Fred was great with those kids, stopped eating his lunch and gave thoughtful answers to questions he has probably been asked a million times! True Gent! Englands grandad!
The man literally drove a steam tractor around the countryside to a restaurant. He was covered in god knows what by the time he arrived. Priceless!! Words cannot describe how much respect I have for the way this MAN lived his life.
its actually a steam roller not a steam tractor. i hope the Restaurant people didn't mind Fred parking up outside while they was having lunch or dinner
Seems like a golden age back then seeing you good folks there all happy and smiling. There was definitely a positive vibe in those times that I remember.
Fred having a pint then driving a steam roller through the English countryside during a thunderstorm. Can’t get more British than that, should put that image on a £20 note.
for it's day? amazing-er than today tbh. no drama & overproduction. just letting the subject of the film stand on its own merits as being an interesting story.
I’m from the US, but I can tell you this guy would be a legend out here as well. What a character and incredible work ethic and attitude I can see why he was liked by so many.
Those two boys were fascinated by Fred and his steam engine.So important for youngsters to have these moments and Fred seemed more than willing to talk to them.Very heartwarming.
These days even the most what we would call cordial and nice celebrity would flip at someone "bothering" them during meal time. We have definitely gone down the wrong road as a society.
Dam, the man took and built a steam engine, for vacation he stays within 20 miles from his house, but made a journey out of it, visiting friends he made along the way, booze cruise and family time. Just awesome.
I mean it still would take him 4 hours to go those 20 miles lol Also I am not someone who suffers from road rage, but I would be absolutely apoplectic if I got stuck behind that thing and being forced to go 5 mph. I'm glad you have the time to enjoy such a thing but the rest of us have appointments and places to be. Imagine showing up late to work because you got stuck behind some asshole in a steam engine made a 30min journey into a couple hours.
The guy has a few cans, climbs to the top of a factory chimney without a safety rope, or demolishes a chimney with his bare hands without so much as a hard had or high-vis vest. In the mean time I have to fill out a health and safety request form to move the monitor on my desk at work from one side to the other and our engineers whine that the laptops they use for inspections are too heavy to carry around all day. Seriously, what happened to us?
Its really sad reading though the Comment's how Fred's wife ..Alison.. Doesn't get the recognition that she deserves. She comes across as such a loving Mother and Wife. Her love for Fred her Children and the Engine is so evident in this episode. We all loved Fred and we will never forget him. But come on guys wasn't Alison amazing too !!!!..
Yes she does. Especially the way she talks about doing without so the engine can get spare parts. Always think a good man is made a little better with a good woman. He did come across as a touch selfish and tbh IMHO he shouldn't have had a family
@@Kentucky81 hardly surprising considering he was a selfish womanising drunk who put his hobby before his wives and children! He was a fascinating man but not a very nice one.
What an absolute national treasure fred was, love that Bolton accent, humour and wit , its sad when you discover a character like fred when they are sadly no longer here to appreciate their new acquired fanbase ,and I'm definitely a fan love this gentleman may he rest in peace God bless him !!!
not sure Fred would care much about having a fan base. that's more of a post millennium (internet driven) motivation. seems he did what he did more because he enjoyed it and was (took pride in being) good at it than because ppl's reaction to it. it was just a trade back then. now it's something special because it doesn't exist anymore.
Charismatic man. He understood well the significance of industrial revolution in England and the contribuition that it gave to the world. Fred you will not be forgotten.
I always judge a man by how they treat children and animals. The way Fred took the time to talk to those children and never spoke down to them was wonderful.
@MrTwister86660 was about to say the same. I grew up in the states with a very proud of his British heritage father who was the same. his side of the family treated others like you should treat family and family like garbage. Fred seems a less angry guy than my father but that aspect you pointed out well matches my experience too.
The kids were enthralled with fred and the steam engine, great how he took the time to talk to them , Don't think we will see the likes of fred again and our country is a sader place for it .
