CTVA
The Classic TV Archive - UK Documentary Series

Fred Dibnah Documentaries   (1982-2005)
 Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
references:
BBC Radio Times / BFI
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (http://us.imdb.com)

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FRED DIBNAH DOCUMENTARIES
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BBC Television

Fred Dibnah
Date of birth - 28 April 1938 Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK
Date of death - 6 November 2004 Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK. (cancer)
Children (with Sue): Jack (born 1987) and Roger (1991).
Occupation: Steeplejack

Video   Fred Dibnah - Steeplejack (1979) (6pt)

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FRED (1982-83)
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BBC Television

[--] Fred #1: The World at your feet. (09/09/1982)
[--] Fred #2: A Vision of Heaven. (16/09/1982)
[--] Fred #3: Uncalled for distractions. (23/09/1982)
[--] Fred #4: Drinking and Climbing. (30/09/1982)
[--] Fred #5: An epic journey begun. (07/10/1982)
[--] Fred #6: The epic journey resumed. (14/10/1982)
[--] Fred #7: Victory and after. (21/10/1982)
[--] Fred #8: A DISAPPEARING WORLD (24/07/1983)
Special programme in which Fred looks back on points raised in the series, recently repeated.

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A YEAR WITH FRED (1987)
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BBC Television
[--] A Year With Fred #1: Monuments to the Dark Ages (09/02/1987)
[--] A Year With Fred #2: A Beautiful Pile of Bricks (16/02/1987)
[--] A Year With Fred #3: The Price of Steam (23/02/1987)
[--] A Year With Fred #4: Under Pursuit (02/03/1987)
[--] A Year With Fred #5: Relief, Ecstasy and magic (09/03/1987)
[--] A Year With Fred #6: New Horizons (12/09/1991)
A postscript to the series of films about the life and work of Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah made 6 years ago.
It looks at Fred now, with a new wife, who shares his enthusiasm for steam engines, and a young son.

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THE FRED DIBNAH STORY (1996)
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BBC Television
Six part biography of the steepljack's life. Tx BBC2 28/08/96-02/10/96

[--] The Fred Dibnah Story #1: BEGINNINGS (28/08/1996)
[--] The Fred Dibnah Story #2: A SORT OF FAME (04/09/1996)
[--] The Fred Dibnah Story #3: DEPARTURES (11/09/1996)
[--] The Fred Dibnah Story #4: ALONE (18/09/1996)
[--] The Fred Dibnah Story #5: A REFORMED CHARACTER? (25/09/1996)
[--] The Fred Dibnah Story #6: APPROACHING SIXTY (02/10/1996)

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FRED DIBNAH'S INDUSTRIAL AGE (BBC, 1999) (6 x 30 min)
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GB. The View From The North production. BBC2 tx 1999/02/18-1999/03/25 (Thur)
Series celebrating Britain's industrial heritage.

[--] Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age #1: WIND, WATER AND STEAM (18/02/1999)
Video  Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age - Wind, Water & Steam (4pt)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age #2: MILLS AND FACTORIES (25/02/1999)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age #3: IRON AND STEEL (04/03/1999)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age #4: MINING (11/03/1999)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age #5: RAILWAYS (18/03/1999)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age #6: SHIPS AND ENGINEERING (25/03/1999)

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FRED DIBNAH'S MAGNIFICENT MONUMENTS (BBC, 2000) (6 x 30 min)
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GB. The View From The North production. BBC2 tx 2000/02/17-2000/03/30 (Thu)
Six-part documentary series in which steeplejack Fred Dibnah celebrates Britain's great building
and engineering feats.

[--] Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments #1: FORTS AND CATHEDRALS (17/02/2000)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments #2: HOUSES AND PALACES (24/02/2000)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments #3: PLACES OF WORSHIP (2/02/2000) or (9/02/2000)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments #4: PLACES OF WORK (9/02/2000) or (16/03/2000)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments #5: BRIDGES AND TUNNELS (16/03/2000) or (23/03/2000)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments #6: PLEASURE PALACES (30/03/2000) (final episode)

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FRED DIBNAH'S BUILDING OF BRITAIN (BBC 2002) (6 x 30 min)
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GB. The View From The North production. BBC2 tx 2002/02/11-2002/03/18 (Mon)
Six-part series in which Fred Dibnah uncovers the craftman- ship behind some of the
country's astounding feats of architectural engineering.

