5 ms·

Fred Dibnah – Steeplejack (1979) [video]

91 points by grhmc 11y ago

stevep98 11y ago
I went to school with Fred's Nephew! Fred was well known around the area as a steam-machine-tinkerer extraordinaire.
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mrmrcoleman 11y ago
Amazing guy!
nothrowaway 11y ago
If anyone is wondering how he got the ladders up the side of the chimney in the first place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e0C57orM1s&t=10m25s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e0C57orM1s&t=10m25s I rediscovered Fred on YouTube a couple of years ago, and spent far too much time watching pretty much everything I could find. As the title suggests, watching the overhang climb in this is enough to make you feel dizzy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3-YwDZrzg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3-YwDZrzg
- ablation 11y ago
  Wow. Can't believe I've never seen that overhang climb video before. Found it hard to watch - I just can't imagine doing anything like that. But extremely impressive.
  - gadders 11y ago
    And 50 years old as well. He just looks like a tubby little fellow but I bet he's hard as nails under the overall.
- onion2k 11y ago
  I'm a little surprised that there weren't permanent ladders, or at least the gear to attach ladders, as a feature of the chimney. The cost of a dozen ladders and some bolts would be a few hundred pounds (in modern terms) compared to the thousands you'd pay a person to 'ladder up' a chimney before it could be worked on.
  - dageshi 11y ago
    I wonder if they'd degrade to the point where they were no longer trustworthy? If we're talking about decades and decades which it seems like we are then at some point you'd maybe end up having to repair/maintain the ladder/access bolts as well as the tower itself.
    - mcuk2k 11y ago
      There are steps on telegraph poles above a certain point - the wooden ones at least. Modern metal ones have signs that forbid the use of ladders and they end up using cherry pickers - which seems a bit backwards in an odd sort of a way.
paulajohnson 11y ago
His idea of a holiday was to knock a chimney down in Blackpool in exchange for a new boiler while his family went to the beach.
- gadders 11y ago
  Yeah - that didn't work out too well for him. From his Telegraph obituary [1]: "Dibnah did not much care for holidays and never wanted to go abroad. Alison, stoic for years, decided that there was more to life than climbing chimneys. She took their children on a package holiday to Greece, and on her return moved out with them." [1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1476086/Fred-Dibnah.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1476086/Fred-Dibn...
petepete 11y ago
I'm sure I shouldn't be spending my Monday morning watching this, but his enthusiasm is infectious. Also, the last thing I'd expect to see on HN, not that I mind.
- Graham24 11y ago
  indeed, and I'm (just about) old enough to remember this from the first time around. what on earth do people from America make of this? Mind you, they must have had chimneys over there to knock down too, so 'appen they had their own Fred to do it
ablation 11y ago
An amazingly enthusiastic and talented man, and a wonderful/revealing snapshot of (mostly) northern England during the 70s.
- sooper 11y ago
  Truely. Self taught and brilliant at what he did. Though I know the ending, I still get nervous watching him on the top of dodgy smokestacks with no safety equipment!
lamby 11y ago
I find it wasn't necessarily what he did (steam engines, chimneys, etc.) even though that was pretty interesting in itself, but his attitude and infectious enthusiasm.
kitd 11y ago
I was an avid fan of Fred when he was regularly on UK TV. A quality unlikely to be appreciated outside the UK, but his "Yorkshireness" is superb.
- dazc 11y ago
  but his "Yorkshireness" is superb. He was Lancastrian. It's minor detail but as a Yorkshireman I felt compelled to correct you.
  - kitd 11y ago
    Bloody hell, you're right! Existential crisis ensues
- gadders 11y ago
  My Dad used to make me watch him growing up in the '70s and '80s. I don't think I really appreciated it properly at the time.
SmellyGeekBoy 11y ago
Huge Fred fan here. A great example of a life spend doing what he loved and loving what he did. The rest of us could learn a lot from him.
zimpenfish 11y ago
I saw him bring down a chimney in Leigh as a school outing. Marvellous.
philo23 11y ago
Absolutely loved watching Fred growing up. Interesting seeing it on HN, but I'm just glad it means a few more people can appreciate this amazing man.
- grhmc 11y ago
  Yeah, I posted it in response to the robotic bricklayer. Semi-tangential.
wr1472 11y ago
Fred had a working replica coal mine in his back garden. Here is the full programme on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk
CraigJPerry 11y ago
It's the infectious enthusiasm that draws me in. He was an awesome man. I see some of the same qualities in Guy Martin's presenting style.
- zumatic 11y ago
  Yes! I'm glad someone else notices the similarities. Both suck-it-and-see northerners (though I think Martin comes from Grimsby, not Lancs.)
BuildTheRobots 11y ago
One of the last projects he embarked on before dying was to try and build a replica coal mine (with the help of a handful of friends) in his back garden. I believe there's a single episode made before the local council put the kibosh on things :( Edit: Full hour long episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk
martinj 11y ago
Fred was great. I used to love watching his programs when we moved 'down south' in my early teens. From the overhang video: "Up here, if you make one mistake, it's half a day out with the undertaker" Brilliant!

