A sandwich shop owner has made his bid for a nightmare seasonal record, turning his cafe into an audio torture chamber by crooning a horrific 684 Christmas tunes over 42 hours of festive hell
An eccentric sandwich shop owner has completed an ear-ravaging festive feat, aiming for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records with a marathon massacre of Christmas tunes.
“Mr Toasty”, known to his parents as Dave Purchase, temporarily closed his On Toast shop in Gloucester’s Warehouse 4 to stage his brain-scrambling attempt at an uninterrupted medley of seasonal favourites. He warbled unsteadily into a microphone on a make-shift stage with a laptop, as he poured out his endless backing tracks.
His brutal attempt to slaughter the Season of Goodwill was witnessed by visitors including a dementia choir, a children’s choir, and festive locals dressed as the Wombles and characters including Mariah Carey.
“I’ve been practising since January, all the way through summer… Anybody who passed my flat probably thought there was some nutcase in there,” he told the BBC.
Mr Toasty was gunning for a record set in 2024 40 hours by Confidence Survival Eyong at Lagos in Nigeria on December 21 in 2024.
The gospel singer set out to spread hope, unity, and worship in a joyful event that was broadcast live, showcasing Nigerian talent and faith and proving impossible feats are achievable with divine help.
Her record was challenged with grim determination by the sandwich vendor with renditions of 38 tunes, ranging from traditional classics like Jingle Bells to modern Christmas smashes from Mariah Carey and Wham! He rotated through the tunes to sing a chilling total of 684 songs over 42 hours.
His achievement was dwarfed, however, by Ghanaian media personality Afua Asantewaa, who completed a five-day singing marathon in the hope of landing a Guinness World Record at the end of 2023.
The 33-year-old reportedly struggled to remember what day it was after performing for 126 hours and 52 minutes. Guinness World Records allowed her a five-minute break every hour, or 20 minutes after four hours.
The entrepreneur and former beauty queen said she hoped that the marathon “would be an inspiration to all women… to come out of your comfort zone and try new opportunities… when you put your mind to it you can achieve it”.
Afua bizarrely hit the news again last month after falling foul of the self-styled monarch of the Kingdom of Kubala, a self-proclaimed micronation by three individuals: Kofi Offeh (King Atehene), Jean Gasho (Queen Nandi), and Kaura Taylor (Asnat).
The wacky trio claimed ancestral rights to woodland at Jedburgh in Scotland, asserting they were reclaiming land taken from Black Jacobites 400 years ago.
In an ominous email the Kubala King warned her: “Know therefore that you may have more questions to answer.” She claims to be working with UK authorities to counter the regal threats.
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