Uncalled For Distractions

Summer brings Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah's work on his ancient steam engine almost to a standstill. His new-found fame creates a demand for his presence at public events and for promoting causes from Barnardo's to beer drinking. Then, just when he thinks he might get a few days on his engine, his wife Alison demands a holiday, the first (steam rallies apart) since they eloped to Gretna Green some fifteen years earlier. The family's week at Blackpool turns out quite differently from anything ever seen in a holiday advert.