Medical student Sam Beatson has gone cold turkey on television this Christmas despite being crowned king of the couch potatoes.

Sam, 22, of Chantry Road, Worthing, is recovering from a bad case of square eyes after watching the box for 47 hours - a feat which has earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

Sam was locked in an isolation pod for the stunt, which beat the previous best of 46 hours, 30 minutes and 50 seconds.

He was allowed 15-minute breaks every eight hours but had to continue watching even as he ate his meals or used a bucket for a toilet.

His marathon session has won him £5,000, a DVD player and an easy chair with a built in fridge, hi-fi system and mobile phone.

He also won a 48in-widescreen TV but is in no mood to watch it for quite a while.

He said: "I felt a bit disoriented at the end and my eyes hurt. I haven't watched any television since then - I just haven't felt the need to."

Sam was one of six volunteers chosen by cable channel CNX TV, for the challenge.

However, the only company he had throughout were a television set, a DVD player and adjudicators making sure his eyes never left the screen.

One fellow competitor who dropped his remote control after 13 hours, was instantly disqualified when his eyes darted down to look for it.

Another dozed off after 20 hours of continuous watching. The organisers at least let him sleep for a while before booting him out.

However, Sam did not start to struggle until he passed the 36-hour mark.

Until that point he had resisted caffeine shots but then allowed himself a cup of coffee and two cans of Red Bull.

He said: "Over the last six or seven hours, I really started to feel tired and the pain came in. I really didn't want to go on but I didn't want to give up either.

"I knew I could do this. I love staying up late watching television and I'm not so lazy that I easily fall asleep."

Sam was able to channel-hop through terrestrial and satellite television and watch his choice of films including Shrek, Blade and Octopussy.

He said: "It was exciting when I finally came out to see the people outside cheering me on. I felt quite proud of myself.

Sam, a student at Sheffield University, was chosen out of 3,000 applicants to take part in the challenge in Manchester.

He had spotted a postcard advertising the stunt and was attracted by the prizes on offer.

His spell inside the pod was broadcast live over the internet and on CNX, which was launched in October this year.