Dibnah's 'last journey' screened

Fred Dibnah filmed his last series weeks before his death

A 12-part series completed by Fred Dibnah just weeks before his death last November, begins on BBC 2 on Tuesday.

"Fred Dibnah's Made In Britain" charts the Bolton legend's grand tour of Britain's industrial past on his beloved 1912 steam traction engine.

Series producer, David Hall, says the steeplejack was "insistent" about filming despite being terminally ill.

The series concludes with Mr Dibnah swapping his cloth cap for a top hat as he receives an MBE from the Queen.

But his dream of riding up to the gates of Buckingham Palace on his eight-ton traction engine was dashed after officials said it was too heavy and would damage the mall, say film-makers.

'Never gave up'

The first two programmes see him on location in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, demolishing his last chimney at a textile mill at Royton, near Oldham and visiting Astley Green Colliery Museum at Tyldesley.

However, as the steeplejack's condition worsened, special arrangements had to be made for filming as friends and family rallied round, say the BBC.

"There was always a doubt that we would get the series finished", said Mr Hall, "but Fred just used to say to everybody 'It's like the BBC are paying me to go on holiday!'

"He wasn't able to film certain things, but he never gave up."

Fred Dibnah's last trip marks the culmination of 27 years' work restoring the 1912 Aveling and Porter steam traction engine.

The series follows his search for the engineering skills and technology from a bygone age that made it possible to build such an engine.