@@alphamale068 working on it !!! I regulalry terrify youngsters with tales of home made bosuns' chairs ( 2 foot plank off cut with a hole in middle with an old gym rope knotted through it ) and the like ... amazingly never heard of anyone getting killed ... tons of injuries though ... fell down the inside of a water tower safety ladder whilst painting the outside of the hoops ... that thing in films where they grab onto something and everythings ok ... nope same with catching someone thats falling ... been there point is ... hats off to fred , may he rest easy in front of a roaring firebox with an endless cuppa and a decent piece and ham I'm showing everyone this vid
I completely understand Fred's philosophy of working alone. It was a lonely job but any mistakes he only had himself to blame. I met him many times at 'Steam Dos' as he called them, there wasnt one ounce of fear in the man, I watch his videos and I have nightmares at night sometimes, that im up on one of those narrow boards and have to climb down! It makes my stomach turn just watching him up there. He was a grafter, a gentleman and a craftsman.....and there will never be another like him. I was honoured to have known him.
I met Fred Dibnah once at a steam fair. He treated me like an old mate, chatted without seeming like he wanted to get away, and in fact, I reckon if I’d have stayed he’d have chatted to me all day. A real man and a National treasure. Rest in peace Fred.
I am from Slovenia, land of the highest chimney in Europe. I've stumbled upon "Fred" yesterday and I must say, I am far beyond words. Rest in peace Fred.
I used to think this was pure madness, but I now admire the ingenuity, the methodical work involved and the mental and physical strengths most people (include myself) lack. Fred was an extraordinary human being. RIP.
@@Aerojet01 Its taken me years to realise the extent at which Fred was an utter bloody genius, I've no tv here nowadays but obviously youtube is crucial to this; as someone says above, an extraordinary human being. Consummate insight and ability at a task very few wld ever contemplate. Imagine the sheer hard effort and long days to get things done, he's done half a days work when some of us (me) have hardly got out of bed! RIP the great man !!!
When he lays the corner slats loose near the end of the job, he isn't even tied to anything and has a cigarette on the go. Unreal! His accent is probably a dying part of northern English heritage as well. Great programme and a historical record.
i am from germany and i watchin this stuff since 4 episodes and i like it... it is very comfy/relaxing film material. not like that crap of nowadays tv-"history"
He just saunters up that ladder like it's a walk in the park..incredible stamina to climb a vertical ladder like that..what a man what a legend..Rest In Peace fred.x
When he said ''You feel the chimney moving in the wind'' i just freaking lost it. What a freaking legend of a man! Hanging from the top of a massive chimney without securing ropes, sitting on a plank secured to tied on ladders while using steel rods that he pinpoints into holes across the width of the chimney. I dont think ive seen a feat of strength that made me feel at awe but this clip just made me utterly and madly impressed! I can feel my palms sweating just watching.
Not just a legendary steeple jack he was a very good engineer both on paper and making that drawing come to life RIP Sir Fred Dibnah legend of the north.
Fred had nerves of steel. He was a skilled, tough and hard working steeplejack, who took on challenges that would be beyond most men. I never cease to wonder when I see these programmes as to Fred’s bravery. He should have been paid a king’s ransom for his work as well as his services to engineering! A marvellous and inspirational working man!
Every safety officer and insurance man is having an aneurysm looking at this. Good man Fred! Nowadays there'd be a team of mountain climbers with all their gear and a separate team of scaffolders to do what Fred did alone. I admire him and he scares the bejayus out of me. Great video. Thanks for posting. RIP Fred.
Absolute legend. Not only did he do it so well .. he spoke about it so well. The production quality was outstanding too. I lean forward at the screen watching this ... shitting myself.
Same except my butt is clamped closed even more securely than those ladders are fixed to that chimney. I won't shit myself cos I'm too terrified to move a muscle.
Fred was a customer and friend of my dad's back in Bolton. I remember how I used to feel bored rigid as a know-it-all teenager, as he waffled on about chimneys and Victorian this and that. Having watched this as an adult, I will never think of him as anything except a big-balled Boltonian legend! RIP Fred... sorry for all my stifled yawns as a teenager
Blah blah blah 😑 Just like everyone’s grandad was chilling with the krays in the east end and everyone’s nana sucked them off back of the west end clubs stfu
@@gooner49life40 not really joker. In those days bolton was quite a small place compared to today. All trades people had a small amount of places you would go for materials such as timber. Steel. Bolts etc so everyone in various trades always bumped into each other. You can't really compare tradesmen with underworld gangsters can you. Fred worked everywhere in and around Bolton. Not just on chimneys but on churches etc so lots of people knew him and in those days he wasn't a celebrity just a normal working guy earning a crust
I had to laugh when I first saw him building the ladder with bits of string ... Rumour has it that Chris Bonington got to the top of Everest and read “ Fred Was Ere “ in the snow
Skill Builder I know, looking at all the staging at the end the amount of work he did was immense. Doing it on the ground is one thing but having the balls and strength to do it in the air is something else.
Damn right! No rails round the outside and less than 2 ft of planking to work on, madness. I've worked with tree surgeon's who have a similar disregard for height. I have immense admiration for these blokes; I'm bricking it up a 20ft ladder.
I showed this to my grandfather who was a roofer his entire life and he said that this man has to be the most confident and funny man he has ever seen. He really enjoyed all his little jokes.
Just HOW did Fred do all of this ! Putting scaffolding together like he did never mind all of the climbing and getting all of the materials up there, Fred deserved to be a millionaire for the skill and knowledge that he had, god bless him.
Yes, I sincerely wish the money had been better, I bet the bastards still beat him down on price .... NO-ONE starting again cld do what he did. RIP Fred, one of a kind.
Well could be worse you see. Some might argue that it's better to have half a day with the undertaker and a week with the Grim Reaper than half an hour with the wife and a weekend with your mother-in-law.
