THE funeral of Britain’s tallest man, who died in his native North-East of natural causes, takes place today.

Friends and family of Neil Fingleton, 36, will pay their last respects at a service in Durham Cathedral at 2pm on Friday, March 17, followed by interment at Belmont Cemetery.

Mr Fingleton, died at his home in Gilesgate, Durham, on Saturday, February 25.

He found fame as Mag The Mighty in HBO TV series Game of Thrones and also took on roles in X-Men First Class and Jupiter Ascending.

He also played the villain The Fisher King in BBC’s Doctor Who.

Standing at 7ft 7in he was declared the UK’s tallest man by Guinness World in 2007.

He is survived by his mother Christine, brother Michael, 38, and Keely, 40. His father, Michael, died six years ago.

Mr Fingleton became Britain’s Tallest man in 2007, passing the height of Chris Greener.

The former Durham Gilesgate Sports College pupil first hit the headlines as an outsize teenager, when his family found difficulty buying him clothes to fit.

He was awarded a basketball scholarship in the US and spent two years at the University of North Carolina before transferring to Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

After a successful career playing professionally in Spain, China, Italy, Greece and England, he turned his attention to acting in 2007, when injury forced him to abandon his sporting career.