1976: GEOFF CAPES - Athlete, Policeman, BUDGIE BREEDER | Nationwide | BBC Archive

[@vanderark89]

Geoff was a mainstay of my childhood tv memories. I wish his friends and family my condolences.

[@chantalsscaleisafibber]

Such sad news hearing of him passing away. I remember watching him in the Olympics and commonwealth games when I was a kid. I'd forgotten he was a budgie breeder. Seemed like he was such a lovely man. RIP Geoff.

[@WhiskyMonsta]

I was in awe of this guy. RIP

[@debbieharris3223]

RIP Geoff . Lovely man. ❤

[@TheSnowdogsShorts]

I worked in a hotel where they hosted an annual budgie convention. I met Geoff there. He came across as a nice person.

[@cvovrsce]

RIP GEOFF A great & good man My long time friend Will be sadly very Missed.

[@redknight9740]

I miss old Britain 😢

[@danmcdaid]

Lol I wonder what this secretly means nudge nudge wink wink

[@redknight9740]

@danmcdaid I won't pretend I don't. There was nothing wrong with our way of life, im all for immigration, but the result of mass immigration has left our country looking like a third world shite hole.

[@Francisco-b3n3q]

Vote reform!!!.

[@mangomangay7747]

"I destroyed the British National Party. We had a far-right party in this country who genuinely were anti-jew, anti-black and all of those things. And I came along and said to their voters, 'If you're holding your nose and voting for this party as a protest, don't. Come and vote for me. I'm not against anybody, I just want us to start putting British people first'. And I almost single-handedly destroyed the far-right in British politics. That's not a bad achievement". -Nigel Farage, Reform Party leader Voting is precisely useless, mate

[@selfemployed1338]

​@@danmcdaidno wink or nudge, it only means what it says, they miss the old Britain.

[@squareggs]

I used to love watching the Worlds Strongest Man growing up in the 80s. My dad used to give me stuff to lift when he was weight training in the garage, great memories.

[@TheVanillatech]

Haha. My Dad used to come and wake my brother and me up, when we were 6 or 7, around Christmas / New Years time and say "Boys, come down and watch Worlds Strongest Man with your Mam and me! Geoff Capes is on!". We'd go down and watch this giant guy lifting things that seemed impossible! My DAD was the strongest man who ever lived, in my eyes, till I saw Geoff Capes! (But it was probably still my Dad......). :D

[@Vince-l4k]

I remember Kevin keegan taking a skiding fall on the bike race,

[@thestrengthwithin4249]

@@TheVanillatechlovely story and to have that memory, thanks for sharing mate 👏👏💪💪

[@t4runch0h4n]

RIP GEOFF CAPES 🙏

[@Mystiqueswb]

Rest in peace.

[@thestrengthwithin4249]

what a man,what a legend 💪what a wonderful human being RIP BFG ❤️

[@davidpayne3938]

I used to love watching Geoff on TV when I was a child, he was a true superstar sportsman in my eyes.. R.I.P..🙏

[@alexanderpetersen9853]

Rest in Power Big Man

[@Neil_Gibson]

RIP Geoff Capes. He was an inspiration to millions.

[@Lisa-yc3vg]

RIP Geoff , sad loss 😢

[@davidtkocz8356]

Big Geoff was my heros hero. Wattie Wier from Stenhousemuir was the local Highland games athlete, his role model was Geoff. I remember seeing him in the flesh for the first time, he looked like a mountain. R.I.P. Big G.

[@davidjones6470]

A right living legend right there

[@videogamebookreviews]

We couldn't have known at the time this was filmed, but in the 80s he would be the star of a computer game as well. Surely a highlight for any celebrity!

[@JJONNYREPP]

1976: GEOFF CAPES - Athlete, Policeman, BUDGIE BREEDER | Nationwide | BBC Archive 28.6.24 0937am you can still play these games online reagrds retro gaming... even the old daly thompson decathlon game is still knocking about... i used to own that game with my spectrum. i really liked british sports circa 1970/1980 - when the guys, it's trite now, got on and did it without too much fuss. if we compare the guys then with the prima donnas now... the sparse facilities, the doing it off yer own bat schtick.... well.... i mean, shame on them, these over paid over s;ponsored dolts!!!!!! underrated champs are hard to come by. pretty cool by me, though. the era of having some furitve respect for the old east germans (eg: Jürgen Straub) and the like - though they were probably from South Dakota or some such.... as they struggled with all manner of b.s to just be allowed to do what is so simple a task - run, or throw sommat - in that lust for gold!!! capes? a winner in most things... whether it be world's strongest man or Uk's strongest man, eating breakfast cereals or ripping up telephone books... not to mention his olympic shot put performances.... the rennaisance man of sport..... ahahahah...... stew storey and ron pickwring exemplified this era. irrespectiveof what you think of those guys... again, they had a handle omn most things and probably new not to give vent to the football scores if they knew people had recorded thegame previously... hint!! hint!!!! nostalgia or just respect for a limited means budget...? p.s as much as nick wants to emulate me and even overhaul me - no chance, son...

