IIRC, John admitted some years later that he was scared of heights. He wouldn't admit it at the time because it was his job to do all the high stunts, plus he didn't want to put off us kids. It only increases my admiration in the late John Noakes. 👍
If he'd had a genuine fear of heights then, even if he had been able to force himself to make the climbs - unlikely in itself - it would be obvious from how he behaved once up top. His breathing, movement and speech would be nowhere near as relaxed as they were.
@@JMoruzzi If he'd had an irrational fear of heights I would agree with you. But his was rational. I have a relative who was, amongst his other building skills, a good roofer. But every day he had to do a roofing job he loathed it. I asked him once why he did it. To pay the bills, was the answer. But every day he had to gee himself up to get up the ladder, because of his fear of heights. Same with John Noakes when he did the height stuff. Some people can overcome it.
Why was it his job to do heights related stuff if he was afraid of heights? Why didn't they just get someone else to do it? Apart from which this guy went to the top of Nelson's column voluntarily and showed no real concern so I doubt he had any fear of heights at all cos no amount of money could get someone afraid of heights to get up there.
@@ramblerandy2397 sorry what exactly is an irrational fear of heights, fear of heights is by definition rational since we can die if we fall, there's no such thing as an irrational fear if it's of something that can and does kill people.
He really was. This was all part of my childhood. He had a big pair 😂 that's for sure. Can't see many now attempting that. Children's presenters that is.
What a legend John Noakes was. I don’t know if it’s just me but children’s TV presenters of the past seemed so much more professional then the presenters of today. While you don’t want presenters who talk down to kids you certainly don’t want presenter who act more childish then the kids which often seems to be the case now.
They don't make Blue Peter presenters like that anymore, John had balls of steel. I'll not forget the episode where he scaled Nelson's column to help with the cleaning.
Not sure whats scarier, the height, John's parka and flares combo or the fact South Africa Road and Ellerslie Road stands haven't changed in 50 years..
Remember walking to school in that style of Parker haha the one before the Nylon version. Proper Rabbit fur trim around the hood and, turning up at school on a rainy day, after it had absorbed all the rain, then back home with it still 3 times the weight, in rain water from the morning. Getting home and turning on the old Black and White telly, letting it warm up a bit for the Thursday or Friday (can't remember lol) episode of Blue Peter, good and happy times. Wouldn't change it for the world 😍❤
John Noakes should have got a knighthood for his services to television. The risks this man took to show us how dangerous things were done was breathtaking at times. Great man and they seriously don't make guys like that anymore.
He loved Shep that much that he gave him up because the BBC no longer gave Noakes any more money to care for him, not such a bond after all. Its all in Wiki if you care to read?
John Noakes, along with the cameraman they must of been fearless with balls of steel....but this is tame when you see him climb Nelson's column ....no safety harness as he climbed up a ladder tied to it!..
I would say Loftus Road's finest hour was in the episode where they filmed the scene from "Porridge " digging up the pitch, which you were led to believe was Elland Road 😂😂
John Noakes, the most fearless TV presenter of them all, who can forget him climbing to the top of Nelson's Column up a large flimsy ladder, then finishing the summit with another smaller ladder at an angle of 45 degrees or so!
It's interesting that he doesn't hold on to the rungs on the ladder. If his feet slipped he'd be in trouble. No safety harness at that time. Plus, there is no mention of the probable camera men up there with him.
It wasn't until a while after John retired that he discovered BBC producers had not insured him for injury or death for the stunts he did, some very dangerous, in the days H&S were non existent! John was understandably so angry when he found out! But back in those days, as is the case in many instances in the present day, the TV & film industries treated people like dirt! RIP John, up there in Heaven with his beloved Shep.
@@maverickthebastard I heard that it was about ownership of the dog, the beeb basically owned shep. John I think had offers of work, adverts or opening supermarkets etc, but the beeb would not let him use shep ? something like that, but yep it was money driven the fallout.
2:27 as a worker, this is just a ladder with a cage and even today if workers climb this kind of ladders, they don't use gear because of the cage, it is pretty common for tower crane operators to climb up like him.
