1967: The Man TERRIFIED of LEAVES | Man Alive | Weird and Wonderful | BBC Archive

“Have you ever had any frights with rhubarb?”
Some irrational fears are easier to manage than others. Possibly one of the most unexpected - and disruptive - is a phobia of leaves. Especially when you live in an affluent village like Rickmansworth, surrounded by green space.
Angela Huth reported for Man Alive on just how tortuous life could be for one man with a profound fear of leaves, including taking an alternative route to work in Spring to avoid bushes, struggling with gardening and jumping out a window to avoid a rhubarb plant.
Excerpt taken from Man Alive, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 3 May, 1967.
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[@theeggtimertictic1136]

'Have you ever had any frights with rhubarb?' A sentence not frequently heard.

[@ActuallyHoudini]

for now.

[@cauldronmoon]

Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my very favorite pies .🍓🥧

[@dobythedog]

An essential question.

[@jaymac7203]

Lol

[@AFord1981]

Fascinating clip. No disrespect to him, as people can be phobic of anything, but if it was a comedy sketch show from maybe the 90s, it would have been worded exactly the same.

[@EPICFAILKING1]

hahaha, that's a good point man

[@Dreyno]

The Fast Show.

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

It is totally a Kids in the Hall skit.

[@matthewm2223]

That moment when he realises where tea comes from...

[@nkenchington6575]

lol, nice one

[@volo870]

He drinks the blood of his vanquished foes!

[@john.highheels.3244]

It's like something from a Monty Python sketch! The Man Frightened By Rhubarb.

[@markmuller7962]

I think it's a sign of a civilised society to be so open and respectful of a phobia back in the days. Cheers from Switzerland!

[@therespectedlex9794]

Perhaps question how he was brought up in the first place.

[@markmuller7962]

@@therespectedlex9794 Neurodiversity is a thing, we are all different and sometimes extremely different. Reproduction is a nature experiment really, every single time, both physically and mentally

[@therespectedlex9794]

@@markmuller7962 I am thinking more child abuse, perhaps even operant conditioning.

[@eliseihle4574]

I have a phobia of praying mantis', so i have bought a small one to try and get over it. The other day i managed to have her sat on my hand for a couple of seconds before i started shaking and crying and my husband had to retrieve her. Progress tho!

[@greatestytcommentator]

Are they something that you are likely to bump into in your daily life?

[@tonyhancock3912]

Good on you for trying 👍

[@Sr19769p]

At least your phobia is something you would rarely (if ever) encounter - unlike leaves! It's dragonflies that I'm terrified of. You had a go at conquering your fear, tho' - I'm not ready to do the same with d.fs 👍.

[@AllahDoesNotExist]

I have a phobia of non-white people but people aren't so accepting and are actually even mean to me.

[@nutherefurlong]

Camera pulls back, leaves creep into frame

[@neilcameron7705]

This almost sounds like a mockumentary,

[@graey1139]

I don't think such things existed back then, although Panorama was infamous for it's April Fools day reports.

[@JMoruzzi]

You can have a phobia about anything. An ex-girlfriend of mine has a morbid fear of ketchup. She can't even say the word. HP, mustard, honey, they're all problems - "anything that doesn't go off" - but ketchup is enemy #1. She accepts it's her problem and doesn't expect people to adjust their eating habits around her. "It's really common!" she used to tell me. Yeah, I'd reply, mortuusequusphobia is such a common word.

[@PaulyPaulPaul]

I knew someone with a phobia of labels in clothes

[@fburton8]

@UnjustifiedRecsI have (or used to have) a disgust of buttons, particularly those made of organic material. Nowadays they are all made of plastic (I hope).

[@fburton8]

I know someone with a phobia of the repulsive force between same poles of magnets. Thank goodness for her that maglev never took off in this country.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

I have a silly phobia of spider webs. I absolutely can't force myself to touch them, and if I walk into one it freaks me out. I think the oddest phobia I've heard of is of cotton balls. 🤔

[@Plecofish97]

I have the same fear, and it also only applies to large continuous leaves. I have no idea how I got it, but at least it's been getting better over the years.

[@volo870]

If it's not a bother, could you please describe your fear? What is it: - A fear of suffocation? - "Ants under the skin" disgustion? - Physical illness (like dealing with poo or dead rodent)? - Fear of sudden death (like fear of heights)? No joke, genuinely confused and intrigued by a fear of something we normally don't really notice.

[@jajabinx35]

Did you have it as a child or later on?

[@joski9030]

Are you on glue

[@cauldronmoon]

I thought he was going to say something to the effect of... when autumn leaves are floating around he would panic when they landed on his windshield while driving.... or when he drives through a large patch of leaves that have landed on the road and they whoosh up around his car as he drives through them...or avoids raking leaves and does not walk on leaves..(crunch crunch). I'm always getting leaves and tree seeds caught up in my windshield wiper blades... sometimes leaves get caught underneath my bonnet ... I thought maybe he would describe something like that? 🤔.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

Actually I thought about that too. I didn't know if he hated seeing the leaves or just touching leaves. It's funny how rhubarb bothers him at times but not always.

