Fred Dibnah won the heart of millions with his television programmes about his life as a steeplejack, and his passion for the industrial history of Britain. With his trademark flat cap, enthusiasm and knowledge of the country's steam past, his gift for storytelling, and his cry of'Did you like that?'as another giant chimney slid to earth behind him, he quickly became a genuine favourite with viewers. Fred grew up in Bolton, at a time when the steam-driven industry that he so loved still dominated the city. It was here that he first acquired his fascination for Britain's Industrial past. Starting his working life as a joiner, before turning to steeplejacking - the job he was to love above all others - Fred learned the importance of good workmanship and the sort of skills he would bring to his won projects that would range from restoring a steamroller to building a working mine in his own back garden. This is an intimate portrait of Fred, form his childhood to his struggles to make ends meet before television made him a household name and his occasionally troubled private life. We discover all the different sides of Fred's personality - engineer, steeplejack, artist, craftsman, steam enthusiast, inventor, storyteller and eccentric. This definitive biography will delight Fred's many fans.