farteurs of note include: Roland the Farter from the court of English king Henry II, who was gifted a manor house and 100 acres of land for performing “one jump, one whistle, and one fart” every Christmas; Kirifuri-hanasaki-otoko (“the mist-descending flower-blossom man") from 17th century Tokyo; and France's Le Pétomane – aka Joseph Pujol – a tuxedo-wearing stage performer who also fired of jets off water from his posterior as part of his "rectal breathing and musical anus" stage shows at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. 

While Le Pétomane ("gas maniac" or “Le Fartiste”) was a baker by trade who worked as a farteur from 1887 until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, a career of 27 years, Mr Methane claimed the record for his decades of rootin’ tootin’. 

Paul has since appeared on TV shows, in commercials and on stage, and performed for Circus of Horrors and for the likes of radio shock-jock Howard Stern. The fantastic flatulist even released the music albums mr methane.com (1998) and, just in time for Christmas, Merry Methane (2001). He even once attempted the longest fart, lasting a whole 59 seconds!

But perhaps his most notable challenge was facing off against the “Burper King” Paul Hunn in 2012 for Japanese TV, which required the two to create some insane intestinal eruptions in front of unsuspecting passersby. 

Now, Paul spends his time farting his favourite songs and performing birthday wishes on his Youtube page, and touring around the world in comedy clubs with his unusual skills. Almost 40 years into his career, this flatulist continues to put his heart into his farts.

Header image: Alamy