Americans React to Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack | The Good Old Days
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2018
- Hey everyone! Sorry that our video this week reacting to Fawlty Towers was blocked almost worldwide, so we decided to release this react to video today. This is what we mean by trying to find videos to react to that won't get flagged or blocked.
Fred Dibnah is a famous Steeplejack that the BBC did a series on. We're reacting to this video as it harkens back to a time when people were more traditional.
If you're new to our channel, we are Americans living in the UK and we make three new videos a week. We encourage you to subscribe if you're interested in an American family living a traditional life reacting to living in the United Kingdom!
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Now that's one man who really did deserve the MBE the Queen gave him.
You’re right. He was fabulous, genuine, passionate about what he did - part of our social history.
Hear hear
fem detox face; ............ALL DAY LONG.
Yet Jimmy Saville DID get Knighted and i think Rolf Harris was Obe.....makes you wonder really
Fred Dibnah's enthusiasm for all things old and mechanical was positively infectious. Down to earth and speaking in his broad Lancashire accent, he was a much loved English character, now sorely missed.
And why might that be. you cretin?
A clever multi talented man as his more recent television series show. R.I.P Fred, a shame you died relatively young. So much more you could have taught us. Good channel by the way!
@@gaygambler and your a complete arse so piss off
+Anthony OSullivan You by contrast are an unknown idiot. Why have you put the first letter of 'well' in upper case?
Agree completely, I see Guy Martin as Dibnah's natural successor he holds the same infectious enthusiasm.
Fred Dibnah, English legend.
agreed x
northern legend* dont get people like this down south
It's great T'be Northern
He sunk a mine shaft in his back garden for fun 😅
Nonsense Shaun. My Grandfather was a Geordie and outworked his peers in our Sussex town. He almost never went back to Newcastle.
Seeing Fred Dibnah now is like being reunited with a long-lost friend. He always cheers me up. A bastion of wisdom, humility and graft, with a great sense of humour thrown in.
Interestingly, you thought the film was a lot older. This was on TV less than 40 years ago at the very start of Thatcherism and the end of Britain’s Industrial Age. That world doesn’t exist anymore, except in heritage museums, but its people are still walking about out there. Everyone over 45 in the UK will remember life like this.
My home town had a power station pretty much in the centre till 1976 with a huge chimney and cooling towers and I seem to remember we had smog.
@@lewisner
Not sure what the power station burnt,coal I assume so that would smoke but cooling towers only produce water vapour.
@@nigelheath7048 yes the cooling towers produce steam of course but it burnt coal. Many of the houses still had coal fires till the 1970s and coal smoke + fog = smog.
That's me! Also remember in 1971 pint of draught beer or lager was about 13pence. That is the reason the pubs are closing nothing to do with the smoking ban.
I’m 29 and I remember going to summer fetes in Devon in the early 90s - so must have been very young. Fred used to bring his steam engine along, and I have a picture of me next to his engine with Fred driving it.
Fred Quote:
"If you fall off of a chimney you get a 'alf day out wit undertaker..."
Mint 👍
"I fell of
f top of 't'
chimney once , but Donald caught me" "sort a style"!!!
@@neilgriffiths6427 he didj ya like that
“Stay right close t’bloody ladder”
You only fall off one of them chimneys once!
Loved that you’re watching our “typically English” stuff and are taking an interest. :) it’s not boring at all. Keep up the excellent videos... love to you all x
Agreed. These are the kind of people we love to welcome to England, rather than Muslims who want us to integrate with them and adopt their laws and culture.
A woodbine and a cloth cap....health and safety, 1970`s style.
Not forgetting 5 pints of beer before he started climbing !
Now the Health and safety is without the cigarettes.
@@scooby1992 only in the afternoon 👍
"Did you like that?" Thanks for watching Fred. He's a real window into a part of Britain that many people won't see. He's a product of the industrial revolution in the north of England.
Methinks he doth project too much.
