Medical condition may explain Mr Punch's temper

The British seaside's most angry man, the notorious Mr Punch, may have trouble controlling his temper due to a medical condition affecting his growth, a researcher has claimed.



David Bryson, teaching fellow at Derby University, thinks Mr Punch - famed for beating wife Judy with a stick - is so foul-tempered because because he suffers from acromegaly, a condition where you make too much growth hormone.

Mr Bryson thinks the puppet, whose shows have been accused of encouraging domestic violence - leading to calls for it to be banned - resembles patients diagnosed with acromegaly, the symptoms of which are large hands and prominent facial features.

His research suggests the volatile character, whose legendary catchphrase was "That's the way to do it", is a caricature of an acromegalic.