91 points by grhmc 11y ago

stevep98 11y ago

I went to school with Fred's Nephew! Fred was well known around the area as a steam-machine-tinkerer extraordinaire.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

mrmrcoleman 11y ago

Amazing guy!

nothrowaway 11y ago

If anyone is wondering how he got the ladders up the side of the chimney in the first place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e0C57orM1s&t=10m25s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e0C57orM1s&t=10m25s I rediscovered Fred on YouTube a couple of years ago, and spent far too much time watching pretty much everything I could find. As the title suggests, watching the overhang climb in this is enough to make you feel dizzy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3-YwDZrzg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3-YwDZrzg

ablation 11y ago
Wow. Can't believe I've never seen that overhang climb video before. Found it hard to watch - I just can't imagine doing anything like that. But extremely impressive.
- gadders 11y ago
  And 50 years old as well. He just looks like a tubby little fellow but I bet he's hard as nails under the overall.
onion2k 11y ago
I'm a little surprised that there weren't permanent ladders, or at least the gear to attach ladders, as a feature of the chimney. The cost of a dozen ladders and some bolts would be a few hundred pounds (in modern terms) compared to the thousands you'd pay a person to 'ladder up' a chimney before it could be worked on.
- dageshi 11y ago
  I wonder if they'd degrade to the point where they were no longer trustworthy? If we're talking about decades and decades which it seems like we are then at some point you'd maybe end up having to repair/maintain the ladder/access bolts as well as the tower itself.
  - mcuk2k 11y ago
    There are steps on telegraph poles above a certain point - the wooden ones at least. Modern metal ones have signs that forbid the use of ladders and they end up using cherry pickers - which seems a bit backwards in an odd sort of a way.

paulajohnson 11y ago

His idea of a holiday was to knock a chimney down in Blackpool in exchange for a new boiler while his family went to the beach.

gadders 11y ago
Yeah - that didn't work out too well for him. From his Telegraph obituary [1]: "Dibnah did not much care for holidays and never wanted to go abroad. Alison, stoic for years, decided that there was more to life than climbing chimneys. She took their children on a package holiday to Greece, and on her return moved out with them." [1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1476086/Fred-Dibnah.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1476086/Fred-Dibn...

petepete 11y ago

I'm sure I shouldn't be spending my Monday morning watching this, but his enthusiasm is infectious. Also, the last thing I'd expect to see on HN, not that I mind.

Graham24 11y ago
indeed, and I'm (just about) old enough to remember this from the first time around. what on earth do people from America make of this? Mind you, they must have had chimneys over there to knock down too, so 'appen they had their own Fred to do it

ablation 11y ago

An amazingly enthusiastic and talented man, and a wonderful/revealing snapshot of (mostly) northern England during the 70s.

sooper 11y ago
Truely. Self taught and brilliant at what he did. Though I know the ending, I still get nervous watching him on the top of dodgy smokestacks with no safety equipment!

lamby 11y ago

I find it wasn't necessarily what he did (steam engines, chimneys, etc.) even though that was pretty interesting in itself, but his attitude and infectious enthusiasm.

kitd 11y ago

I was an avid fan of Fred when he was regularly on UK TV. A quality unlikely to be appreciated outside the UK, but his "Yorkshireness" is superb.

dazc 11y ago
but his "Yorkshireness" is superb. He was Lancastrian. It's minor detail but as a Yorkshireman I felt compelled to correct you.
- kitd 11y ago
  Bloody hell, you're right! Existential crisis ensues
gadders 11y ago
My Dad used to make me watch him growing up in the '70s and '80s. I don't think I really appreciated it properly at the time.

SmellyGeekBoy 11y ago

Huge Fred fan here. A great example of a life spend doing what he loved and loving what he did. The rest of us could learn a lot from him.

zimpenfish 11y ago

I saw him bring down a chimney in Leigh as a school outing. Marvellous.

philo23 11y ago

Absolutely loved watching Fred growing up. Interesting seeing it on HN, but I'm just glad it means a few more people can appreciate this amazing man.

grhmc 11y ago
Yeah, I posted it in response to the robotic bricklayer. Semi-tangential.

wr1472 11y ago

Fred had a working replica coal mine in his back garden. Here is the full programme on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk

CraigJPerry 11y ago

It's the infectious enthusiasm that draws me in. He was an awesome man. I see some of the same qualities in Guy Martin's presenting style.

zumatic 11y ago
Yes! I'm glad someone else notices the similarities. Both suck-it-and-see northerners (though I think Martin comes from Grimsby, not Lancs.)

BuildTheRobots 11y ago

One of the last projects he embarked on before dying was to try and build a replica coal mine (with the help of a handful of friends) in his back garden. I believe there's a single episode made before the local council put the kibosh on things :( Edit: Full hour long episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcH4nY43msk

martinj 11y ago

Fred was great. I used to love watching his programs when we moved 'down south' in my early teens. From the overhang video: "Up here, if you make one mistake, it's half a day out with the undertaker" Brilliant!