THEY may have tried to hide it from me but I've found it just in time.

The Beeb may no longer be showing The World's Strongest Man but over on Five we've got The UK's Strongest Man instead.

Which, when you think about it is a reflection of the standings of the two channels themselves - the Beeb is in the Premier League while Five gets the old Third Division North.

Anyway, Five's effort may be without the seven foot Norwegians all with surnames ending in son' but you've got to admit, watching overly-sized individuals turning bright red while pulling double decker buses up a hill is always good value.

What has always intrigued me about these competitions is how do you practise lifting up a car in each hand? Perhaps these giants are all part-time AA men who don't bother using a jack to repair a puncture.

Can you imagine going round the supermarket with them to do the Christmas shop? You could have hundreds of carrier bags and just let them take them back to the car all in one go.

Buying clothes for these supermen must be an interesting experience too. How can you get a shirt for someone who doesn't really have a neck?

But you have to marvel and the sheer strength and dedication of these competitors.

It's easy to mock, but it's all done with a slight sense of wonder that the human frame can put up with so many demands.

And at least it's entertaining. Give me strong men competitions over EastEnders any day.