John's calculations are a bit off. He said each bulb was 1500 Watts, and he said the total output was the same as 11,000 bulbs at 100 Watts which is 1.1 million Watts, which would mean QPR floodlights contain 733.333 bulbs or 183.333 bulbs per unit (in itself rather odd to have a third of a lightbulb in each of the units). I counted the number of bulbs and there are 36 on each tower, so 144 in total which means a total power consumption of 216 kW or 216,000 W. This equates to 2,160 bulbs at 100 Watts. Those bulbs also should never be touched with bare hands as the oils in skin can cause damage to the bulb, meaning it will need to be replaced more regularly. Some of these types of bulbs can even emit dangerous radiation after being handled without gloves. But this was 1974. Safety was only for pansies back in those days.
@@michael5089no. Loftus Road had new floodlight towers installed sometime in the 80s or 90s. The lamps now might be xenon arc HID type, or even LED. I don't think they make mercury vapour lamps any more because of RoHS regulations.
He would have meant equivalent light or lumen output, not actual power consumed (which, incidentally, is input). Input and output are not analogous to each other. Also, perfectly ok to touch the outer glass. These are MBU lamps, so the inner quartz arc tube is protected
If someone asked me who my heroes are there would be two that spring to mind one is John Noakes and his dog Shep, and Fred Dibnah, real men with hearts of lions.
Actually, this looks like one of his more safe climbs. The producer must have been bitterly disappointed and wish they'd sent him to a dodgy set of floodlights on a pole at a fourth division club.
@@SeanBZA And he did seem to have the giant light bulb tucked firmly into his jacket, as he was climbing up and down said ladder. "Safety first", you know!
If there were fuel restrictions, did that not include diesel or whatever was powering the generator? I'm surprised he could tell which light was being pointed at by the electrician, surely it would have been easier to explain where it was while stood next to him at ground level. I'd have been opening every light box up, only for Charlie to be gesticulating with growing frustration everytime I got the wrong one.
RED Diesel would have been in use, and taxed far less than regular diesel ,so if the cost of regular AC supply spiked to a certain extent, the alternative could have saved money, although the margin may have only been slight...
@@RelativeRichPoorRichard Ah I see, thanks. I had heard of red diesel in relation to agricultural theft, so had assumed it was only used in agriculture.
Notice, there's a camera on top but when John Noakes is filmed from the ground up there's no camera man visible on the platform which means he had to go up there twice.
Ha ha! 2-1 actually. Yes, an unusual win for the Rs. It was against Burnley on 27 Feb 1974. I was 5 and hadn't yest started as a football supporter. In those days, the Rs were up there. As an Rs fan, it's just a life of frustration and shattered dreams. But they're my club and I will support them no matter what - a true fan.
I love the fact that John shared a desk with Shep and he had his own chair.
True, showed the character of shep, giving John a chair.
IIRC, John admitted some years later that he was scared of heights. He wouldn't admit it at the time because it was his job to do all the high stunts, plus he didn't want to put off us kids. It only increases my admiration in the late John Noakes. 👍
He really was the GOAT children’s 📺 presenter. RIP
If he'd had a genuine fear of heights then, even if he had been able to force himself to make the climbs - unlikely in itself - it would be obvious from how he behaved once up top. His breathing, movement and speech would be nowhere near as relaxed as they were.
@@JMoruzzi If he'd had an irrational fear of heights I would agree with you. But his was rational. I have a relative who was, amongst his other building skills, a good roofer. But every day he had to do a roofing job he loathed it. I asked him once why he did it. To pay the bills, was the answer. But every day he had to gee himself up to get up the ladder, because of his fear of heights. Same with John Noakes when he did the height stuff. Some people can overcome it.
Why was it his job to do heights related stuff if he was afraid of heights? Why didn't they just get someone else to do it? Apart from which this guy went to the top of Nelson's column voluntarily and showed no real concern so I doubt he had any fear of heights at all cos no amount of money could get someone afraid of heights to get up there.
@@ramblerandy2397 sorry what exactly is an irrational fear of heights, fear of heights is by definition rational since we can die if we fall, there's no such thing as an irrational fear if it's of something that can and does kill people.
Takes me back, Noakes really was one of a kind, RIP John.
He really was. This was all part of my childhood.
He had a big pair 😂 that's for sure.
Can't see many now attempting that.