"Did you like that?" - the punchline from his ad for Stones Bitter ("Guz down great guns!")
instablaster
He knew more about Victorian engineering than all phd Archaeologists put together. He was an expert on all things Victorian, and about the industrial revolution in general. He had a fully functioning Victorian engineering workshop powered by the steam engines, could still build things as they did back then which most engineering companies today can no longer do. He had a pit/mine winch head also. This was when he first started on TV and was already considered crazy with his dangerous working methods, and an outstanding character back in the late 70's. His later work included making films and documentary's on steam, Victorian engineering, architecture and history showing it from his unique engineering perspective. He was the last true Victorian engineer, and can never be replaced.
Christian Buczko - He also had a Victorian mine with steam winding engine in his back garden. All built by Fred, he was a monument of how pre-war British working people were, I think we post-war office working, moderately affluent, office working generation envied his old fashioned and hard working, accomplished ethics.
I agree absolutely!
What do you mean "self publishing" ...you idiot. Please ensure that you have a basic command of spelling & grammar before making a fool of yourself on a public site! For your information, Dibnah was a self taught man who later became one of the country's leading authorities on Victorian engineering. That information was readily passed on to the huge viewing audience he had on BBC TV.
This man was the definition of a genius. Extremely talented and intelligent with immense skill . There will never be another . Rip Fred ❤
@@gaygambler what a strange and unpleasant comment.
Fred was a legend
IMAGINE HOW HE WOULD REACT TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HIS COUNTRY, HE WOULD BE TRULY SHOCKED.
He certainly was and is sadly missed I loved watching him on TV.
Philip Croft - In one way he is lucky he didn`t get to see what the estab.lishment have done to our ancient homeland.
He was.
Fred was a extremely interesting and intelligent man and I was fortunate enough to meet him when I was about 11ish in the 70s . He also made programmes about the uk and how things were made and built .
yes he was very bright and talented man , very much missed.
Thank you guys for taking on the challenge of watching something so quintessentially English complete with very broad northern accents. Fred and his profession truly are a time capsule of the industrial revolution in this country. You guys are awesome and the way you are prepared to embrace life in the UK is really special. Much love!
I'm an ex steeplejack...fred is one of many legends in the game of which health and safety laws killed off the trade ..nowadays steeplejacking is a different game.
Tough ladder men.
R.I.P Fred Dibnah
Sadly expected to fall off a chimney with a day out with the undertaker, Cancer got him in the end sad!
Fred was a real character and most unlikely and somewhat reluctant media personality. His climbing without any safety etc. was amazing...
I'm from Bolton but Fred's was very strong Bolton accent. People do still have that accent but it's watered down. There's a statue of him at Bolton town centre in front of a huge working waterwheel.
I grew up watching Fred Dibnah on the tv. He was from Lancashire and I'm from Yorkshire, so it felt like it was close to home. Most BBC programming then (and now, to some extent) was very London-centric, so it was new to see somewhere different, even if it was portraying the death of the industrialised North. Also, in the 1970s and 1980s, it was still quite rare to hear a regional accent on the BBC; Fred's Lancastrian accent was very different to the "received pronunciation" of the BBC.
This was great. Thank you for watching this.
Too reeyt!
After 16 years after he passed he still has a place in many people's hearts.. RIP mate
Definitely worth watching all.the episodes. Particularly the last series when.he knew he was dieing, so he with s friend took his beloved steam roller on a long road trip. Not an ounce of self pity or regret in the man and a determination to drink the joys of life down to the very dregs.
I asked about Fred, when we were on holiday at Strumpshaw, Steam Museum, in Norfolk, where he was due to turn up for the May Bank Holiday, but unfortunately, he'd been taken ill, so we were much surprised to see, he'd made a tremendous effort, and indeed was here, in the flesh...Never forget Fred, Never be another...
No way we would be bored.Fred Dibnah was a living legend.Now departed,he is still loved.A glimpse into a different world,Though only 39 years ago,so much has changed!
Aww Fred. When to his old house a few weeks ago. All his bits and bobs are gone now, very sad. When to his grave too which is in Tonge Cemetery just behind his house. Good video people should watch all his stuff. Thanks for uploading. R.I.P. Fred,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Fred Dibnah.. literally “Balls O Brass” .. nuff said..
balls of unobtanium, but also did things right the first time without undue risk, that's why he survived in his trade. Those who rely on the harnesses and safety aids get to blase and make errors then find out the health and safety bullshit won't save them.
