Fred Dibnah

Born: 1938-04-29

Frederick "Fred" Dibnah MBE (28 April 1938 – 6 November 2004), born in Bolton, was an English steeplejack and eccentric with a keen interest in mechanical engineering who became a cult television personality. Dibnah was born in a country which then relied heavily upon coal to fuel its industry. As a child he was fascinated by the steam engines which powered the many textile mills in Bolton, but he paid particular attention to chimneys and the men who worked on them. He began his working life as a joiner, before becoming a steeplejack. From age 22, he served for two years in the armed forces, as part of his national service. Once demobilised, he returned to steeplejacking but met with limited success until he was asked to repair Bolton's parish church. The resulting publicity provided a welcome boost to his business, ensuring he was almost never out of work. In 1978, while making repairs to Bolton Town Hall, Dibnah was filmed by a regional BBC news crew. The BBC then commissioned an award-winning documentary, which followed the rough-hewn steeplejack as he worked on chimneys, interacted with his family and talked about his favourite hobby—steam. His Lancastrian manner and gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook, proved popular with viewers and he featured in a number of television programmes. Toward the end of his life, the decline of Britain's industry was mirrored by a decline in his steeplejacking business and Dibnah increasingly came to rely on after-dinner speaking for his income. In 1998, he presented a programme on Britain's industrial history and went on to present a number of series, largely concerned with theIndustrial Revolution and its mechanical and architectural legacy. He died from cancer in November 2004, aged 66. He is survived by his five children from three marriages.


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Fred Dibnah's Getting Steamed Up

as Himself
Released: 1991-09-09

Bolton Steeplejack Fred Dibnah has scaled great heights in his career. In this fascinating...

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Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack

as Self
Released: 1979-09-06

The original 1979 documentary that introduced the world to Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah as he...

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Dig with Dibnah

as Self
Released: 2004-01-08

The ex-steeplejack takes his obsession with Britain's industrial past to the extreme as he...

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Fred Dibnah's The Ups and Downs of Chimneys

as Fred Dibnah
Released: 2004-01-01

"One mistake up here and it's half a day out with the undertaker!" The amazing world of Fred...

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Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain

as Self - Presenter
First aired: 2002-02-11

Fred Dibnah reveals the genius, the vision and the sheer bloody graft that went into creating...

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Fred

as Self
First aired: 1982-09-09

Seven-part series about steeplejack Fred Dibnah

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Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain

as Self - Presenter
First aired: 2005-03-08

Documentary series in which Fred Dibnah travels around Britain in his restored traction engine...

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The Fred Dibnah Story

as uncredited
First aired: 1996-08-28

Biographical series chronicling the life of Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah.

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Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age

as Self - Presenter
First aired: 1999-02-18

Documentary series celebrating Britain's rich industrial heritage.

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Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments

as Self - Presenter
First aired: 2000-02-17

Documentary series which sees Fred Dibnah touring Britain's great building feats.

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Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam

as Self - Presenter
First aired: 2003-07-15

Fred Dibnah traces the development of steam power from the earliest experiments in the ancient...

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Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone

as Self - Presenter
First aired: 2006-07-11

Series which looks at the many sides of Fred Dibnah - engineer, steeplejack, artist, craftsman,...

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Fred Dibnah's Victorian Heroes

as uncredited
First aired: 2001-01-01

Documentary series presented by Fred Dibnah, looking at people whose work and ingenuity helped...

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Fred Dibnah's Railway Collection

as uncredited
First aired: 2008-08-08

Fred at Britain's railway workshops, museums and preservation lines. Features The Story of...

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