Children's presenters that is.
huge bulb in the jacket lol.... no safety rope...
what a trooper Noakes was
Let alone a hard hat. Noaksie was a broadcasting legend.
'trouper'
Don't forget the camera man who went up with him-likewise no safety equipment at all
@@infrasleep i was thinking, did he take Shep up there as well? ;-)
the squeak! as he unscrews and screws the bulb! lol
i can't believe it's real but as a kid i would've just taken it all in..
Legend of a man. I smiled watching this as it took me back many years. RIP john.
"I'm here at the top of a Queen's Park Rangers floodlight tower and....
GET DOWN SHEP!"
What a legend John Noakes was. I don’t know if it’s just me but children’s TV presenters of the past seemed so much more professional then the presenters of today. While you don’t want presenters who talk down to kids you certainly don’t want presenter who act more childish then the kids which often seems to be the case now.
So very true. Dumbed down to the lowest dominator telly these days whereas back then it did educate without treating people like they were stoopid.
👍
I noticed that. They presented themselves like sympathetic adults and not hyperactive youths.
One of my childhood heroes. Legend.
Takes me right back. I used to watch Blue Peter as a young kid. John Noakes, Peter Purves, Valerie Singleton. ☺️
Can’t imagine Rylan, Ant and Dec or Holly or Alison doing this these days. Respect John
Alison is too fat to climb a step ladder let alone the floodlights 😂😂
Nice memories of the 1970s. The legend John Noakes and QPR (Stan Bowles, Gerry Francis era).
Was properly clenched when watching him climb that ladder 😬
such a wonderful program well done you BBC xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Those were great times. The incredible John Noakes.
A true legend was John Noakes . I love Shep sitting at the desk and the ladies on the type writers . It’s like watching a history lesson ❤
They don't make Blue Peter presenters like that anymore, John had balls of steel. I'll not forget the episode where he scaled Nelson's column to help with the cleaning.
Not sure whats scarier, the height, John's parka and flares combo or the fact South Africa Road and Ellerslie Road stands haven't changed in 50 years..
No way would ido that the ladder 1st bit would be too much.
Good to see the old loft end. Brought back memories.
John wearing one of the six varieties of male coat available in 1974.
Donkey Jacket, Lumberjack, Car Coat, Pac-a-Mac, Gaberdine, John Motson-style Sheepskin
@@a34rwl It’s Friday, it’s 5 to 5 and it’s…
Remember walking to school in that style of Parker haha the one before the Nylon version. Proper Rabbit fur trim around the hood and, turning up at school on a rainy day, after it had absorbed all the rain, then back home with it still 3 times the weight, in rain water from the morning. Getting home and turning on the old Black and White telly, letting it warm up a bit for the Thursday or Friday (can't remember lol) episode of Blue Peter, good and happy times. Wouldn't change it for the world 😍❤
This takes me back l always watched Blue Peter and mr noakes always the man to watch 😊
If you want to see even more scary, check John out when he climbs Nelson’s Column….makes me feel uneasy even thinking about it.
he went up there with no safety line and just a duffle coat. Crazy stuff!
Snorkel Parka
@@martinkelly6709Regular parka!
John was lucky has flairs didn't catch the wind and lift him up in the skies over London.
sounds like a joke, but that a real danger lol
*Flares.
The episode where he climbs Nelson's column in the same kit is even more impressive.
John Noakes should have got a knighthood for his services to television. The risks this man took to show us how dangerous things were done was breathtaking at times. Great man and they seriously don't make guys like that anymore.
Shep gave John courage, I think that was the only reason he done the show. Untouchable bond between one man and his dog!
He loved Shep that much that he gave him up because the BBC no longer gave Noakes any more money to care for him, not such a bond after all. Its all in Wiki if you care to read?
We miss you like crazy, John.
The late great John Noakes and the Beautiful Shep. 😍
As brave as John Noakes is, his camera operators must equally have nerves of steel!
John Noakes, along with the cameraman they must of been fearless with balls of steel....but this is tame when you see him climb Nelson's column ....no safety harness as he climbed up a ladder tied to it!..
John got all the best gigs on Blue Peter
BBC Boss: "Well done Noaksy. Fancy doing Nelson's column next?"