A master stack hand. I worked with a now retired boilermaker who reminds me so much of this gentleman. He is now 86. I started at 22 helping him. I’m now 61. He worked on stacks so high the choppers bringing structure up emerged from the fog below into brilliant sunshine above. The most fearless man I’ve worked with. I went over the side of an old hydro electric dam in a bolson chair to weld some test fittings to the face. It wasn’t the height but that black-green water swirling below. But one has to trust your ropes. That dam from the late 1800’s flood gates had water spraying from ever possible seem. Eight inch planks between you and countless millions of gallons.
benny woo they are loads of people like Fred in his time all over the world that’s how it was done 🐅...not like the little pussy of today a house roof is not even high.
I remember watching this first time round and it turns my stomach just as much now, I don’t know how people have the nerve to cope with it. Look at stuff like this czcams.com/video/VEyofVMEzmA/video.html
@@johnlocke1977 you can't be serious?....Fred Dibnah came from a working class background who needed to work to survive, and was a very humble man, not some former motorcycle racer turned TV presenter who has never did an honest days work in his life. You couldn't be anymore wrong thinking these two people are alike.
You are they both are similar but in different ways. Both working men,Guy tyre fitter/mechanic (racing is his passion/hobby crap money that’s why you need sponsorship.,both life threatening.Both ended up as tv presenters. Both family men both from up north,well from me that is.
I used to be a scaffolder...and watching Fred climb that ladder makes me dizzy lol. Had the privilege meeting the man 30 odd years ago, very very interesting man to talk too..
Imagine It's your last day at school and you're looking for a job, dad says don't worry son I know this bloke Fred who's looking for an apprentice...….
Holding a 16’ plank with one hand placing in across the beams while dangling from a rope. Most people could not do that with two hands standing on the ground. What a fearless man.
I’ve watched this many times and still can’t believe my eyes how he navigates his way round the chimney with those rods and planks with out a care🙈he really was a one-off .r.I.p Fred ✌🏻
“There’s not many folk who get to experience being up there on a windy day and feeling the chimney sway a few inches back and forth” that’s because there’s not many folk with balls as big as yours Fred
Not only must Fred of had immense physical strength for such a small bloke, he must of been mentally as tough as nails. Its hard to fathom how any human being could take on such a massive task with such very basic tools and equipment. Hes basically got nothing more than some ladders, rope, wood and iron pins. He was clearly a master of what he did.
What a hard working guy 👍🏻 someone that Britain can be very proud of.did things his way.unbelievable watching him erect those ladders to the top of those chimneys.and as for his scaffolding.just remarkable 😱 you were a one off Fred....R.I.P
I can see the chimney that Fred did from my bedroom window here in Cambridge on the old pumping station at riverside ( it is very high). He fiitted anti lightning rods bi laterally to the top. He has balls of steel and they are still standing strong. A true proper Englishman of the best sort :-)
only an englishman can put up a stupid scaffold like that around a chimney, i know a little bit about chimneys, worked on chimneys from 1957 till 2010 on chimneys on 2 continents.what a clown and a show off
Unbelievable stuff. I have to believe there is even 1 person in a million who could do this kind of physically demanding work and especially at such dangerous heights, and yet there he is, probably not fazed by the task and wondering at all the fuss. I often look at these feats of construction and wonder how they're done, now I start to appreciate what's involved. I Hope whoever is paying Fred realizes he's getting a bargain at any price!
@@lindabingham394 I am from Darwen where this chimney is for India Cotton Mill. I was born and bred in Darwen since the 60s and for us Fred was Jesus I see this Tower daily where my 2 uncles from Pakistan worked in the cotton mills. Yorkshire men are built of rocks. I would have loved to work with him. I am impressed as a woman you be brave enough to climb ladders.
Fred: what a genius, legend, and nutcase he was. I had forgotten what a stupendously brave man he was, on top of being a top notch engineer. Great stuff.
What a lovely film. Fred D was a hard working man of courage. Each mistake could be his last, and he knew it. Bolton is an amazing place, and has raised some marvellous people.Kudos to the North West. Thank you for uploading this beauty. R.I.P Fred.
Watching this clip in absolute awe. - If only more people of my generation and younger, had an iota of the bravery, strength and work-ethic that this man had.
Even in my fearless younger days when I first saw this guy I was in awe at his bravery.No way could I have done this at that kind of height.His skills were amazing.
The think that amazes me about Fred is that he was so damned humble. Watching him on that stack and doing everything so casual is gobsmacking. I can’t fix my eyes on it for long cause it makes me feel faint. A real Superman. He could have been a top stuntman in another life.
Apartently he did get MBE.... Sure it was deserved, but I'm not sure why everyone in the comments thinks that everyman who has a hands on job deserves a knighthood for it 🙈
@@John...44... your right he was awarded a MBE but your missing my point . The MBE doesn't make you a sir unlike Mick Jagger Elton John Paul McCartney Bobby Charlton or was this lot more deserving.PS in my view it should be scrapped unless it involves bravery or charitable deeds .
@@michaelmoran9399 but mbe's and knithoods etc are not just for bravary and whatever. They are for people who have done great thing for the country in their related field. So footballers and singers do deserve them because that is what the honours are there for... And although I like Fred very much and admire what I have seen on the TV and don't think he is more deserved of the honour anymore than the footballers or singers
The modern health and safety bod would drop down dead unable to comprehend this. This is from a time when health and safety wasn’t invented. People spent decades learning their job until they were ready to be called qualified, they were properly trained to do the job and respected their equipment and even more so respected the dangers of the job. If anything went wrong you could guarantee it was because they themselves screwed up. These people worked in an age of personal responsibility, these days nobody takes accountability for their screw ups; it’s always someone else’s fault.
Fred was an incredible skilful and tough steeplejack who took the ultimate risks to earn a living. He was a unique character who symbolised the values of hard work. Very few people could have done the steeplejack work which Fred performed. I still marvel at his stamina and courage.
Takes incredible strength and endurance to hold those long boards and rods extended out like that, and hes doing it mostly with 1 arm, while the other holds to the ladder. Even light weight things are troublesome.
Assuming I had the balls to do it in the first place, my arms and legs would be pure knackered by the time I got a quarter of the way up there, he just strolls up there like he is out for a walk in the country, PURE RESPECT.
Duncan Irvine we would climb 200ft silos and some of the old/ out of shape guys would have to stop 3 or 4 times and take a breather. One guy got up there and locked up, couldnt move, had to get the fire department to come get em down.