[@rodneycharltontrotter]

i had that on my amstrad cpc 464

[@JJONNYREPP]

@@rodneycharltontrotter 29.6.24 0006AM i knew a guy who owned an oric... so embarrassed was he of it that he ransacked the roof of the pub he lived in and blamed it on ghostly presences... in that the roof fell on said oric and he was quids in...

[@jamienhb9770]

@@JJONNYREPP couldnt beat hyper sports

[@jamienhb9770]

@@JJONNYREPP i had a c16 😪

[@Liamwalrus]

RIP brother

[@Wrestoktwella]

Well spoken gentleman

[@64Pete]

Holy crap, what a blast from the past. Geoff is a deadset legend. ✌ 🇦🇺

[@tracktime1196]

My dad took me to a Stafford bird show when I was a kid in the early 90's, where I met Geoff I didn't even know who he was until my Dad said I had just been talking to 2x Worlds Strongest Man, huge bloke and loved his birds he was very kind to give a young lad a little bit of his time for a chat. I'm now in my 40s and still remember and it's great to see a bit of history of a great bloke

[@catsquirrel3270]

RIP Geoff.

[@timetochange704]

RIP Geoff a true legend of the Strongman Competition and some fantastic achievements you reached in your career.

[@simonburton505]

Rip Big Geoff a true British icon .Olympic medalist .Budgie breeder and all out nice Guy Condolences to his family .

[@richardmcquillan4305]

Loved watching this and i've always liked Geoff Capes. RIP Big man

[@ChristopherofEngland]

Just blows my mind this was 50 years ago

[@massmurggor4108]

48

[@72vince27]

Hmmm checks out, looks about 50 years ago for me 😅

[@angelacooper2661]

The programme was actually broadcast on my 6th birthday (I am now aged fifty four!)

[@MesserschmittReaver]

What a beast props to his loyal wife also prepping food all day for him

[@Sean-ce1hu]

He was 27 here, mad!

[@DavidKArrrrgh]

Looks 54

[@peternagy-im4be]

​@@DavidKArrrrghhardly 54. Maybe in his 30's

[@Algorithm347]

I thought he looked 28 😂

[@angelacooper2661]

​@@DavidKArrrrghI am 54 now, six back then!

[@asa1973100]

How GORGEOUS was he back in the day

[@SWExplore]

Update: Geoff is such a big handsome sweetheart -- I would have loved to have gone out on a date with him back in the day... Such a handsome and gentle man! Glad he's doing well today aged 74 in 2024.

[@dh7314]

5:32 died aged 75, so he did alright

[@daynerpotter9514]

RIP Geoff, a legend that pathed the way for athletes and strongmen persons Worldwide, the nice strongan ❤❤

[@fatherofthenoo]

Might be imagining this but I think he came to my school in Werrington, Peterborough back in 80s or 90s. And I remember him well as the strong man on various TV shows too. Geoff is as nostalgic for me as anything from my childhood.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Geoff’s Capes - a cape for every occasion.

[@leechilds3725]

Watching Geoff has given me inspiration. I feel motivated 💪

[@TheVanillatech]

Go lift something heavy!

[@peternagy-im4be]

​@@TheVanillatechido lift but cannot lift heavy. But to me it definitely feels beneficial.

[@TheVanillatech]

@@peternagy-im4be Anything is better than nothing. If you don't have a physical job, or if you've retired ... always good to stay active. If you don't use it you lose it.

[@RaftSwampRebel]

Geoff Capes is one of my favorite legends of strength! He was a phenomenal athlete! 💪🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@Ebanie711]

Hero of mine as a child

[@RobinMuirhead]

Loved watching Geoff Capes compete in strong man competitions when I was a young man very inspiring watching him lift huge weighted wheel barrows and bend steel bars. I ended up throwing the hammer for Sale Harriers and lifting weights no regrets all fun!

[@georgebolam-gb2lg]

use to watch him as a kid ....those were the days.......

