The crazy world of contortion

Until recently, contortion was consigned to the eccentric world of circus acts and freak-shows.

But now yoga enthusiasts are looking for the next challenge in extreme flexibility - and high-profile entertainment shows, such as Cirque du Soleil, are including contortion routines in their acts.

Every two years the stars and fans of the contortion scene meet at the International Contortion Convention, the only meeting of its kind in the world, held this year in the German city of Cologne.

BBC News went along to meet some of the very bendy stars of contortion.

And to find out more about the wonderfully bendy world of contortion, listen to Outlook on BBC World Service Radio on Monday 23 September.

Video produced by Luigi Serenelli and Damien McGuiness.

Real Time is a series for the BBC News website in which ordinary people tell their own extraordinary stories.