Fattyfoggon
Well-known member
Back in the day climbing Nelsons Column in his flares and no safety harness terrifying
Where was the health and safety rep
Where was the health and safety rep
John Noakes scary stuff
- Thread starter Fattyfoggon
- Start date
Linthorpe_Exile
Well-known member
Scares the proverbial out of me. I remember watching it as a kid and was equally traumatised then. Feel same watching the famous Fred Dibnah ascent of the chimney stack he is knocking down brick by brick.
Acklam_Lad
Well-known member
Watching Fred is comedy gold… HTF he never killed himself is beyond me
RedAsABeetroot
Well-known member
Blue Peter's Johnny Knoxville. My favourite Blue Peter presenter.
The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
My father in law was a steeplejack (although he hated DIbnah for some reason) and he'd regularly climb chimney stacks / cooling towers etc either without a safety harness, or with it unfastened to make the job easier / faster.
He's in his 80's now and will happily climb a roof in a pair of deck shoes to mend someones chimney stack or tv ariel
He's in his 80's now and will happily climb a roof in a pair of deck shoes to mend someones chimney stack or tv ariel
SocraTees
Well-known member
Like this you mean 
The bit where Fred reaches the top and reaches out to get over those scaffolding boards.
The bit where Fred reaches the top and reaches out to get over those scaffolding boards.
Last edited:
Fattyfoggon
Well-known member
No fear! I guess it is what you get used to like them pictures of guys building sky scrapers in the USA years ago sat at the top eating there bait on a girder feet dangling down
aytonstrummer
Well-known member
Yeah but could he do it after a few lunchtime pints like Fred 
The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
Judging by some of the stories he tells, they regularly did.
He prided himself on quoting for a job and doing it in less time than he'd quoted (even had an advert about it in the Jim Platt testimonial programme which incidentally was my first ever Boro game) - god knows what risks they took to do that, but some of his stories are terrifying both about people that fell as well as practical jokes they played.
coluka
Well-known member
Fred was an experienced pro though, whereas Noakesy was just an adventurous madcap
Am sure that many years later John Noakes said after retiring that he falsely thought he was insured etc and was misled by producer Biddy Baxter. He did sky diving and all sorts. He was really unhappy about it but fortunately lived to tell the tale.
HOW Come?
coluka
Well-known member
He did claim that but when Biddy Baxter was questioned, she denied that insurance wasn’t in place
The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
I honestly dont know, probably competed against him for a few jobs or perhaps he resented his media persona - sullying the good name of steeplejacks.
dickyjim78
Active member
There have been rumours doing the rounds for years about his alleged domestic violence.
The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
That would explain it then, he was pretty handy with his fists but is very old school in terms of violence against women.