Nice to see the comments here about Fred and how amazing the guy was. I know he belongs to a different era but it was my lifetime. Reminds me a little about how John Noaks climed up Nelson's column for Blue Peter without any safety harness. Fred could do that in his sleep.
I used to work at height on masts and often had to free climb with equipment up to heights of 300 ft (approx 100m). The highest I ever free climbed was 750 ft, just over 230m. During training we climbed on old WW2 wooden lattice masts that were of 1930's vintage and constructed to hold the old RAF 'Chain Home' radar system. That was pretty scary, you could look down and see the old grass covered craters where the Luftwaffe had tried to bomb it. When we qualified we were sent out to our operational areas and I remember my first climb being only about 30 ft up. I was absolutely terrified and hung on for grim death. Within a few months of daily climbing, both at night as well as during the day time, I was soon climbing up and down the masts and working away unrestrained at heights, walking across the beams with no harness, no problem. You get used to it and the height no longer scares you. However, looking at this and knowing what it feels like to be at height, this scares the crap out of me. We worked on steel masts, secure, solid structures with lots of cross beams to hang on to. This chap is swaying in the wind and making his own rickety platforms which he is relying on to save his life. I know they're secure, I know he was a legend and very safety conscious for the age, but just, no, no thank you. My hat goes off to him, he truly did have balls of steel and I have a great appreciation for the difficulties he faced. I really do admire him.
To see how relaxed he is kneeling on that plank 150' up in that wind, he was made of sterner stuff, knowing the weight of those boards, the way he handles them across the void and manages to lay them spot on across his batten is positively awe inspiring, and when you think everything is held on with a few iron holdfasts driven in to a wood plug in a chisseled hole he made with a lump hammer, he has tremendous faith in his own skills, we shall not see the like again, Fred was in the mould of the men who built those chimneys...
Climbing up a 200ft vertical ladder is a physical challenge . Fred would do it smoking a Capstan then scout out the nearest pub when he reached the top .
Seeing a lot of comments about the height etc. Fred’s a legend. I’m a joiner, Scotland. Being doing it 26 years now. You actually get that used to being at height that it doesn’t bother you. Try walk along a kerb, easy. Do it at height? Fear keeps you alive ironically
This is reality tv, how come Fred struggled financially, and then you get people like the Kardashian’s becoming millionaires, just for having an oversized ar*# no justice.
Fred didn’t struggle at all financially. He was discovered by the bbc in the early 80s and became quite wealthy from then on. He was worth a couple of million when he died. I get your point regarding the kardashians though
@@Guvna07 did Fred have to sell his motorcycle after his first divorce? The last few years of his life he may have had some $ but until then it didn’t look like he did.
It’s tragic that Fred’s legacy wasn’t managed correctly. The house, the engines, all of it was just heartbreaking to see. Watching this video reminds one of how special Fred was, and it’s such a shame his work and contribution to society wasn’t captured properly. Last I saw, a local businessman was offering individual rooms out in his family house for rent to small businesses, after Leon had his play with it all.
I am American and only know him from videos and it is clear he was a good honest hard working man. I work in construction and did some crazy stuff but nothing like what he did. He must have had ice water in his veins.
That last bit where Fred's getting off the platform makes me go cold and I don't mind heights. Incredible man and a massive heart just to take a job like that on.
There were likely many Fred's before, however they have been lost to history. The fact Fred was brought into the spot light was sheer coincidence as BBC just randomly decided to do a small documentary on steeplejacks which he featured in. If they never did this, Fred would have still did his thing, and hardly anyone would be aware of his existence.
So pleased I found these videos. I watched Fred and his series on TV all those years ago and it still gives me the colly wobbles to see this absolute master at his trade. Does anyone do this type of thing now? Whoever does, they are very, very brave and I think Fred must have had nerves of steel. Great skill and great entertainer, possibly never see his like again....
‘The next day Fred got underway with a big chimney maintenance job….’ Absolutely brilliant 🤣🤣The legend that was & still is Fred Dibnah ! … Isambard Kingdom Brunel is drinking pints with him as we watch this video. Sheer class Act !
@@pauljables6142 There are other BBC videos here that allude to it, and there are discussions in several comment threads here. You can Google 'fred dibnah bad father' if you want to read for yourself. His first wife Allison left him because he spent so much time with his steam engines, his second wife left him for another man and moved away with his two sons. And he cut his third wife out of his will. The fact that he was married three times isn't a coincidence. The media has a way of whitewashing things when it wants to. He was an interesting character, and made for some good TV, but he wasn't a saint.
Well done, Fred. No nonsense, no frills, no political correctness (thank goodness) just common sense and hard work. A real master at work. Bet any elf n safety fanatic would have kittens watching this - and nobody got hurt! Brilliant Bolton down to earth attitude. He is missed.
how many died building something like the Forth road bridge in the late 50s/early 60s despite working in very high winds, at very high heights and no plastic hats or harnesses? I'll tell you, four, in a collapsed building on land. H&S is all too eager to shift responsibility away from the vulnerable yet absolve poor behaviour/work patterns because someone wasn't wearing X, when in fact it would never have happened if the other person was actually doing Y. H&S professionals understand that PPE is the very last thing you look at and even then it's rarely effective because of risk compensation. This is why Dibnah and others who didn't go in for taking risks because they thought they were protected by 'safety aids' and took their time to understand risk didn't have 'half a day owt wi' undertaker'
To think when he's got a ladder from the ground all the way up a chimney, he then has to go round the other side of the chimney and do it again. Legend.
Yep, nuts of steel this lad. Proud to be from the same area as Fred and I was lucky to have bumped into him on a couple of occasions in the local pub back in the day.
The engineering that went into building structures capable of keeping aloft Fred's gigantic set of bollocks is incredible.
this comment should have had 1000 like by now :-) LOL
@@alphamale068 working on it !!!