@@dickterpene8697 I noticed that as well, he was a very nice patient man and he encouraged youngsters to be interested. So nice to watch these programmes again after 30-40 years.
His stories are just epic...yeah smashed into a stone pillar to slow myself down, almost took out a geriatric hospital, 18 inch groove in the road...no bother 😂
You mean like how they burned thousands of silent movies lost to history forever? Or how Ted Turner ruined hundreds of original B & W movies by colorizing them? Or how well NASA preserved thousands of Apollo 11 photographs by throwing them away a few years back? Or how well the Smithsonian Institute preserves archeological evidence that supports the bible and goes against the theory of evolution? How about how well our government is preserving our constitution by violating it every day? Or trying to erase the Confederacy from history? Yeah right.
@@willythewave no one is trying to erase the confederacy. We just don’t want statues up glorifying traitors to the country. We still teach kids about the confederacy, so we know not to repeat history. Idk what nonsense you’re talking about archaeological evidence that supports the Bible, what part of the Bible? The rest of your points are fair though
I love how he takes off with the misses n kids and the dog haha travels around different parts of the country stopping off in a few well to do or established upper class properties an everytime hes greeted with pure excitement from the waiting occupants with a working man's refreshment kids want to talk to him and you know they are listening intently cause their ALL standing quiet staring at him, FD knew how to tell the story while tapping into their heads an planting seeds like pearls of wisdom which I'm sure sparked many other minds to follow their dreams an dont be afraid to work for it... infact enjoy the graft it will be worth it other regular ppl, workmates and even the more common class types are just as drawn in, they're also quick to gather round his family with handshakes an open arms, its obvious how all of these people have a warm very respectful admiration for the man that alone has the rare humbling effect on me, a quite unique aura surrounds his personality and what a wonderful way to live your life, hard no doubt - but his way thats without even touching on how funny, wise an brilliantly fuckin crazy this dude was
Well put my friend, I had the honer off meeting him a fue times at Steam rally's. What a guy, didn't matter how busy he was he always made time to talk to us kids. He even let some off us ride with him in to the show circle. True legend of a bloke
Brilliant this had me hooked from episode 1 had to watch them all in one go what a amazing man the back bone of Britain that was when men could be men and drink and drive lol
I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to discover these videos on RU-vid. They are easily some of my favorites and a real credit to British TV. It’s cool to think that my English ancestors were living in a steam powered world before some came to America. No body does documentaries like the Brits.
Glorious insight into British at its best. I love how Fred cuts across class barriers, some his greatest supporters are very upper class. The production value of this series is so high.... the care given to the series of shots just before the rain shower is an example. As much as Fred was a national treasure, thank goodness there aren't thousands of Freds steaming around in smoky old steamrollers. Thanks for uploading btw!
Its true regarding the upper class , it,s the Middle Class that has no class!!, they are the pseudo snobs who think that they have arrived . Someone who thought he was rich said "now I know I have arrived "?? I said "I did not know you had been AWAY all these years "
Fred mentioned the oil covering him during the trips , not to mention the coal smoke from the stack, these conditions may have had an influence on his health and could have shortened his life. I don’t think he would have given two shits if it did.
What a character...Fred we miss you,the worlds a worse place without your spirit! RIP ...thanks a million ,your caught forever on film for other generations to enjoy a passing character! Clever,funny ,interesting and talented with your comments,hands and patter....great commentary professionally done! Your drawn towards him with his friendly,loveable informative conversations on everything. Cheers Fred best wishes to your family and friends. Glad we have you to watch time and time forever. Thanks for posting. 👏👏👏👏👍🏴😉
See how he spoke to the kids at the cafe who asked about the steam engine. Spoke to them not down to them, and plenty of details. Theres a chance that encounter changed those boy's life path to the more positive.
Love it, watching this in 2023 and listening to Fred talking about those massive "hundred thousand pounds houses" that would easily be over a million now.
