Main content

Fred Dibnah

Sue Lawley's castaway is steeplejack Fred Dibnah.

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is a man who, for the past 26 years, has earned his living by helping to alter the industrial landscape of northern Britain - steeplejack Fred Dibnah. Renowned for his philosophising as much as for his engineering expertise, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his life, which has been spent swinging from factory chimneys and wrestling behind the wheels of steam engines.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: The Power Of Love by Jennifer Rush
Book: Bound volumes of the Engineer magazine
Luxury: Steamroller

Available now

40 minutes

Last on

Fri 6 Dec 1991 09:05

Music Played

  • Johann Strauss II

    The Blue Danube

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor: Willi Boskovsky

    • Famous Waltzers.
    • Decca.
  • The Orphans

    Locomotive Steam Engine

    • Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sound Effects.
    • Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.
  • Neil Diamond

    Hello Again

    • The Jazz Singer.
    • Capitol Records.
  • Gary & Vera Aspey

    The Coal And Albert Berry

    • Seeing Double.
    • Topic.
  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor -1st movement

    Soloist: Vladimir Ashkenazy Orchestra: The Concertgebouw Orchestra Conductor: Bernard Haitink

    • Rachmaninov Piano Concertos.
    • Decca.
  • James Galway

    The Carnival Of Venice

    • The Magic Flute Of James Galway.
    • RCA Classics.
  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Jennifer Rush

      Power of Love

      • Jennifer Rush.
      • CBS.
  • Elaine Paige

    Memory

    • Cats.
    • Polydor.
  • Book Choice

    • Bound volumes of the Engineer magazine

  • Luxury Choice

    • Steamroller

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Sue Lawley
Interviewed Guest Fred Dibnah

Broadcasts

  • Sun 1 Dec 1991 12:15
  • Fri 6 Dec 1991 09:05

Featured in...

The Desert Island Discs podcast

The Desert Island Discs podcast

Subscribe or download individual episodes.

Listen to over 2,000 programmes

Click above to browse castaways, from 1942 to today.

Articles

Read the surprising things we've learned about some stand-out castaways.

Podcast