Memory man retains world title

How memory man remembers

The World Memory Champion has defended his title - by remembering a single deck of cards in 57 seconds.

Andi Bell, 36, from Bushey, Herts, defeated 53 competitors at the championships in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

During the three-day event, he also memorised 21 decks of cards in an hour.

Following the end of the World Memory Championships in Malaysia, Mr Bell said: "I defended my title by just the narrowest of margins.

"This is the first time the championships were held outside Britain and I was suffering from dehydration. It was well outside my best time."

His feat at last year's championships in London - when he became World Memory Champion for the second time by remembering the order of 23 decks of cards in an hour - set a world record.

Mr Bell was unemployed and doing "odds and ends jobs" when he decided to make a living from his memory 10 years ago.