Fred: The Definitive Biography Of Fred Dibnah

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By the early 1960s the cotton industry and its ancillary trades were in a severe downward spiral of decline. But to just place an explosive charge in the chimney’s base and blow them down when they came to the end of their lives, did not appeal to Fred, for to him there was another more traditional way of felling these chimneys that embodied respect for the old time chimney builders – and would demolish them with great aplomb and not a little drama. If you haven’t already read about him in the Middleton Guardian’s popular Bygone Days pages, Alan McEwen is fast becoming Middleton’s very own Fred Dibnah. He was a most brilliant, natural speaker, and especially gifted in being able to ‘paint a picture’ in his distinctive Boltonian accent”. Some reviewers have said it's a little bit repetitive, but I can almost envisage Fred with a pint of Guinness in hand repeating some of the same stories in different pub - don't we all?

He was a most brilliant, natural speaker, and especially gifted in being able to ‘paint a picture’ in his distinctive Boltonian accent. It is as if you can hear him speaking to you in that wonderful Bolton accent as he tells the story of his life but in doing so, also manages to tell the story of all those people from history that became such an incredible interest to Fred. Printed on quality art paper, this brings out the best in the photographs of preparations such as the pit propping and ‘gobbin out’ procedures utilised by the master. It's his biography that tells the story of his life, from childhood right through to his last years and it's heartwarmingly open, honest and genuine. This publication takes the reader on a fascinating journey during the making of Fred's last TV series in 2004.To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

I knew Fred and I know Alan too and this book gives an insight into the admiration the latter had for the former. A poor condition book can still make a good reading copy but is generally not collectible unless the item is very scarce. The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal. His interest and vast knowledge of all things railway stem from being brought up in the North West of England as part of a railway family. Indeed, many years later when he became famous, he would delight his audiences with his colourful reminiscences and adventures regarding the Lancashire coal mining industry.You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. David's 30 years producing and directing network television programmes include a number of years at both Yorkshire Television and the BBC, as well as making landmark documentaries for Channel 4 and the History Channel.

As Fred grew up, despite parental disapproval, he pursued his first goal of becoming a steeplejack, and it was his outstanding skill in his chosen profession that led to his first appearance on television. It is not only a glorious testament to our nation’s industrial achievements but also a story of the friendships, unfailing courage and determination of the nation’s favourite steeplejack. With his trademark flat cap, enthusiasm and knowledge of the country’s steam past, his gift for storytelling, and his cry of ‘Did you like that? as another giant chimney slid to earth behind him, he quickly became a genuine favourite with viewers. He has passionately and vividly written this excellent book that chronicles 28 of Fred’s amazing and often exceedingly dangerous chimney drops.

In 2004, after felling his last chimney and retiring from steeplejacking, Fred took to the road on his beloved traction engine for the BBC series Made in Britain. As Fred eloquently put it, ‘these chimneys had served their masters well; they were no longer loved and had therefore to be done away with: demolished’. He held these towering structures with great affection and he often related stories about the ‘hard men’, the chimney builders who erected them and of the men also, who maintained and repaired them: the steeplejacks.