I regulalry terrify youngsters with tales of home made bosuns' chairs ( 2 foot plank off cut with a hole in middle with an old gym rope knotted through it ) and the like ... amazingly never heard of anyone getting killed ... tons of injuries though ... fell down the inside of a water tower safety ladder whilst painting the outside of the hoops ... that thing in films where they grab onto something and everythings ok ... nope
same with catching someone thats falling ... been there
point is ... hats off to fred , may he rest easy in front of a roaring firebox with an endless cuppa and a decent piece and ham
I'm showing everyone this vid
😂
😂😂
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I completely understand Fred's philosophy of working alone. It was a lonely job but any mistakes he only had himself to blame. I met him many times at 'Steam Dos' as he called them, there wasnt one ounce of fear in the man, I watch his videos and I have nightmares at night sometimes, that im up on one of those narrow boards and have to climb down! It makes my stomach turn just watching him up there. He was a grafter, a gentleman and a craftsman.....and there will never be another like him. I was honoured to have known him.
Climbing down is always the hardest part
Hes a beautiful fearless gentleman
@@dynomar11 down is easy..harder goin up
He was crazy cool!!!
You lucky sod! :)
This should be shown in schools all over the world . What man can do RIP FRED.
I met Fred Dibnah once at a steam fair. He treated me like an old mate, chatted without seeming like he wanted to get away, and in fact, I reckon if I’d have stayed he’d have chatted to me all day. A real man and a National treasure. Rest in peace Fred.
when TV was this good, you only needed 3 channels
Yep and as the saying goes " I have 300 channels but nothing to watch "
In Philly it was channel 3,6 , an 10. The PBS idiots were on 12.
Posh was you we could only afford 1
@@andrewrobert2944 Every telly in the UK had 3 channels minimum in the 70s
@@andrewrobert2944 😆
I am from Slovenia, land of the highest chimney in Europe. I've stumbled upon "Fred" yesterday and I must say, I am far beyond words. Rest in peace Fred.
Headkick Ko he has done lots of telly shows about industrial history, I have read his book, he had a way of explaining things that was unique
i think if he had the chance when he was a steeple he would work on that to, taller the better for him, think i would need nappies.
Hi from England. Can you understand Fred ok? I’m just curious.
@@shanemanchester Fred was from Bolton so how did the English understand him😀
@@shanemanchester I can understand Fred just fine.. Some English accents give me trouble but not his..
The sheer physical strength and stamina needed to build this structure at the top of a chimney is staggering.
I have worked with quite a few bricklayers in the past and not a single one would work on this scaffolding lol
I used to think this was pure madness, but I now admire the ingenuity, the methodical work involved and the mental and physical strengths most people (include myself) lack. Fred was an extraordinary human being. RIP.
@@brianmeen2158 Kids these days...
@@Aerojet01 Its taken me years to realise the extent at which Fred was an utter bloody genius, I've no tv here nowadays but obviously youtube is crucial to this; as someone says above, an extraordinary human being. Consummate insight and ability at a task very few wld ever contemplate. Imagine the sheer hard effort and long days to get things done, he's done half a days work when some of us (me) have hardly got out of bed! RIP the great man !!!
His strength stamina flexibility and ingenuity truly staggering.
And all with a woodbine in his mouth lol he was an unbelievable human being.
Just a quick word of praise for the cameraman who went up that ladder and filmed from the scaffolding.
Nah man, that's drone footage
@@evanosburn718 Not in the 1970s it isn't!
I suspect it's a fellow steeplejack who was taught to use a camera
Shot from a cherry picker.
If based on a few other films, I believe the camera crews had access to Cherry Pickers.
When he lays the corner slats loose near the end of the job, he isn't even tied to anything and has a cigarette on the go. Unreal! His accent is probably a dying part of northern English heritage as well. Great programme and a historical record.
If you close your eyes and just imagine him saying "no lighty no likey" I would say thats paddy mcguinness from take me out.
Nah people from the Bolton area still talk with the same accent.
The accent lives.
Yes we still talk in a “proper” Bolton twang!!! RIP Fred!
Who's watching this legend in 2024, incredible man. Scares the crap outa me watching Fred.
John Fothergill he’s a silly fucker who obviously doesn’t give a fuck about his family
@@lordbutler996 troll
@@lordbutler996 he was a hard working man who came from an era where you worked or you starved.
i am from germany and i watchin this stuff since 4 episodes and i like it... it is very comfy/relaxing film material. not like that crap of nowadays tv-"history"
@@hurius I agree 😉
He just saunters up that ladder like it's a walk in the park..incredible stamina to climb a vertical ladder like that..what a man what a legend..Rest In Peace fred.x
When he said ''You feel the chimney moving in the wind'' i just freaking lost it. What a freaking legend of a man! Hanging from the top of a massive chimney without securing ropes, sitting on a plank secured to tied on ladders while using steel rods that he pinpoints into holes across the width of the chimney. I dont think ive seen a feat of strength that made me feel at awe but this clip just made me utterly and madly impressed!
I can feel my palms sweating just watching.
He earnt his paycheck that's for sure
"Once it's up, its like your working on the ground"
I'm with you on that.
What I find incredible is that he must have had to repeat that sequence several times as he knocked down the chimney!
Not just a legendary steeple jack he was a very good engineer both on paper and making that drawing come to life RIP Sir Fred Dibnah legend of the north.
Was he the last one to do things this way? The manw as amazing
Yes you can tell that he has drawn many blueprints in his lifetime. What an amazing specimen. People really were built different back in the day!
The norf remembers.
He should definitely be given a posthumous knighthood
His freehand drawing was very precise. Amongst all his other incredible skills.
Fred had nerves of steel. He was a skilled, tough and hard working steeplejack, who took on challenges that would be beyond most men. I never cease to wonder when I see these programmes as to Fred’s bravery. He should have been paid a king’s ransom for his work as well as his services to engineering! A marvellous and inspirational working man!
The Central Bank of England gave him worthless pieces of paper that were constantly losing value in exchange for risking his life every day
@@whiteyfisk9769 , we're all being given that, but I guess most of us aren't risking our lives on a daily basis.
@@whiteyfisk9769 impossible. The central bank doesn’t give. It’s takes :P
Every safety officer and insurance man is having an aneurysm looking at this. Good man Fred! Nowadays there'd be a team of mountain climbers with all their gear and a separate team of scaffolders to do what Fred did alone. I admire him and he scares the bejayus out of me. Great video. Thanks for posting. RIP Fred.