[@Alex-u1r2i]

Love capeys it's a shame younger athletes like myself have never heard of him I'm 27 and have been following him for a while now and I think he's definitely a role model if you're into some sort of weight training

[@MrLetmein2011]

He’s a lovely man ❤️

[@pauldurkee4764]

Very sad to hear he passed away today, i remember his coach Stuart Storey was a very good athletics commentator on the BBC for many years. In the film they mentioned him being 22 stone, i think he went up to about 26 later. Not only a big man but athletic with it.

[@CARLIN4737]

Brilliant. Strongman legend aswell.

[@johngordon2382]

A true gentleman RIP big man 👏

[@misterads123]

Back when the BBC was the BBC...

[@8bitnitwit]

What do you mean?

[@lennonpolo]

@@8bitnitwit He/she means it's rubbish now!

[@shaunduffy9791]

You can sense a lot of anger in Geoff I feel. Thank God he had his Budgies to keep him relatively mellow.

[@PennyLane1]

He was known for his pleasant manner..

[@Barakudas1-h6k]

One of the best natural strongman ever, and field athlete.

[@TerribleCovers11]

Great man.

[@James-wu2xi]

RIP legend

[@davidjones6470]

Excellent upload,

[@angelacooper2661]

Geoff Capes, the Olympic Birdman, has just died aged 75. I remember him growing up very well. This programme was actually broadcast on my 6th birthday (halfway through infant school!)

[@Mick-h7i]

R.I.P big man ❤

[@stevie750iL]

I met Geoff a few times in a pub called The Dungeon in Glendevon Scotland,I'm sure he owned? He was an absolute gentleman giant. 😊

[@chriswoyce6285]

RIP Geoff 🙏

[@davidc4408]

UK will miss him

[@EricOconnell-j5r]

Great ..caps..came to Harlow gym Essex to open it Was great to see him there..

[@choppergeeza]

Rip big fella.

[@GeorgeLittle-ft2yx]

Legend

[@oxouk]

Well, if his diet will result in living 1/3 that of an average person, ol Geoff will live past 100. His life parallels that of Mike Tyson with Mikes passion for pigeons. Another quality and worth while watching video from BBC Archives.

[@TheVanillatech]

Capes was a LEGEND. A true sportsman and good man, world champion two times and in a very competitive era. I was always impressed by his sportsmanship and attitude towards fellow competitors. He represented the UK very well. Much like Gary Taylor and Jamie Reeves after him. Compare him to someone like Eddie Hall, who is such a disgrace to the country despite being our "best hope" of a WSM winner since the days of Hollands and Felix. Not even a worth comparison, in my opinion.

[@dankmdunn4725]

15 quid a week for the meat and food of a strongmans diet?? Fantastic Give me a time machine haha the good old days

[@kevfit4333]

Hes still going strong.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Strong being the operative word

[@randomnomad]

RIP x

[@BeatUpRecordsCDs]

2 x Worlds Strongest Man in the 80s.

[@shropsiberian]

6:34 great reflexes for such a big man

[@damianwilson1408]

Iv leaned more about Geoff capes in this 15 minutes video than watching him on the telly as a kid Never new he was a copper or the birds 👍

[@DAVEC1992]

RIP Sir

[@TheBlueCream]

RIP big man.

[@clemdane]

I love the little girl's dress

[@recall2880]

Loved this guy. One of my childhood heroes. Surprised he wasn’t one of Eddie Halls neither. Would love a meet up

[@LeighBramley]

RIP Geoff 😥 A TRUE legend World's strongest man when it was against John Paul & kasmire

[@analogueman123456787]

On kids telly in the '70s and early '80s, whenever they needed 'a bit of muscle', they'd wheel Geoff Capes on. He was a very familiar face when growing up. One of our best known athletes over the last fifty years never to win an Olympic medal, though he excelled in most other competitions around the world. Shame he was never offered a gong though, as he was simply an ordinary bloke who 'done good'. A modest guy with little ego, and an interest in breeding budgies. What's not to like?

[@4879daniel]

they'd always wheel him out and given him some copies of the yellow pages

[@TheVanillatech]

He was a very great sportsman, diplomat, credible character. Represented us WELL on the world stage, despite being a champion. Zero Ego, as you said! Todays atheletes could learn a lot from Big G.

[@TheVanillatech]

@@4879daniel Did he eat them?

[@jaynowhere]

​@@TheVanillatechmy first thought was do you mean the budgies?

[@TheVanillatech]

@@jaynowhere 🤪

[@GaryWhittingham]

74 years old and counting...

