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Witness History

The world's longest kiss

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.41.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 2013, Guinness World Records deactivated the record for the longest kiss after 15 years, saying it had become too dangerous and some of the rules conflicted with their current updated policies.

It means Thai couple Ekkachai, and his wife Laksana, still hold the title, after first breaking it in 2011, with a time of 46 hours and 24 minutes, then again in 2013 with 58 hours and 35 minutes.

The couple are no longer together but Ekkachai looks back at breaking the records with Megan Jones.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Thai couple kiss during a competition. Credit: Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP via Getty Images)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

11 climbers appeared to have died on the world's second highest mountain K2.

0:06.4

It was one of the deadliest days in mountaineering history.

0:09.9

Rock falls, avalanches.

0:11.6

Huge pieces of ice.

0:12.9

All are big enough to kill you.

0:14.3

He just flew out into Devoid, and he was gone.

0:17.3

How did it all go so wrong?

0:19.2

And is it really worth risking death to feel alive?

0:22.3

Why would somebody pay to go to a place called the death zone on vacation?

0:27.4

Extreme.

0:28.3

Peak Danger.

0:29.3

With me, Natalia Melman Petrazella.

0:31.7

Listen to the full series now.

0:33.3

First on BBC Sounds.

0:39.5

Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me, Megan Jones.

0:46.3

For almost 70 years, people around the world have been trying and failing to break world records.

0:53.5

Today I'm going to tell you the story of one couple's journey to do just that by kissing

0:59.2

each other.

1:01.3

It's February 2011.

1:03.8

Love is in the air at the Royal Garden Plaza Shopping Mall in the city of Patia in eastern Thailand.

1:13.9

Part-shaped pink and red balloons are tied to the railings.

1:21.0

My wife had been battling a long illness but had recovered and I wanted to get some money and take her to the beach to a change of scenery. That was my inspiration. A big digital clock with red numbers has been placed on the stage.

...

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