[--] Fred Dinah's Building of Britain #1: MIGHTY CATHEDRALS (11/02/2002)
[--] Fred Dinah's Building of Britain #2: THE ART OF CASTLE BUILDING (18/02/2002)
Video  Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain - The Art of Castle Building (3pt)
[--] Fred Dinah's Building of Britain #3: THE AGE OF THE CARPENTER (25/02/2002)
[--] Fred Dinah's Building of Britain #4: SCOTTISH STYLE (04/03/2002)
[--] Fred Dinah's Building of Britain #5: BUILDING THE CANALS (11/03/2002)
[--] Fred Dinah's Building of Britain #6: VICTORIAN SPLENDOUR (18/03/2002) (final episode)

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FRED DIBNAH'S AGE OF STEAM (BBC 2003) (6 x 30 min)
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GB. The View From The North production. BBC2 tx 2003/07/15-2003/08/19 (Tue)
Fred Dibnah traces the development of steam power.

[--] Fred Dibnah's Age Of Steam #1: THE EARLY PIONEERS (15/07/2003)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Age Of Steam #2: THE TRANSPORT REVOLUTION (22/07/2003)
[--] Fred Dibnah's Age Of Steam #3: DRIVING THE WHEELS OF INDUSTRY [V] (29/07/2003)
 A look at the extraordinary expansion of industrial Britain in the 18th century.
[--] Fred Dibnah's Age Of Steam #4: STEAMING DOWN THE ROAD [V] (05/08/2003)
A look a early experiments in the use of steam for road transport, and the rise of the traction engine.
[--] Fred Dibnah's Age Of Steam #5: STEAM ON THE WATER [V] (12/08/2003)
How Steam revolutionised shipping, from the earliest paddle steamers to more modern vessels like the Britannia.
[--] Fred Dibnah's Age Of Steam #6: STEAM IN THE MODERN AGE [V]  (19/08/2003)
A look at the advances made with the invention of the steam turbine.

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FRED DIBNAH'S MADE IN BRITAIN (BBC, 2004-5) (11 x 30 min)
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GB. The View From The North production. BBC2 tx 2005/03/08-2005/05/17 (Tue) [11 x half-hour]
BBC2 Tuesdays 8.30pm
This 12-part series was completed by Fred Dibnah before his death in November 2004.
He sets out on a grand tour of Britain's industrial past, aboard his beloved 1912 steam traction engine.
Fred Dibnah travels the country in his 1912 Aveling & Porter steam traction engine to meet people who are
keeping the engineering skills of an earlier age alive.

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #1: THE PASSION OF A LIFETIME (08/03/2005)
Fred Dibnah sets out on his journey around Britain in his restored traction engine in
search of engineering skills and technology from a bygone age.

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #2: COLLECTING THE COAL (15/03/2005)
Fred visits an open cast mine near Wigan.

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #3: THE SOURCE OF IRON (22/03/2005)
Fred reaches Cumbria where Iron Ore was once mined on a large scale.

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #4: CASTINGS (29./03/2005)
Fred Dibnah and his steersman Alf travel up to Scotland, where they marvel at the Ingenuity
of Falkirk wheel and visit one of the few surviving traditional iron works.

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #5: WATER AND BOILERS (05/04/2005)
[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #6: THE ROAD TO STEEL CITY (12/04/2005)
[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #7: MECHANICS AND RIVETERS (19/04/2005)
[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #8: PATTERN MAKING (26/04/2005)
 
[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #9: ENGINES AT WORK (03/05/2005) [V]
Fred meets up with a few old friends at the North Staffs and Cheshire Traction Engine Club.

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #10: CHAINS AND COPPER (10/05/2005) [V]
Fred is in the Black Country watching the skills of an authentic chain maker.

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #11: THE ENGINEERING WORKSHOP (2005) [V]
Fred Dibnah and his team are in the mountains of Snowdonia on the final stage of their journey

[-] Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain #12: A LIFETIME'S ACHIEVEMENT (17/05/2005)(final episode) [V]
In this final episode, Fred Dibnah travels down to London to collect his MBE from the Queen.

Fred Dibnah - Russell Harty show 1979

Video   Fred Dibnah - Steeplejack (1979) (6pt)
 
Fred Dibnah, Confessions of a Steeplejack 1
Fred Dibnah, Confessions of a Steeplejack 2

  Video  Fred Dibnah  The Steam Holiday (7pt)
 

Video  Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain - The Art of Castle Building (3pt)

Video  Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age - Wind, Water & Steam (4pt)
 

########## Fred Dibnah - Steeplejack #########
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