Fred Dibnah's Building Collection   Present by: Fred Dibnah Acorn Media UK RRP: £24.99 AV9722 Certificate: E Available 28 December 2009

Fred Dibnah brings history vividly to life in his own inimitable hands-on style, and explains how the builders and engineers of the past created great castles, houses and churches, and developed a ship-building industry that was the envy of the world...

Fred Dibnah's Building Collection gathers together, over three DVDs, footage from some of his TV shows and remolds it into a new collection of episodes that look at Castle Builders, Master Builders and Ship Builders. The material included has been plucked from the BBC's Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age; Magnificent Monuments; Buildings of Britain; Age of Steam; and Victorian Houses - but there's plenty of previously unseen footage.

Join Dibnah in exploring his passion for great engineering and great building. Fred had enormous respect for those who preceded us - those who really got to grips with the art and craft, the sweat and labour of building a brave new world from iron and steel, wood and stone.

The three episodes include:

Castle Builders: From Roman and Iron Age fortifications to a medieval castle that became a Second World War command centre, Fred looks at the work of some of Britain’s greatest castle builders. Shot on location at Dover, Eastnor, Warwick, Edinburgh, Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech Castles, Old Sarum and Hadrian’s Wall.

Master Builders: Fred served his apprenticeship as a joiner and he always had a great appreciation for the work of the craftsmen who worked on construction projects throughout the ages. Here he visits Bath, Winchester, York, Lacock, Culross, Ightham Mote and a medieval tithe barn in Sussex to see the work of builders, thatchers, roofers, carpenters and stonemasons.

Ship Builders: Ship building was one of Britain’s major industries and here, starting at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Fred gives his own distinctive view of the industry. He goes on board some of his favourite ships including SS Great Britain, HMS Warrior, the paddle steamer Waverley, SS Shieldhall and the Royal Yacht Britannia, visits the Windermere Steam Boat Museum and goes cruising on a steamboat on a Scottish loch.

As with previous Dibnah shows, the one thing that really shines through is the man's enthusiasm for his subject matter - as well as his ability to talk in a manner that crosses all barriers. Young or old, educated or not Dibnah gets his message across without being patronising or talking too technically.

A world of warning though, anyone trying to buy this collection online may have a little difficulty finding it on their own. For some reason all the online stores have this listed under "Great Buildings".

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Nick Smithson