Without doubt the best high lights ever shown from Loftus Road.
I would say Loftus Road's finest hour was in the episode where they filmed the scene from "Porridge " digging up the pitch, which you were led to believe was Elland Road 😂😂
It blew my mind as a child the daring feats that John got up to, am still in awe of him watching him again today.
'Blue and white stripes'??? HOOPS John, blue and whie hoops lol
thankyou bbc for sharing these wonderful bits of John noakes ..and the others..
love it 🙂 x
the love for this man here rather gets to me
thanks guys
One of my favouorite presenters, the bobsleigh run waas my favourite episodes
I just can’t get my head round it, the numb hand, no safety gear, the weather! Amazing.
The Nelsons Column one though….
John Noakes, the most fearless TV presenter of them all, who can forget him climbing to the top of Nelson's Column up a large flimsy ladder, then finishing the summit with another smaller ladder at an angle of 45 degrees or so!
Bloody hell BP was cool. John was the man. Balls of steel.
Legend!
It's interesting that he doesn't hold on to the rungs on the ladder. If his feet slipped he'd be in trouble. No safety harness at that time. Plus, there is no mention of the probable camera men up there with him.
This was during the miners strike of 1974. Remember this, power cuts in the evening, sitting around a candle in the kitchen with my mum and brother.
What a wonderful film.
It wasn't until a while after John retired that he discovered BBC producers had not insured him for injury or death for the stunts he did, some very dangerous, in the days H&S were non existent! John was understandably so angry when he found out! But back in those days, as is the case in many instances in the present day, the TV & film industries treated people like dirt! RIP John, up there in Heaven with his beloved Shep.
BS.... He gave Shep up over an argument over money....the only bond Noakes cared about was MONEY
@@maverickthebastard I heard that it was about ownership of the dog, the beeb basically owned shep. John I think had offers of work, adverts or opening supermarkets etc, but the beeb would not let him use shep ? something like that, but yep it was money driven the fallout.
NEVER work at heights without wearing flares.
Good point. At least if you fall the wind up your flares will ease you to a soft landing.
2:27 as a worker, this is just a ladder with a cage and even today if workers climb this kind of ladders, they don't use gear because of the cage, it is pretty common for tower crane operators to climb up like him.
Fuel crisis? Somethings never change!
John's calculations are a bit off. He said each bulb was 1500 Watts, and he said the total output was the same as 11,000 bulbs at 100 Watts which is 1.1 million Watts, which would mean QPR floodlights contain 733.333 bulbs or 183.333 bulbs per unit (in itself rather odd to have a third of a lightbulb in each of the units). I counted the number of bulbs and there are 36 on each tower, so 144 in total which means a total power consumption of 216 kW or 216,000 W. This equates to 2,160 bulbs at 100 Watts.
Those bulbs also should never be touched with bare hands as the oils in skin can cause damage to the bulb, meaning it will need to be replaced more regularly. Some of these types of bulbs can even emit dangerous radiation after being handled without gloves. But this was 1974. Safety was only for pansies back in those days.
Thanks for the recalculation! Do you know if the same lights are still utilised?
@@michael5089no. Loftus Road had new floodlight towers installed sometime in the 80s or 90s. The lamps now might be xenon arc HID type, or even LED.
I don't think they make mercury vapour lamps any more because of RoHS regulations.
He would have meant equivalent light or lumen output, not actual power consumed (which, incidentally, is input).
Input and output are not analogous to each other.
Also, perfectly ok to touch the outer glass. These are MBU lamps, so the inner quartz arc tube is protected
John Noakes had tungsten balls- Nelson's column and this adventure here with zero safety kit on both occasions. Top bloke.
He had a tungsten bulb. Loose inside his coat. The lack of any safety consideration is ridiculous.
John Noakes - a legend
All done in 70s flares flapping in the wind......🤣🤣🤣
Fuel crisis in 1974, not progressed much have we 🤣🤣
Get down Shep! RIP John.
John Noakes was a legend
I enjoyed when John and Peter had a go at Speedway at Hackney too
Noakes had some balls, not even flinching at the height.
John: "I'm glad the bulb was tucked away in my pocket and I didn't have to carry it."
Cameraman, who's just lugged a 3-ton camera up the ladder: "..."