I`m so glad you discovered Dibnah, a true English legend. Very nostalgic.
There`s something about his programs that resonates deep in me and is such a sad reminder of what a wonderful place England once was.
It`s an England I grew up in and remember it very fondly. I don`t recognise the UK now, it`s like a different country now after Blair and Brown had finished demolishing everything that was good about it.
The death sentence remains in the UK for treason, those snakes should be tried for treason for what they did to this once great Nation
It's a nice little video don't politicise it it doesn't belong here
Steve Terry Of course I am , worked 25 years in a coal mine in Yorkshire , played amateur rugby league for 15 years & live in one of the most deprived areas of the country , beta male ?? ' ask our lass how beta male I am lol , no son , all I'm saying his there are more appropriate videos / channels to spout political rhetoric at . As a proud northerner Fred was a bit of a hero & I think putting a political angle on this video besmirches his memory some what .
@@anonymousmoose9807 For one, I will do whatever I bloody well please, and secondly, Fred constantly spoke about and complained about the very thing I did . Fred himself politicised his own show on many occasions. One of Fred's qualities that people love today is his throw back ways to a by gone time.
Stop being a drama queen. Your comment was UTTERLY pointless. You could have just ignored it.
HappyGilmore Thatcher
She ruined my family in the Print. My Uncle worked in Fleet Street and was one of 6 Men in The Sun doing the jobs that 2 people could have done. He was employed by The Union Barons who chose their family and friends for the jobs.The Owners had no say in who they employed. Quite Right.If you owned a Company I hope you would not expect a say on who you employed! Then at Midnight the lads would sign off for 6 hours as " D.Duck" and go and do some "Moonlighting" as late night London Cabbies and get paid twice. Bloody THatcher ruined their capers and my mate who did nothing in The GLC which she disbanded in London......Bloody Thatcher...
Very well observed by both of you, Mr Dibnah is a relic of the industrial revolution, trained as an old school Carpenter and picked up the extra trade as a steeplejack by working with, and listening to older men in the trade. Such people also existed in your country as well at one time. That little girl of yours is a gem !
@Maccy Coleman Church steeples were the first skyscrapers...
Seeing Fred Dibnah now is like being reunited with a long-lost friend.
A hero of mine! Whenever I get hit by a sudden work crisis, I remember Fred Dibnah or watch a video about him, and say "It's going to be tough, but I can do this!"
Watching a young American family watching a program I watched when I was child when it was first broadcast. THIS IS THE FUTURE! :)
Fred was, and still is a Lancashire legend. Rest in peace big man. Really glad you made this, he deserves all the exposure the internet can give him.
He dead now...much missed .Eh, it were grand lad! Ps . The practice of raising the Union Jack at the completion of a job ( if Fred was being serious!). was known as ' topping out' ,quite common in the building trades, and often had a few bottles of beer to go with it! Thanks Fred for all you taught and showed us . Fred didn't DIE , heaven had a chimney job too big for the angels to handle!
I met Fred once, not long before he died when he was touring England with his steam roller. Worra lovely guy he was.
He was a legend
I met him when he first got on the Telly at Nottingham Steam Rally Bought him a pint (did not take any persuading), But had a good old chat with him about nothing really just his engine and the journey down plus the weather. Met him a couple more times and got autographs but not the same as that first more relaxed meeting.
One of the BEST documentaries the BBC has ever done. I can highly recommend you watch the whole series. Only Fred Dibnah would go down a Log Flume ride at the Fair - whilst still smoking a ciggie. A true gentleman and true Northern Grit. A real British Hero.
If you get a chance, have a look at the episode where Fred shows how he puts the ladders up and constructs the timber platform around the top of the chimney stacks. It is hair-raising, Fred had nerves of steel.
If he was around now he like you would be a CZcams star. If you get time have a look at some more of his episodes, especially how he fixes his ladders, which at first it looks like they have been fixed to the stack when built, but they are normal long wooden ladders he fixes one buy one until he reaches the top and see also how he fixes the scaffolding, an extraordinary job buy an extraordinary guy. PS it did end in divorce.