In this day and age it would take 5 years to sort the paperwork out before anything physical got done!!
Absolute legend. Not only did he do it so well .. he spoke about it so well. The production quality was outstanding too. I lean forward at the screen watching this ... shitting myself.
Stevie Knox great comment and so true.
Me too
Yeah...spot on Steve....me too
I've been searching for a phrase to best describe "the viewing of Dibnah", and you've more than coined it. Many thanks...
Same except my butt is clamped closed even more securely than those ladders are fixed to that chimney. I won't shit myself cos I'm too terrified to move a muscle.
Fred was a customer and friend of my dad's back in Bolton. I remember how I used to feel bored rigid as a know-it-all teenager, as he waffled on about chimneys and Victorian this and that. Having watched this as an adult, I will never think of him as anything except a big-balled Boltonian legend! RIP Fred... sorry for all my stifled yawns as a teenager
Blah blah blah 😑
Just like everyone’s grandad was chilling with the krays in the east end and everyone’s nana sucked them off back of the west end clubs stfu
@@gooner49life40 not really joker. In those days bolton was quite a small place compared to today. All trades people had a small amount of places you would go for materials such as timber. Steel. Bolts etc so everyone in various trades always bumped into each other. You can't really compare tradesmen with underworld gangsters can you. Fred worked everywhere in and around Bolton. Not just on chimneys but on churches etc so lots of people knew him and in those days he wasn't a celebrity just a normal working guy earning a crust
The JoKeR stupid fucking comment!!!!
The JoKeR you tell the world what YOU’VE ever achieved/invented/produced/manufactured/marketed. I bet I know the answer.... FUCK ALL!!
One more think to makes You proud to be born in UK 🇬🇧
"when you've got all the gear up it's a magnificent feat." Never a truer word spoken Fred.
9:20 "You can work quite comfortably as though you were on the ground" 😂😂😂😂😂 This man is a legend.
"You can work quite comfortably as if you were on the ground"
*kneels on plank 400 foot up*
With a howling wind to boot
@@jimweir6735 it were nearly blowing ash in his eyes!
I had to laugh when I first saw him building the ladder with bits of string ...
Rumour has it that Chris Bonington got to the top of Everest and read “ Fred Was Ere “ in the snow
Most people would be frozen in fear at that height, even with the platform, they would be too scared to move.
@@tubester4567 Like me...........I'm most people!
I wish they would show those programmes again but the won't because he broke every rule in the book. Fantastically strong man
fancy seeing you here!
Ha! Hi to you. Can't help but admire the way he pushes those timber around. I did a bit of rope access work and it is knackering.
Skill Builder I know, looking at all the staging at the end the amount of work he did was immense. Doing it on the ground is one thing but having the balls and strength to do it in the air is something else.
Legend!!!
Damn right! No rails round the outside and less than 2 ft of planking to work on, madness. I've worked with tree surgeon's who have a similar disregard for height. I have immense admiration for these blokes; I'm bricking it up a 20ft ladder.
I showed this to my grandfather who was a roofer his entire life and he said that this man has to be the most confident and funny man he has ever seen.
He really enjoyed all his little jokes.
Just HOW did Fred do all of this ! Putting scaffolding together like he did never mind all of the climbing and getting all of the materials up there, Fred deserved to be a millionaire for the skill and knowledge that he had, god bless him.
Yes, I sincerely wish the money had been better, I bet the bastards still beat him down on price .... NO-ONE starting again cld do what he did. RIP Fred, one of a kind.
"If the rope breaks . Well ya dead. it's a half a day out with the undertaker "
Legend
Well could be worse you see. Some might argue that it's better to have half a day with the undertaker and a week with the Grim Reaper than half an hour with the wife and a weekend with your mother-in-law.
A master stack hand.
I worked with a now retired boilermaker who reminds me so much of this gentleman.
He is now 86. I started at 22 helping him. I’m now 61.
He worked on stacks so high the choppers bringing structure up emerged from the fog below into brilliant sunshine above. The most fearless man I’ve worked with.
I went over the side of an old hydro electric dam in a bolson chair to weld some test fittings to the face.
It wasn’t the height but that black-green water swirling below. But one has to trust your ropes.
That dam from the late 1800’s flood gates had water spraying from ever possible seem. Eight inch planks between you and countless millions of gallons.
If Fred were alive now he’d be knocking 86…. You don’t get men of that breed anymore, made them of tough stuff back then.
Tree surgeon here, worked for 5 years before as a builder/roofer and I can confidently say that man has balls of steel!
And large, so much so he has to leave them in the truck, as to not intimidate the smoke stack.
but to work with no fall arrest as he did in many jobs is plain stupid, as much as I admire his work and courage!
His drawings say it all My dad was an engineer loved the man , god bless them both .. rip chaps
This is quite extraordinary. I'm a roofer so heights aren't a problem but this, wow. I could never do this in a million years, what a man.
Im a Linesman and im with you Eddie scares the crap out of me the things he does at that height. 40- 50 foot im happy with.
you wouldnt get away with it now doing what fred does balls of steel ill say that much
I am roofer and height is always your biggest problem.Otherwise I would do it inside on a floor.
benny woo they are loads of people like Fred in his time all over the world that’s how it was done 🐅...not like the little pussy of today a house roof is not even high.
I remember watching this first time round and it turns my stomach just as much now, I don’t know how people have the nerve to cope with it. Look at stuff like this czcams.com/video/VEyofVMEzmA/video.html
This man was totally unique. There never will be another Fred Dibnah.
I would say that Guy Martin is a good contender for the 21st century Fred Dibnah.
@@johnlocke1977 you can't be serious?....Fred Dibnah came from a working class background who needed to work to survive, and was a very humble man, not some former motorcycle racer turned TV presenter who has never did an honest days work in his life. You couldn't be anymore wrong thinking these two people are alike.
You are they both are similar but in different ways.
Both working men,Guy tyre fitter/mechanic (racing is his passion/hobby crap money that’s why you need sponsorship.,both life threatening.Both ended up as tv presenters.
Both family men both from up north,well from me that is.