[@thestarshavefallen]

i know and the reporter said his diet would reduce his life expectancy

[@Tmuk2]

Goes to show I think - look after yourself, but when you're time's up, your time's up

[@BsktImp]

Would love to know what he thinks of the current state of policing (and police!) in England now.

[@peternagy-im4be]

I can certainly guess what he would think about it.

[@michaelwalton-ii1ch]

Once turned Xmas lights on with Linda Nolan in Heckmondwike mid 80s...

[@peternagy-im4be]

Good god almighty

[@paulaol248]

The toughest men in the world all over ..tend to keep feathered friends . That's a known fact .

[@stevendavis2122]

Top man 👍🏼

[@Lotrhome154]

1:27 them adidas are fire

[@karlhampson6091]

R:I:P geoff.

[@Gandim45]

What a wonderful wife he had, preparing all that food for him. Three cheers for the women of yesteryear!

[@TruculentSheep]

A man so strong, he's tamed Dinosaurs!

[@joanne26]

If I remember he used to do after dinner speaking and you could book him to appear at lots of things My late father worked for a large company from 1959 till retirement in 1990 The sales conferences back in the late 1970’s were spent in 5* hotels and one time they booked Geoff as their entertainment I bet there were some great stories told 🇬🇧🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👍 👍 ❤️❤️

[@paulmcdonough1093]

he lifted friends cars to change tyres that got me ha

[@tashdog1]

Yeah that's true,

[@jasonayres]

(5:10) I wonder where they stored.. housed all that food?! 380 tins of pilchards, let alone the other stuff. Regardless, they sat down and ate at the table together. Wise investment.

[@legitprowrestling6653]

LEGEND!

[@andydixon2980]

How did he catch that budgie in his hands without turning it into mushy peas?

[@TheVanillatech]

Budgie Whisperer. The budgies, in the end, made him "Lord Of All Budgies" and even to this day, they say his name with reverence...

[@jaynowhere]

Like most throwing sports you need great technique. I used to run for Cambridge Harriers and on a Sunday Steve Blackley would give us 14 year olds javelin throwing lessons. Then when we threw javelins in PE everyone was shocked that the small, skinny kid could throw nearly as far as our teacher. Considering I beat the teachers cross country time the previous year my games lessons from then on I resembled Billy in Kes for what I went through for the next 3 years. The irony that my father was a friend of Brian Glover (at Battersea park) wasn't something I discovered until later in life.

[@TheVanillatech]

@@jaynowhere My GOD bro can you stop talking about yourself for FIVE DAMN MINUTES?

[@andydixon2980]

@@TheVanillatech I thought it was quite interesting. 😆

[@jazztheglass6139]

Look at them trainers, old style addidas

[@TheVanillatech]

Remember the Torsion Bars? :D Don't make em like they used to. I could run at 55mph with Torsion bars...

[@paulmcdonough1093]

@@TheVanillatech you couldnt

[@TheVanillatech]

@@paulmcdonough1093 I could I swear down!

[@Vince-l4k]

No steroids for Geoff,

[@craigl5729]

sad news, rest easy....

[@WillScarlet1991]

I was 11 months old!

[@wullaballoo2642]

Budgies look like Grapes in the hands of giant Capes

[@raymondgreen5261]

I went to school with him. Not a bad bloke 👍

[@davidlockwood4303]

Geoff was and still is a national treasure, im a firm believer that he was never juiced up, an absolute unit of a man and a brilliant athlete, imagine been caught robbing something back in the 70s, and having him breathing down your neck lol

[@danmcdaid]

Shout out to a giant king

[@milquetoasted]

"Look at him. Look at Geoff Woade. His head must weigh fifty pounds on its own."

[@pizzaDhut]

He is fit. The guys today cannot talk without getting out of breath.

[@johnflorence5370]

My parents took Me to meet Him at Colwyn Bay Mountain Zoo when I was a little lad, He was very rude to Me and other kids that day! They say never meet your heroes! Always watched and rooted for him on world strongest man but never cared for him afterwards. A few hours later He tried to act polite but no one could be bothered with him! That was roughly 40 years ago. Maybe he was having a bad day or something! A proper big head He was that day to be honest.

[@neocloudmarts9613]

At 9:34 we can understand Geoff’s frustration; UK only started talent spotting 38 years later in sports and other physical activity disciplines.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Is that the same in English football? They never win anything or even look like winning anything.

[@korkyybuchek6133]

legend when i was a lad

[@dh7314]

Ahhh the past