It would've been a shoulder film camera they used up there for that shot.
Miss this dude and his dog. Get Down Shep!
Respect to mr John Noakes👏
What a guy!
Bloody hell - every time there was something you could fall off of, they got him in. What about Purves ?
Shagging val
God i remember those concrete steps behind the goals
That terrace got covered in the 1980s with a seated stand.
If someone asked me who my heroes are there would be two that spring to mind one is John Noakes and his dog Shep, and Fred Dibnah, real men with hearts of lions.
The view of the main stand from South Africa Road hasn't changed in 50 years.
Legend
It does seem like the BP producers were set on having John Noakes plunge to his untimely death from about 100 feet. They certainly had a few goes.
QPR had a better looking stadium back then than they do now lol.
Loftus Road had much bigger home attendances then too as it hadn't yet become all seated :)
More John Noakes and Shep,BBC Archive 👍
That's a superb Glasgow Switch! If you know you know...
Don’t forget the camera and sound guy…..lol
John noakes was a real daredevil
Power shortages then, not much has changed then
This is basically like watching Alan Partridge
Amazing
Actually, this looks like one of his more safe climbs. The producer must have been bitterly disappointed and wish they'd sent him to a dodgy set of floodlights on a pole at a fourth division club.
aah....nostalgia!☺️
Amazing not one bit of safety equipment. I wonder how many it takes to change a light bulb these days
Hey, he had gloves on, and was in a caged ladder, what more do you want?
@@SeanBZA And he did seem to have the giant light bulb tucked firmly into his jacket, as he was climbing up and down said ladder.
"Safety first", you know!
@@SeanBZA you know what they mean stfu
QPR...
The Old LofT And School End
MaGicKal MemorieS
MaGicKal TimeS
If there were fuel restrictions, did that not include diesel or whatever was powering the generator? I'm surprised he could tell which light was being pointed at by the electrician, surely it would have been easier to explain where it was while stood next to him at ground level. I'd have been opening every light box up, only for Charlie to be gesticulating with growing frustration everytime I got the wrong one.
Yeah; fuel restrictions? No problem; just use a fuel powered generator, it's even less efficient!
RED Diesel would have been in use, and taxed far less than regular diesel ,so if the cost of regular AC supply spiked to a certain extent, the alternative could have saved money, although the margin may have only been slight...
@@RelativeRichPoorRichard Ah I see, thanks. I had heard of red diesel in relation to agricultural theft, so had assumed it was only used in agriculture.
@@petergivenbless900 But there were actually power cuts in the 70s.
@@vordman powercuts due to fuel restrictions?
Shout out to the cameraman 😮
What's a risk assessment?
Notice, there's a camera on top but when John Noakes is filmed from the ground up there's no camera man visible on the platform which means he had to go up there twice.
The camera man had to go up there as well !! No drones in that era.
Cor blimey! No safety harness in those days! One year before I was born.
good old John
3: 24 thought he was putting a wine bottle in the thing, red or white
Something does not add up
[1m10s] Generator 440hp=328kW
[1m:24s] 36 x 4 x [4m10s] 1.5kW lamp x= 216kW
[4m20s] 11,000 x 100 watt bulbs = 1,100kW
"QPR won this match 2 nill"
This must be a really old video.
Ha ha! 2-1 actually. Yes, an unusual win for the Rs. It was against Burnley on 27 Feb 1974.
I was 5 and hadn't yest started as a football supporter. In those days, the Rs were up there. As an Rs fan, it's just a life of frustration and shattered dreams. But they're my club and I will support them no matter what - a true fan.
This guy sure loves heights, last video i watched was him ontop of nelsons column, now this. Did he have a death wish or something?
No safety harness in those days.
Whem you look at some of the things he did, he really was a legend! (No OH&S Wombles back then!). 🤣
There was just one thing he needed before he climbed the ladder… No hard hat, ppe, harness, safety supervisor, risk assessment….
John Noakes was a nutter!!! 🙈😂
Rather them than me! Can't stand heights 😨🥶
Comb-over Era
QPR wear hoops, not stripes.
Health and safety LoL 😂😂
How the World has changed!
Completely mad
Imagine some of the mamby pamby celebs of today doing that 😳