[@rgarlinyc]

Honestly, I can't be-leaf why he doesn't branch out and try to get to the root of his problem; if he simply planted his feet down firmly and set out to turn over a new leaf, he'd blossom and could even find a new sprig in his step! Even better, come the Fall - or should I say 'Autumn' here - he would be well equipped to survive any mid-leaf crisis he could encounter on his drives to and from work.

[@Oscartherescuedog]

@RogerGarlin excellent puns - you covered the lot!

[@markmuller7962]

Phobias are neurological for the most part

[@cauldronmoon]

😂 brilliant 😆🍂🍁🌿🌱🍃

[@growlerthe2nd712]

He always avoided the main TRUNK road to work 😂

[@Liofa73]

Oh do 'leave' him alone!

[@paulmorphy6187]

He was probably attacked by a rubber plant as a small child

[@TimH-pu2dd]

Perhaps he thought "Day of the Triffids" was a documentary.

[@adamrichter9599]

"Never rub another man's rhubarb" - The Joker, "Batman" (1989)

[@DDandrums]

Nice Ford Consul Classic there.

[@eddiehanson2738]

Poor man. Who knows what terror instilled itself in him when he was just a child.

[@joski9030]

Probably pushed into a bush 😂

[@eddiehanson2738]

@@joski9030 What an empathetic individual.

[@wildwine6400]

The Day of the Triffids came out at the cinema the previous year to this 💀

[@mattsan70]

Hope he never watched "The day of the Triffids" -would put him in an early grave!

[@klisher]

i still get nightmares from that. (the 1980 version with John Duttine the music and opening titles were terrifying )

[@Liofa73]

Little Shop of Horrors.

[@MrUmandMrEr]

*in his voice* “Fortunately, Triffids tend to have serrated leaves, so the fear would not, in this case, apply.”

[@davedogge2280]

Hey ! you trees and bushes, just leave that man alone.

[@Urko2005]

And today we get so many who are offended and "terrified" of almost anything.

[@steven-vn9ui]

I wonder when this manifetsed itself and what caused it. Us humans are complex creatures!

[@TheJohnRowley]

He should put googley eyes on the plants that bother him, he’ll find it a huge help to be able to make eye contact

[@ChaimkeProductions]

i have tryphobia, and a fear of holes, or anything weird that shouldnt be there, i also get grossed out by big tree roots

[@JohnHonda101]

Did the work experience hire type the title? Did he catch the "caps lock" by mistake. There is no need to shout in a title. This is the BBC (snigger) no need to be "all American".

[@urgumskurgum7570]

Since this was filmed he has managed to turn over a new leaf.

[@Liofa73]

I think he's probably pushing them up now...

[@urgumskurgum7570]

@@Liofa73 🙄 🤦‍♂️ thanks Capt obvious.

[@john.highheels.3244]

@@Liofa73 Oh just leave him alone!

[@Dantianblue]

Great car though.

[@stevenbaker7696]

Original 60's Ford Capri!👍

[@Dantianblue]

@@stevenbaker7696 Yeah, lovely.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

​​@@stevenbaker7696Thank you. I wondered what that car was. 👍 I don't think we had that model in the US, but I could be wrong.

[@stevenbaker7696]

@@Mick_Ts_Chick If you did it's possible that it was called something else? But I think you are right, they had totes different designs for Europe than in the States!🗽

[@pauljames3058]

Wonder if he had to leaf the country

[@saiyaniam]

I wish I had such a basic worry to deal with vs myself n family dying.

[@viera4]

Just wow 😳

[@clarsach29]

i hope he never comes across a Gunnera manicata in full leaf!.....oddly though, i can almost see how this phobia might occur.....i would feel slightly odd, slightly vulnerable stood under a G.manicata but I couldn't quite tell you why

[@joshdaws1151]

Of all the hobbies, if you're scared of leaves, why would you have a vegetable patch?

[@foamcow]

In the olden days we had to grow our own food. Shops weren't introduced to the UK until the mid 1970s

[@Muzikman127]

@@foamcowamazing comment lmao. Thanks

[@tonyclifton265]

is he afeared of chives, like Les?

[@Stoic-Col]

He might have watched, Day of the Triffids perhaps!

[@davemack395]

This is like a sketch from Big Train or something like that

[@stevendavis2122]

He eventually had to leaf home😬

[@adrianh332]

Just bizarre.

[@fahrgast237]

Blimey!

[@TestGearJunkie.]

I have a phobia of what I call "green stuff" but thankfully only at a distance. I can look out of the window at the trees across the street without a problem, but I could never have plants indoors, or visit one of those tropical hothouses, some of the things in those give me the right heebie-jeebies 😵‍💫 Fortunately I live in a flat so gardens aren't a problem.

