John Noakes RIP

[62613]

Sadly missed but so inspirational.

Yes he was the first civilian to free fall from 5 miles. Done with the help of the Red Devils.

I seem to recall that some years after he left Blue Peter it was discovered that all of these activities were not insured.

 

For railway related, here he is on the Flying Scotsman  doing the "last Steam" Run to Brighton in 1966.

 Came up with Treesa sodding May!

[PatB]

RIP John. Another childhood icon gone.

 

I think he was so hugely popular because he was a surrogate for the exciting, slightly mad, not terribly responsible uncle/older cousin that so many of us wished we had but so few of us did in reality.

 

I gather that he was, at times, somewhat bitter about his BBC years but, I think, leaving a legacy of having been genuinely loved by a generation of children is not such a bad thing to bequeath the world.

 

I've heard about the lack of insurance but might it not be a case of the BBC, being both a large organisation and government funded, underwriting their own risks, as, I believe, is/was quite common practice?

[The Lurker]

Like many I enjoyed Blue Peter growing up and John Noakes and his stunts were part of the reason to watch, Who can forget the bruising from his go down the cresta run? I seem to remember saw him disclosing he was having to wear his wife's undies, because he was so bruised!

 

I was sad to hear of his decline with Alzheimer's - I recall there was concern that he had "escaped" from his home in one of the Balearic islands a few years ago - and in many ways you can't help feeling that his death is a mercy. RIP

[Horsetan]

...I've heard about the lack of insurance but might it not be a case of the BBC, being both a large organisation and government funded, underwriting their own risks, as, I believe, is/was quite common practice?

Biddy Baxter always maintained that there was always insurance cover but did say that it was the risk assessments that were quite simple back then: "John may die!"

[RJS1977]

One episode of Go With Noakes had him digging part of the New Moelwyn Tunnel and training to be a Guard on the Ffestiniog.

[Loconuts]

Bobsleighing, jumping with the Red Devil's, (I think he once held the world record for the highest civilian free fall), mast manning, climbing Nelsons Column, cliff diving, potholig, fell running, walking the Penine Way, wrestling,......our Uncle John, often accompanied with Shep .......did the lot.

 

A true icon of my growing up.

 

Yes you are right about the record jump, however he was not booked to do it by the BBC.

 

He was invited to jump with the RAF Falcons at RAF Abingdon, having completed that jump he was in the Sergeants Mess having a few pints with the guys when he was approached by the Joint Services Free Fall Team and they invited him do a high altitude jump on oxygen (the JSFFT were part of our unit).

 

He nearly lost it on the way down as he started to tumble, luckily two of the team saw it and helped him stabilise. However I can tell you that there was a hell of a party in the Mess that night and could he drink.

 

It was a privilege to meet him on that occasion.

[brightspark]

This should be a link to Go with Noakes on Railways. He did this nice film about the Ffestiniog where he covered the building of the new tunnel and his Guards test.

[steve22]

Some of us might remember that John's Noakes' first Blue Peter dog was Patch, who I think was one of Petra's puppies.  I mention this because everyone associates John with Shep, and rightly so, but Patch was also a real character.  Patch was so popular that when he fell ill and sadly died he made BBC national news headlines.  I remember that very clearly.  When John met Shep in the studio he obviously saw a similarity between the two dogs as he said on air something like, "Why do I always get the naughty one?!" 

[RJS1977]

John Noakes (along with Val and Pete) 'appeared' in several Paddington stories Michael Bond wrote for Blue Peter annuals in the 60s & 70s, and later published as a book in their own right.

[PatB]

Some of us might remember that John's Noakes' first Blue Peter dog was Patch, who I think was one of Petra's puppies.  I mention this because everyone associates John with Shep, and rightly so, but Patch was also a real character.  Patch was so popular that when he fell ill and sadly died he made BBC national news headlines.  I remember that very clearly.  When John met Shep in the studio he obviously saw a similarity between the two dogs as he said on air something like, "Why do I always get the naughty one?!" 

 

I remember Patch (just).