Yes look at how he fixes the ladders on.
Good old fred!
Remember watching the series. This is a lost time and a lost generation and long before health and safety . All photography and film is nothing less than a time machine.
Again great content. Fred was my fathers hero, and would dress very similar to him. Yes dirty old overalls and a dai cap. He is such a character and I would advise you to watch all of the episodes. They broke the mould when they made Fred Dibnah.
Great episode, I really like that you are delving into the more esoteric and traditional side of British culture and life. Fred Dibner was a fascinating individual.
A true Northern Englishman.
He got criticized for saying he drunk a few pints at lunch during one episode by the PC do gooders.
His response was classic - " You try doing this bloody Job - sober !"
Northern chad. Luv mi beer, luv mi steamroller.
"Did ya like that"?
Fred Dibnah was a true legend, a great man. He was beloved by everyone in the UK and I mean everyone.
Fred was superb.
Used to love watching him.
Pleased he’s still reaching a new audience
👍🇬🇧
Fred was also a historian and an accomplished artist!
You might also like the documentaries about Hannah Hauxwell who was accidently discovered in 1972 living alone on her family's isolated farm (with no electricity or running water) and living in virtual poverty. After the first documentary was broadcast about her daily life the nation took her to their hearts.
Two special people, both had hearts of gold.
I'll never forget Hannah talking about the sausages hung from the ceiling and how they got a bit ripe towards the end. Another salt of the earth.
'Too lonely a Winter' was a book about her.
Yes she was another character, 92 yrs old when she died
Fascinated by your reaction to Fred. He was a real character back in the day. Intrigued how you would get on with his Bolton accent. There were no airs and graces with Fred, he said it as he saw it, he was the end of an era, a specialist and a character.and the camera loved him. Your initial synopsis was absolutely spot on. These old chimneys were a hangover from the industrial past and by the 70s they were no longer needed and considered an eyesore, but its a specialist job to bring them down and dynamite wasn’t always considered safe, and that left a niche for Fred. Excellent review/reaction
A hard working Lancashire lad Fred was
Legend, seen his statue in Bolton
if it hasn't been removed by someone! because they were offended by something that happened at sometime!
@@pairojeans I heard that he was retrospectively accused of doing blackface because he got soot on his face after sweeping a chimney. Stranger things...
Fred dropped a chimney in my town of Heywood back in the 70's, it was a major event.
Hiya Kid, Castleton girl 'ere from 60's and 70's. x
Fred was brilliant, his approach was to just talk to people about things he found interesting, when the camera crew thought it was interesting too, they filmed him!
Excellent video guys..it's great to see you interested in our culture and despite the dialect issues. You'd be welcome in bolton anytime..we're a friendly lot. You followed what was going on extremely well.
Fred died in 2004 and it's possible to see the cemetery he is buried in from the garden in which he was working on his steam roller.
Glad you enjoyed!
Fred made many programmes about historical buildings like castles and churches, and how they were built. He was a very intelligent, interesting man.
Pronounced correctly 👍🏻
a great video. Everyone loved Fred he was a real character, I think he lived in Bolton and in those times there where chimney stacks everywhere. I think he made two or three series for the BBC because he was so popular. A good proud Englishman.
Fred Dibnah was the real deal an old fashion steeplejack who did everything by the Victorian book, but he was also about preserving the past of the industrial revolution and steam in general, I only wish I met the man himself I was only 11 years old when he passed away in 2004. I visited his home back in April with my Dad and bought a spanner he use to own and a signed DVD by Alf Molyneux who was best friends with Fred, the headgear that was part of his mineshaft in his backyard is now owned by the Lancashire Mining Museum and they plan to restore it in honour of his memory. It's a massive shame the heritage centre has closed due to lack of funding and there's been no help from Bolton Council or the National Trust. Everything that was there has been auctioned off and as for the house, I think it will just become a residential dwelling.
It is indeed a great shame that Bolton Council did not have the wit to realise the Heritage Centre was worth preserving. Even the planning department did everything they could to stultify Dr Dibnahs projects.
Each councillor and paltry planner should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.......compared to Fred Dibnah they are as nothing.