@@johnlocke1977 Guy Martin may be fearless, but he has not been so good at avoiding injuries. Lucky to survive those crashes.
First time I’ve agreed to such a terminal, extreme compliment.
I used to be a scaffolder...and watching Fred climb that ladder makes me dizzy lol. Had the privilege meeting the man 30 odd years ago, very very interesting man to talk too..
This is my first acquaintance with Mr. Dibnah, can't believe I never heard of him, what a legend.
Now we know why England was so great, they had People like Fred.
Far cry now
Imagine It's your last day at school and you're looking for a job, dad says don't worry son I know this bloke Fred who's looking for an apprentice...….
Flair4Air yes and beening his Apprentice, you would have to start at the bottom of the ladder!
@@beatlebrian4404 and finish at the top.
Flying apprentice
@@beatlebrian4404 🙄 🤣 😂
@@firesurfer 😜 😅 😆
I used to watch this with my da, he was a roofer ,old style roofer, and he was amazed by this man. I could listen to him all day. Amazing
I have watched most of Fred's videos and everytime it gives you butterflies.
He was unbelievable.
When Chuck Norris googles a real man.
Holding a 16’ plank with one hand placing in across the beams while dangling from a rope. Most people could not do that with two hands standing on the ground. What a fearless man.
Absolutely!!!
This man is utterly fearless..! His skill, attitude, and doggedness are legendary. Fred Dibnah is truly a national treasure.
Godspeed Fred Dibnah..!!
I’ve watched this many times and still can’t believe my eyes how he navigates his way round the chimney with those rods and planks with out a care🙈he really was a one-off .r.I.p Fred ✌🏻
Steeplejack extraordinaire, balls of a stallion..R.I.P. Fred..
brian marsh yep 100% definately
“There’s not many folk who get to experience being up there on a windy day and feeling the chimney sway a few inches back and forth” that’s because there’s not many folk with balls as big as yours Fred
Well described.
We used to paint factory ceilings 100 feet up standing on one youngerman board..... that was scary
Glad health and safety stopped most of the madness
This is why Northerners exist. To show the shandy-drinking-Wendys down South how to do things properly.
I see him smoking a cigarette up there. Doesn't he know smoking is dangerous?
The question is, How does he light his cigarette in a gale force wind?
@@GradyPhilpott he just reached over and touched the sun with his cigarette
Never mind the smoking, look at the job he does!
K F she’s being sarcastic 🤣
dyldoeshizzle you don’t say!
Not only must Fred of had immense physical strength for such a small bloke, he must of been mentally as tough as nails. Its hard to fathom how any human being could take on such a massive task with such very basic tools and equipment. Hes basically got nothing more than some ladders, rope, wood and iron pins. He was clearly a master of what he did.
What a hard working guy 👍🏻 someone that Britain can be very proud of.did things his way.unbelievable watching him erect those ladders to the top of those chimneys.and as for his scaffolding.just remarkable 😱 you were a one off Fred....R.I.P
A proper grafter,I’m not afraid of hard work,but I couldn’t do what this man does.
People like Fred dibnah,very few and far between.What a man! RIP
I can see the chimney that Fred did from my bedroom window here in Cambridge on the old pumping station at riverside ( it is very high). He fiitted anti lightning rods bi laterally to the top. He has balls of steel and they are still standing strong. A true proper Englishman of the best sort :-)
@Mr Cabot he meant the lightning conductors!
I go dizzy when I'm up my step ladder painting my ceilings . How he can do this is beyond me!! Such a brave man
Man, that fella has skills and balls of steel. I was terrified just watching him 😱
One of the greatest Englishman to have ever lived.
only an englishman can put up a stupid scaffold like that around a chimney, i know a little bit about chimneys, worked on chimneys from 1957 till 2010 on chimneys on 2 continents.what a clown and a show off
No need for that comment.
@@wpaschvoss Ok Boomer.
@@wpaschvoss prove it lard arse
@@wpaschvoss prove it
We all know Fred was a fearless climber, but did anyone notice he was also a stellar freehand draftsman?
He studied art before becoming a Steeplejack.
@@HappyBear376 Oh that makes sense, good to know.
Beautiful freehand stuff , just a legend
And also a very witty man to boot! This guy has it all and made it look effortless
Unbelievable stuff. I have to believe there is even 1 person in a million who could do this kind of physically demanding work and especially at such dangerous heights, and yet there he is, probably not fazed by the task and wondering at all the fuss. I often look at these feats of construction and wonder how they're done, now I start to appreciate what's involved. I Hope whoever is paying Fred realizes he's getting a bargain at any price!
Can't get bored of watching Fred absolute legend .
The strength required to put those rods across in wind into holes 14 feet away is incredible.
Plus the strength in his legs to climb that stack.
incredible man , great work ethic would have loved to work with or for him for a while
@@lindabingham394 I am from Darwen where this chimney is for India Cotton Mill. I was born and bred in Darwen since the 60s and for us Fred was Jesus I see this Tower daily where my 2 uncles from Pakistan worked in the cotton mills. Yorkshire men are built of rocks. I would have loved to work with him. I am impressed as a woman you be brave enough to climb ladders.
@@fessellsahmed2587 how's the racism nowadays?
@@fessellsahmed2587 as a Yorkshireman I agree, but Fred's a Lancashireman...
Fred: what a genius, legend, and nutcase he was. I had forgotten what a stupendously brave man he was, on top of being a top notch engineer. Great stuff.
What a lovely film. Fred D was a hard working man of courage. Each mistake could be his last, and he knew it.
Bolton is an amazing place, and has raised some marvellous people.Kudos to the North West.
Thank you for uploading this beauty.
R.I.P Fred.
He was truly one of a kind.
even better than a circus act.
big respect for this craftsman.
Amazing is the fact that he did live his full live and did not came down the fast way.
Watching this clip in absolute awe. - If only more people of my generation and younger, had an iota of the bravery, strength and work-ethic that this man had.
Even in my fearless younger days when I first saw this guy I was in awe at his bravery.No way could I have done this at that kind of height.His skills were amazing.
