Scientists today claim to have discovered the first common gene that influences whether someone is tall or short.

It explains why John Cleese towers over a room, and why Ronnie Corbett can claim: "I'm so short I'm the only citizen in the UK to have a full-length photo in my passport."

Although it has long been known that big parents are more likely to have big children - and tiny children are often born of tiny couples - biologists have struggled to find genetic causes for height. ...