Fred Dibnah - Made in Britain

David Hall

Sep 2010 · Random House

About this ebook

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. Travelling the length and breadth of the country, the intention was to seek out the remarkable achievements of the craftsmen, engineers, inventors and industrial workers whose endeavour made engines like Fred's possible. It was a journey that took him to Britain's most iconic engineering marvels as well as less familiar sites: from the Forth Bridge and the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge to Europe's last deep-working iron ore mine in Cumbria and a local castings workshop in Bo'ness.

This behind-the-scenes account of that ambitious journey is made all the more remarkable by Fred's heroic efforts to complete it while suffering from terminal cancer. 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.

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About the author

David Hall was Fred Dibnah's TV producer for many years, as well as a close personal friend. He made all of the most recent television series and is also the producer of Fred Dibnah's World. He is the author of Fred: the definitive biography of Fred Dibnah, Fred Dibnah's Buildings of Britain and Manchester's Finest, an account of life in Manchester in the aftermath of the deaths of the Busby Babes.