The think that amazes me about Fred is that he was so damned humble. Watching him on that stack and doing everything so casual is gobsmacking. I can’t fix my eyes on it for long cause it makes me feel faint. A real Superman. He could have been a top stuntman in another life.
People get knighted for singing some for playing football Fred didn't get knighted what a strange country we live in
I thought he did? Wikipedia says he's a MBE, don't know if that's the same
Apartently he did get MBE.... Sure it was deserved, but I'm not sure why everyone in the comments thinks that everyman who has a hands on job deserves a knighthood for it 🙈
@@John...44... your right he was awarded a MBE but your missing my point . The MBE doesn't make you a sir unlike Mick Jagger Elton John Paul McCartney Bobby Charlton or was this lot more deserving.PS in my view it should be scrapped unless it involves bravery or charitable deeds .
@@michaelmoran9399 but mbe's and knithoods etc are not just for bravary and whatever. They are for people who have done great thing for the country in their related field. So footballers and singers do deserve them because that is what the honours are there for... And although I like Fred very much and admire what I have seen on the TV and don't think he is more deserved of the honour anymore than the footballers or singers
@@John...44... sorry we will have to agree to disagree
As of Feb 2019, 182 Health and Safety inspectors watched this vid and shit their frilly silken knickers.
Lol.
As of Feb 2021, 413 watched it.
"Elf 'n Safety, oo's them?"....
The modern health and safety bod would drop down dead unable to comprehend this. This is from a time when health and safety wasn’t invented. People spent decades learning their job until they were ready to be called qualified, they were properly trained to do the job and respected their equipment and even more so respected the dangers of the job. If anything went wrong you could guarantee it was because they themselves screwed up. These people worked in an age of personal responsibility, these days nobody takes accountability for their screw ups; it’s always someone else’s fault.
@@rayeasom Spot on.....Now you just need a ticket to show you can do a job, not ages of ken actually fucking doing it!.....
Fred was an incredible skilful and tough steeplejack who took the ultimate risks to earn a living. He was a unique character who symbolised the values of hard work. Very few people could have done the steeplejack work which Fred performed. I still marvel at his stamina and courage.
Thanks for the explanation.
Exactly my thoughts too. Not many people could do what he did. I certainly couldn't. Terrified of heights. Fred was a legend.
Takes incredible strength and endurance to hold those long boards and rods extended out like that, and hes doing it mostly with 1 arm, while the other holds to the ladder. Even light weight things are troublesome.
That's like an 8 hour spacewalk... but aside an old chimney !!! NO wonder this steeplejack got a statue in Bolton... Respect !
Assuming I had the balls to do it in the first place, my arms and legs would be pure knackered by the time I got a quarter of the way up there, he just strolls up there like he is out for a walk in the country, PURE RESPECT.
Duncan Irvine we would climb 200ft silos and some of the old/ out of shape guys would have to stop 3 or 4 times and take a breather. One guy got up there and locked up, couldnt move, had to get the fire department to come get em down.
Curtis Richardson Fred would have carried them up Pmsl
Curtis Richardson was
and don't forget he'd come down for a few pints at lunchtime and then go back up in the afternoon
Puffing on a dart too.
Nice to see the comments here about Fred and how amazing the guy was. I know he belongs to a different era but it was my lifetime. Reminds me a little about how John Noaks climed up Nelson's column for Blue Peter without any safety harness. Fred could do that in his sleep.
Yeah but Noakes was a bloody TV presenter, not qualified in the slightest, what he did was unbelievable.
What a man, What a legend RIP Sir Fred Dibnah 🙏
I used to work at height on masts and often had to free climb with equipment up to heights of 300 ft (approx 100m). The highest I ever free climbed was 750 ft, just over 230m. During training we climbed on old WW2 wooden lattice masts that were of 1930's vintage and constructed to hold the old RAF 'Chain Home' radar system. That was pretty scary, you could look down and see the old grass covered craters where the Luftwaffe had tried to bomb it. When we qualified we were sent out to our operational areas and I remember my first climb being only about 30 ft up. I was absolutely terrified and hung on for grim death. Within a few months of daily climbing, both at night as well as during the day time, I was soon climbing up and down the masts and working away unrestrained at heights, walking across the beams with no harness, no problem. You get used to it and the height no longer scares you. However, looking at this and knowing what it feels like to be at height, this scares the crap out of me. We worked on steel masts, secure, solid structures with lots of cross beams to hang on to. This chap is swaying in the wind and making his own rickety platforms which he is relying on to save his life. I know they're secure, I know he was a legend and very safety conscious for the age, but just, no, no thank you. My hat goes off to him, he truly did have balls of steel and I have a great appreciation for the difficulties he faced. I really do admire him.
@Chase Williams I was a communications engineer in the army and we used to install various bits and bobs on masts at all times of the day and night.
Ayee fucking brass bollocks Fred
To see how relaxed he is kneeling on that plank 150' up in that wind, he was made of sterner stuff, knowing the weight of those boards, the way he handles them across the void and manages to lay them spot on across his batten is positively awe inspiring, and when you think everything is held on with a few iron holdfasts driven in to a wood plug in a chisseled hole he made with a lump hammer, he has tremendous faith in his own skills, we shall not see the like again, Fred was in the mould of the men who built those chimneys...
Wyte peepo hab no culture tho
@@whiteyfisk9769 white people have tons of culture. do you realize how many different kinds of white people there even is?
@@whiteyfisk9769 what culture does that language you’re writing come from?!
@@whiteyfisk9769 “white” isn’t a race lol there is 1000 different breeds of white people with a multitude of different cultures.
@@rampage3337 He was being sarcastic. Mocking the politicians and university employees who make such statements.
He must have been extremely strong to endure those climbs and manipulate everything on his own. A Star!
Nothing but respect for Fred. A life well lived indeed, a man to look up to" pun" unintended.
Dibnah: a measurement tool used for manliness
I think a measure of bravery. Having a cock doesn't make you brave. Won't catch me up there sitting on that little swing thing.
Pete Dibnah, when I knew him, was an unmanly idiot.
@@Longtack55
What about Fred?
Measured in hundredths
On my best days I can manage 0.001 Dibnah
Climbing up a 200ft vertical ladder is a physical challenge . Fred would do it smoking a Capstan then scout out the nearest pub when he reached the top .