Glad i ran across ol Fred Dibnah videos. What a hardworking guy i see that enjoyed working with his hands. Doing things long since forgotten the old fashioned way. You can tell this man one was one of a kind, if he couldn't afford it he would make it himself. This is a true man of grit, earning everything in life by the sweat on his head and the calluses on his hands. Huge respect here
John Smith - The "problem is not simple". Those who saw Fred only through the TV screen have only one aspect of his personality to judge. To expand that very two dimensional aspect into an overarching character appraisal is just not on. Now go fuck yourself while I enjoy the pleasure of my new eight year old head choir boy. (I had to make him head boy for obvious reasons).
props for stopping for the horses, fred was part of a dying breed, but even after his breed dies off for good we will still have these gems of memories that last forever!
The way he said hundred thousand pound house as if to say a proper expensive house made my eyes water with laughter and a slight bit of resentment for the modern day
Why can’t people get inspired by this great man instead of being lied to by people who are in power, Fred would have sorted them out. Lovely human being RIP
These are truly amazing videos to watch and relax. I find a smile on my face and my worries disappear watch and listening to Fred. HA - I couldn't even get to the top of the first ladder to lash it - let along climb up as Fred did. Nerves of steel and all whilst a PINT was involved - HA. Gret Brit viewing indeed. HA - I woinder if he did get hired as a fire hydrant tester.
I don't know how this popped up but what a treat to watch. I can't believe how different things were nearly 40 years ago. What a character Fred was. I bet his children have very fond memories of thier childhood and his wife, wow, is she tolerant. They don't make them like that anymore. Thanks so much for posting this. Mark from Hamilton Canada
16:10 Fred: "After driving this for far too long, a man can drink anything." Host: "Would you like a glass of water?" Fred: "No, no, I've seen enough of that today!" Classic Fred.
good series of a bygone era im glad it was docufilmed.. back in the days the whole family came out of their house to greet you when you pulled up in a steam engine out the front...nowdays people draw a curtain and say wots he doin ere?...freds a legend people would of came out even if he pulled up in a skoda with too many headlamps
I would loved to see him pondering gender neutral toilets and people who can't decide how they identify from one week to the next. I can certainly imagine his response 😆
tbh, that's a revisionist perception. back when beating your kids was acceptable (I don't mean not discipling them, i mean belts & bruises) and abuse in general was rationalized as "making them tough". it doesn't make ppl tough it makes them hard and angry. things were whack then just in a different way. the "snowflakes" aren't wrong about a lot of stuff, they just take it too far & go about it in a way that doesn't take human nature into account - a little bit ignorant a little bit idealistic. it's just the pendulum swinging to the other extreme after swinging through the "old school" standards for society & conduct. maybe it'll settle down in a happy medium next generation or 2. ✌🏻
The fact he is Fred Dibnah and driving a steam engine is the only thing that would have drawn any attention. Nobody would have batted an eyelid at a dirty workman eating his lunch back then because the land was full of mens men. Worlds apart from today.
@Benj P I'm pretty sure there's a deleted comment because my comment was a reply to someone speaking about how strange it was that nobody paid any attention to Fred eating out whilst mucky. Hmm I'm sure of it.
I feel like this man is as close as Britain has to the Appalachian farmers/construction workers/loggers/hot-rodders/musicians I’ve known all my life. I know him, despite never having met him. Excellent at his craft, relatively humble, entertaining, and likes to have a good time without hurting anyone. That’s us here in my mountain home. A rare commonality.
@@kyleatherton88 They’re a dying breed everywhere, and I have a hard time believing that’s a good thing or a function of progress. Sure, we’re smarter now, but who cares if we’re smart if none of us can DO anything? I’m a union electrician by trade and a leatherworker, woodworker, luthier, musician, hot rodder, fabricator, knife maker, wine maker, brandy distiller, gardener, and general fuck-arounder in my spare time. I’m pretty decent at most things, but only truly good at electric work and playing music. I’m 36, and because of playing music and the fact that I can do things, I have a lot of friends. I have like two who can do things besides play music. I don’t think my experience is an isolated one. Nobody seems to be able to do anything anymore.
