Canberra Town Crier Named World’s Loudest Man

An Australian air conditioner cleaner and part-time town crier has been named the world’s loudest person, after Guinness World Records (GWRs) confirmed his earth-shaking bellow last week.

Joseph McGrail-Bateup, 58, from Canberra, roared the single word "now" at 122.4 decibels to claim the title.

The blast outstripped the previous record of 121.7 dB, set in 1994 by Northern Ireland schoolteacher Annalisa Flanagan, whose ear-piercing "quiet" had stood unchallenged for three decades.

For context, McGrail-Bateup’s shout sits in the same ear-ringing range as a chainsaw, a jet taking off, or an ambulance siren at close quarters.

The record was not one he could rehearse, he admitted. "There’s no way that you can actually practise for it. You have to just keep it for the day, especially with the world record attempt.

"It took me seven attempts just for one word, which was the word ‘now,’ and my voice was shot for the next couple of days as well. It was husky. It was terrible. So no, you can’t really practise for it. But it’s a lot of fun when you’re doing it," McGrail-Bateup said.

The Canberra resident insists he is content to be "the loudest man" rather than the loudest person full stop.

"I’m pleased that she (Flanagan) gets to keep her record. So she’s still the loudest woman in the world and I’m the loudest male in the world," he said.

McGrail-Bateup, who works professionally cleaning air conditioners, stumbled across Flanagan’s record while trawling the Guinness database for anything relating to town crying.

Appointed the official town crier of the national capital in 2017, he operates under the ceremonial name "Lord Joseph."

It is an honorary, part-time role with the local council that he describes as "a bit of fun."

He pops up at community events, school fetes and car shows to make proclamations.

The job also brought him into the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers, where volume is a virtue.

He won the guild’s 2024 competition with a 98 dB "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez," the traditional call for silence before a proclamation.

After experimenting with several words, he settled on "now" for the record bid.

The attempt was recorded on 2 May in a Canberra radio studio by a professional acoustic engineer, with witnesses present.

Thereafter, the files were submitted to Guinness, which announced the result on Friday.

It is McGrail-Bateup’s second Guinness title. In 2019 he set a speed record for an archer firing 10 arrows, completing the task in 60.03 seconds and beating a mark that had stood since 2015.

Unfortunately, nine months later a 7-year-old boy snatched it back by 11.4 seconds.

He says he has no plans to defend either record. "If someone beats me, that’s fantastic. Records are meant to be broken," he said.