He had already been in the nearest pub before climbing up.
@@wishfix and had a couple of pints before climbing
salsageordie and this one was 285 ft and that wasn't even the tallest one that he climbed.
Yeah because drinking and smoking cigarettes is hard as fook
The camera work was just fantastic......unbelievable work by all involved!
Seeing a lot of comments about the height etc. Fred’s a legend. I’m a joiner, Scotland. Being doing it 26 years now. You actually get that used to being at height that it doesn’t bother you. Try walk along a kerb, easy. Do it at height? Fear keeps you alive ironically
I'm a scaffolder..and I get sweaty hands just watching this man...what a gent.rip Fred...
Absolutely awesome man and to think he spent his life in such a dangerous job but was taken by cancer 😥 RIP....one in a million, you are missed
Fred’s freehand drawing skills are nearly as good as CAD!!!
Fred had nerves of steel.
This is reality tv, how come Fred struggled financially, and then you get people like the Kardashian’s becoming millionaires, just for having an oversized ar*# no justice.
Fred's arse was a lot stronger than people think, the Kardashians aren't in the same league for size or strength.
Fred didn’t struggle at all financially. He was discovered by the bbc in the early 80s and became quite wealthy from then on. He was worth a couple of million when he died. I get your point regarding the kardashians though
This is the kind of comment i'd expect to read ten years ago. no seriously, ten years ago. get over it.
@@Guvna07 did Fred have to sell his motorcycle after his first divorce? The last few years of his life he may have had some $ but until then it didn’t look like he did.
Kardashians* no apostrophe in plurals
It’s tragic that Fred’s legacy wasn’t managed correctly. The house, the engines, all of it was just heartbreaking to see. Watching this video reminds one of how special Fred was, and it’s such a shame his work and contribution to society wasn’t captured properly. Last I saw, a local businessman was offering individual rooms out in his family house for rent to small businesses, after Leon had his play with it all.
As a person who just today got to know about him. Can you tell the story, what happened to him?
Nonsense
@@mcdell6970 on what grounds? The adverts were literally on Facebook for rooms in the house lol.
@@herrroy4963Fred died of the big C poor guy
I am American and only know him from videos and it is clear he was a good honest hard working man. I work in construction and did some crazy stuff but nothing like what he did. He must have had ice water in his veins.
This man is working on a different level to anyone else I can think of.
Every time I feel a bit too confident I just watch Fred do this and it soon puts me back in my place.
Tough, honest, hardworking men like Fred built the Northwest. He was the last of his kind, God bless him.
Love watching his old shows and stuff sitting in total awe of the man
What a remarkable human being Mr Dibnah was. Never see the like again now. RIP
That last bit where Fred's getting off the platform makes me go cold and I don't mind heights. Incredible man and a massive heart just to take a job like that on.
He goes up the chimney ladder like he is just nipping up to the attic for the afternoon.
There were likely many Fred's before, however they have been lost to history. The fact Fred was brought into the spot light was sheer coincidence as BBC just randomly decided to do a small documentary on steeplejacks which he featured in. If they never did this, Fred would have still did his thing, and hardly anyone would be aware of his existence.
This guy has balls of steel ! Definitely a lost art and a dying breed of worker. Amazing.
What a wonderful British institution he was RIP our kid
So pleased I found these videos. I watched Fred and his series on TV all those years ago and it still gives me the colly wobbles to see this absolute master at his trade.
Does anyone do this type of thing now?
Whoever does, they are very, very brave and I think Fred must have had nerves of steel.
Great skill and great entertainer, possibly never see his like again....
Who needs to buy a TV licence when Fred was on ITV
‘The next day Fred got underway with a big chimney maintenance job….’ Absolutely brilliant 🤣🤣The legend that was & still is Fred Dibnah ! … Isambard Kingdom Brunel is drinking pints with him as we watch this video. Sheer class Act !
"If the rope breaks, you're dead. That's half a day out with the undertaker."
I defy any man not to respect Fred.
He was a terrible father and husband. Worship no idols.
@@andybaldmanlol
@@andybaldman proof?
@@pauljables6142 There are other BBC videos here that allude to it, and there are discussions in several comment threads here. You can Google 'fred dibnah bad father' if you want to read for yourself. His first wife Allison left him because he spent so much time with his steam engines, his second wife left him for another man and moved away with his two sons. And he cut his third wife out of his will. The fact that he was married three times isn't a coincidence. The media has a way of whitewashing things when it wants to. He was an interesting character, and made for some good TV, but he wasn't a saint.
@@andybaldman the medias in the past are politic correct, same like today but in the past, it was easier for manipulate the people
Well done, Fred. No nonsense, no frills, no political correctness (thank goodness) just common sense and hard work. A real master at work. Bet any elf n safety fanatic would have kittens watching this - and nobody got hurt! Brilliant Bolton down to earth attitude. He is missed.
Bill Franks no one got hurt, !!!!!! Check statistics for people who worked at height in the 40s,50s and 60s.
Sam Caddick Passmore stop it, that’s pandering to “political correctness”.
Thomas Farrell
Fuck off, Tommy.
how many died building something like the Forth road bridge in the late 50s/early 60s despite working in very high winds, at very high heights and no plastic hats or harnesses? I'll tell you, four, in a collapsed building on land. H&S is all too eager to shift responsibility away from the vulnerable yet absolve poor behaviour/work patterns because someone wasn't wearing X, when in fact it would never have happened if the other person was actually doing Y. H&S professionals understand that PPE is the very last thing you look at and even then it's rarely effective because of risk compensation. This is why Dibnah and others who didn't go in for taking risks because they thought they were protected by 'safety aids' and took their time to understand risk didn't have 'half a day owt wi' undertaker'
Always enjoyable and educational. A true genius.
To think when he's got a ladder from the ground all the way up a chimney, he then has to go round the other side of the chimney and do it again. Legend.
Yep, nuts of steel this lad. Proud to be from the same area as Fred and I was lucky to have bumped into him on a couple of occasions in the local pub back in the day.
If that's really the case I am extremely envious of you. i'd have loved to have met that Great Briton.