Good old Fred , a true British eccentric.
He wasn't particularly eccentric up north. In fact he's fairly typical.
Chimney topples, Fred emerges from the dust.... " Did ya like that?"
You need to watch the videos of him putting the ladders up , scary stuff
Yeah! I remember him climbing up his ladders and one point was leaning back 40 degrees or something. Thatan got a set of balls haha
@@lordshadow3822 that was when he was working on the India mill chimney in Darwen
@@damo0666 thank you! Yeah that's the one. Jaw dropping
When he was honoured by the Queen, he drove his steam roller all the way from his home in the North of England, to Buckingham Palace, to receive it. Then stopped off at the pub on the way back home. Absolute legend!
Jason Ritchie Hi, what honor did he get ?
Hi. An MBE, Member of the British Empire
@Steve Terry I wholeheartedly agree. It's shameful, the way some politicians get a knighthood just for sitting in the House of Commons, for a few days a year, doing nothing 😕
Up north (where I'm from ) fred is something of a legend. Such a no nonsense bloke. And like most of the older English characters a bit mad.
Lovely man, local legend. You could visit where he lived.
Fred was an extremely talented man in many ways and no fool. I remember the episode when Fred was Hospitalised with an infection on his head and they couldn't figure out where it had come from,until someone realised it came from his hat......hilarious!
Well, "did tha' like that?"
Every factory and mill across Britain will have had chimneys like that, Fred's part of the country (around 500 square miles) produced a 1/3rd of the World's cotton cloth.
Worth looking for more Fred, I think that's the original film, but he went on to be something of a celebrity. My personal favourite is when he gives in to the wife and takes the family to Blackpool for a holiday, needless to say there's a catch.
He also fronted documentaries on Victorian industry, sinking a colliery shaft in his own back garden was one highlight.
Hillary Trump Yes Fred we did like it.....
I'm 64 though from London but this was a lovely insight into The North Of England during the 1960's-1980's when lie was much more simpler and we had much more freedom...
Fred Dibnah was great. He was like the personification of the Industrial Revolution.
People are no longer made of the same stuff Fred Dibnah was made of. A lost breed. RIP Fred lad, your still missed.
I wonder if, like me, you came across this video of Fred by following a Facebook link recently. My dad always enjoyed watching the programmes that followed Fred Dibnah. Until watching this last week I was indifferent but watching him climb this chimney stack is incredible and has led me into watching the full series that followed him. Absolutely awe-inspiring to watch him climb over the scaffolding totally unsupported. A truly brave man and a working class hero
Love your videos, thanks for sharing, enjoy your life in the UK, lovely family. cheers and all the best.
Had the privilege to know Fred in the 90's he is a legend.
Fred was a true english character, unique, and will never be forgotten,
I saw Fred once, driving up the road from Stockbridge in Hampshire. I waved, he waved. Later on I met him when he came to my village (Twyford, in Hampshire) where he was guest at the opening of the water pumping station, where he signed my video with his customary flamboyant signature, and shook my hand. Later on he walked up to a small group of us, winked at me and said "Alright me old mate"? I had only met him an hour before! One of my favourite memories. Top man, a legend, and the very best of Britain!
great reaction to a national legend fred. very brave and clever man, loved his programs right up to his sad passing in 2004.
A one off, with charisma and charm, quite televisual too, very good at imparting information, with encyclopaedic knowledge and very skilled, Dibnah was an interesting man. Shame he had so little luck with relationships - his marriages were not very successful. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Dibnah ) But he had a busy life, and was much loved by the public. The tv programmes were very popular for many years.
My father and all the other workmen used to take sandwiches and tea to work like that, it was called their "bait".
Aye.
Also called their 'bit', as in Jackbit.
Another word used was their 'snap'.
I still do lol
I still take me butties to work!
"Snap" apparently comes from the tin with the snapping clip the miners used to keep them in. I don't know about jackbit, though all my colleagues used to use it (I moved to Bolton in the Seventies).
fred was an amazing backstreet mechanic. and now a guy who is remembered with much respect.
When men were masculine and work had meaning and you respected the work of others.