[@growlerthe2nd712]

And next week a man scared of a day’s work 😂

[@MrDirkles]

That's me

[@More_Row]

that’s just social anxiety

[@sourcecode6467]

I wonder where his phobia stems from 🧐

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

Good thing he wasn't a Druid I guess.🌳🌲

[@davidharwood9552]

What a strange man. I wonder if he is still got the fear. Trying to work out his age

[@mrt4483]

Thankfully not triffids

[@michaelbyrne5507]

I have a fear of blackboards

[@stepheng8779]

Slow news day back then i guess 🤷 Autumn must've been a nightmare 🤦

[@danyoutube7491]

He said it wasn't a big problem in autumn because there were fewer leaves on the trees and they were easier to ignore.

[@ChillToMusic87]

Leave it out will you......

[@johnm3907]

At least anakin knew why he was afraid of sand.

[@noyoureafuckintube]

Poor fella. 😢

[@chriscoughlan5221]

Sometimes hypnosis works

[@celestialteapot309]

Useful for smokers trying to give up

[@greatestytcommentator]

Serrated leaves are Ok for him? Might explain a lot.

[@rodh4554]

Leaf Brittany alone😭

[@SophieKeebles]

It says it’s 1963 in the title but the description says originally broadcast in 1967. Confused.

[@Liofa73]

Well it could have been recorded in '63, the film looks old enough, they might not have felt it was worth broadcasting for one reason or another... then broadcast it in '67.

[@therealobanir]

Out of curiosity I checked and 3rd December wasn't a wednesday in either of those years, so it remains a mystery.

[@robinvanags912]

BBC2 started in 1964, 'Man Alive' in '65 - so I'd go for 1967.

[@Getty400]

DR DR I'm scared of leaves

[@sarahlouise7163]

the reporter didn't ask him why. why? nobody asks "why" these days, either. massive uptick in allergies? no questions asked. massive uptick in food intolerances? no questions asked.

[@Emilya-A]

When you're really tweaking out and think the leaves look like flukes that came out of someone's body or they're going to turn into various animals

[@OldManRunning-dj7qi]

The BBC. Championing and spreading fear since Day 1.

[@gary7vn]

Phobias, even then, were and are easily treated by covert desensitization.

[@harryjones5260]

poisoned by rhubarb leaf in his last life

[@gregfowler957]

I'm not keen on cacti I must admit

[@voodoomotion5855]

His doctor prescribed him cannabis 😀

[@philthycat1408]

“Have you ever watched the movie, Day Of The Triffids “?

[@jimdavis8391]

He saw 'Day of the Triffids' and had to spend a month in a psychiatric ward.

[@Ivorbiggin]

Surely This must be an April Fool’s joke ?

[@Bringontheasteroid]

Wasn’t this an April Fool?

[@dh7314]

Leaf it out mate

[@CoWinkKeyDinkInc]

Crazy how there was people even back in 1963 who don't touch grass

[@damianclark2080]

Leafin' hell

[@PamK36]

This chap should have moved to the desert.

[@yorkshirelad3524]

He’s a nut job

[@mollyfilms]

I’m waiting for the snowflakes to be scared of social media. Actually that might make my day.

[@marka6259]

Good job his wife wood never leaf him.

[@BHALT0S]

not being funny, but he looks like he could be Putin's brother lol.

[@ezakustam]

Did he die of cancer or car wreck? They seem the most likely.

[@simmadpaul2880]

Recorded April 1st 1963. The clues are there. He's a gardener with a phobia for leafs yeah right.

[@Liofa73]

It doesn't say April 1st 1963... there are plenty of weird phobias out there.

[@simmadpaul2880]

@@Liofa73 just a bit of humour. I know phobias shouldn't be taken lightly.

[@andydixon2980]

I knew a man who was terrified of Oxygen and breathing it in. He only lived for 5minutes.

[@depniff]

I'm not convinced that he's really scared of leaves. Too many excuses why some are acceptable. They could at least have waved some at him to see if he would scream. If only his name was Russell.

[@markmuller7962]

How would you rate your knowledge in psychology from 1 to 10?

[@depniff]

​@@markmuller7962 I'm commenting on YT where everyone is an expert so I would say 10 but it's really 0.

[@swaneknoctic9555]

Sometimes I don’t believe these clips are genuine. I think this has been recorded just to attract viewers.

[@therespectedlex9794]

I dare say that he was a plant.

[@JJToddy]

E. L Wisty

[@djdrwatson]

Phyllophobia is the fear of leaves. All of us, every day of our lives, have to make many deciduous. 🥬🍁😂

[@caniican]

This is a MONTY PYTHON SKIT.right?😂

[@TheAuteurist23]

Haha thought the same thing

[@caniican]

Smoke some weed there prince charlz..geezus🪴

[@Synthematix]

Er, no he’s afraid of leaves

[@caniican]

@@Synthematix .. Not if it is dried....and or in the shape of a cigarette 💰🫠

[@MatthewOfLondon]

What in the name of God made him sick in the head like that?😢