I remember watching this as a kid and watched in admiration!
I grew up watching Fred. Absolute Legend. Great video....and a fab Bolton accent 😄 Watching this a second time and was great to actually WATCH your reactions, which was of genuine interest 🙂...AND lillian has mastered the “flat” vowel of northern accents. More Fred Dibnah! 😃
I was a kid in Bolton and spent time in Bermuda so I did see some programs on Fred what a legend ,plus now and again see his stuff on TV ,long may it last
Seen it dozens of times. Just watched it again. We love Fred.
The type of character that Britain was famous for until 'elf 'n safety turned everythIng BLAND....
Wonderful character. We went to a public talk by him once, at our local theatre. He stood there for his one man "performance"', with a pint of beer in hand, chatting away about his life. Very interesting man and a much missed icon of traditional British culture. Thank you for showing this. If you get a chance to see all of his programs some day, i am sure you will enjoy them. "Did you like that?" was one of his catch phrases. And yes, he was before the "health and safety" times that we have today :)
The greatest Briton of modern times. Not a high vis vest in sight! Of the many quotable things he said, one of the best was; "There's no jobs for the thickies these days".
A very brave man he scaled towers with No safety ropes. Fearless Fred. He took his wife on holiday to Blackpool for a weekend and he spent all weekend demolishing a chimney with his wife helping him haha
RIP Fred, a gentleman and a legend.
You could never put us to sleep with Fred Dibnah. What an English legend!!
Meet him twice at steaming days at Twyford Water Pumping Station, a gentleman indeed!
Fred Dibnah was a recipient of the Honour of the Royal Order of the Member of the British Empire, MBE, granted by Her Majesty the Queen for his contribution to British History broadcasting.
He was introduced to the Queen as Dr Fred Dibnah .
The Great Britain of today is certainly very different to the 50,s and 60,s but I am delighted to see that you lovely people are part of it.
There is a statue to this man just outside Bolton Town Hall Square. As a Bolton Lad, we are proud of him. He was one of a kind. An Edwardian man in the modern world. He sank a mine shaft in his own back garden for fun so deep the council/ authorities had to get invovled. He is a local legend. He wor a reet gradely lad.
I remember watching this series and seeing Fred again brings back such fabulous memories for me, he ventured into steam engines, canal boats and he even sank a mine shaft in his back garden with the help of his friends. Thanks guys for posting such legendary nostalgia. Yes Grey matter is the brain.
Delighted you checked out our Fred - I come from the North West also but moved with the times. Fred if anything became a living a walking musuem and tribute the best of the steam and industrial age. He is sadly missed.
Thank you for taking an interest in this, Fred was a Legend, He was well known in my area here in Lancashire, UK
I often watch dibnah and genuinely find it relaxing listening to Fred's melodic voice talking through what he's doing.
What a lovely family you are! Thank you for this most unusual video idea . It was entertaining to see your reactions to Fred. Fred Dibnah was truly one of a kind, and a national treasure.
Fred comes from a different time before 'Health & Safety' took hold,someone who knew all the risks but just got on with the job because he had bills to pay and a family to feed.As they say he comes from a time when 'Ships were made of wood and men were made of iron'.The sort of man that made this country great.
There’s Fred’s in every country in the world I bet. Throwbacks.
Not many of them but they’re out there.
We supposedly have a tradition of celebrating eccentrics in the UK. I don’t know how true that is anymore.
Here in the UK Fred Dibnah is a legend. People like him are not common and are getting fewer. He will always be missed.
His two sons, by his third marriage, have inherited Fred's love of steam. They were featured in his last series where he took his engine around the country to visit all the places that contributed to it's building. It culminated with him turning up at Buckingham Palace on the footplate to receive his MBE from the Queen. Fascinating, gentle history.
Fred was the last of the true English eccentrics. Amazingly interesting & hyper knowledgeable.
By lighting a fire, the chimney gets to smoke one last time, in honour of their service to the industrial revolution. A nice tribute. Glad you enjoyed a local legend of ours.
nice video, I miss Fred he died in 2004 in Bolton England , always watched his shows every week as a lad, unmissable TV back in the late 1970's.