THE demolition of two key buildings in the district is to feature in the next series of TV programme Scrap Kings, which begins next month.

A team from back2back productions filmed the work of Bradford demolition contractor Thomas Crompton as it went about demolishing both the former police station and court building in Bingley, and the Jacob's Well office block in Bradford city centre.


Video: Bradford Council

The programme is billed an an "action packed, incendiary, factual series focused on the people who are hands on demolishing and scrapping Britain's redundant buildings, structures and vehicles".

There will be 20, one hour episodes, which are due to air from April 9 at 9pm on Discovery Quest.

The series will then air weekly, although there may be a break over the summer with the episodes shown in two blocks of ten.

The Bingley demolition is set to appear in the first ten episodes, while the blowdown of Jacob's Well is to feature in the latter part of the series.

Thomas and Margaret Crompton, from local firm Thomas Crompton told the Telegraph & Argus the firm and its workers had been filmed over a number of months starting last summer.

Margaret said: "We filmed for the previous series and were asked to film again this time, but that was before we knew whether we had got the Jacob's Well contract.

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"They knew we had got quite a lot of demolition jobs as we are the biggest and best in this area - that's why they came to us."

She added of the filming itself: "You think it's going to be really exciting, the filming, but it was actually hard work, with the film crew following you around and having to be on your best behaviour!"

"They filmed all the lads and their characters on our site and they get a chance to speak about what they are doing. Anything technical, and Thomas was filmed for that."

Thomas added that the firm's salvage work would also be heavily featured in the programme.

"We recovered the old stocks at Bingley police station and donated them to the police museum at City Hall in Bradford. We also recovered the cell doors, which have gone to the London Dungeon."

"Bits of Jacob's Well have been reused or recycled. Some of the rubble is currently being used to fill in the roundabout and subway at Wakefield Road. It's also been used by other housebuilders too.

"We recovered 44 tonnes of carpet tiles from Jacob's Well, which have been reused at other office buildings."

He added that various items were donated to local schools and charities, including blinds, overhead projectors and white boards.

In addition he added that a previous item salvaged during the demolition of the foundation building at Whitcliffe Mount School in Cleckheaton - the clocktower - had been reconditioned and was now on a building in Australia.

"People think we just demolish, but its about recycling and reusing as much as possible."

back2back productions describes Scrap Kings as: "Each episode features the hard working heroes from the world of scrap - whether it’s with gas burner in hand to cut up aeroplanes or a sledge hammer and pick axe to clear out a building.

"As the natural resources of the earth are quarried and mined towards scarcity, in the world of scrap, nearly a hundred percent of the materials are recycled.

"Bricks and concrete crushed into hardcore and new aggregates, old wood into biomass fuel and scrap metals exported or melted down to be made into new parts and machines. All sorts of redundant vehicles from combine harvesters to boats get stripped for spares then crushed by dinosaur-like diggers and engine cracking machines into scrap metal for reuse.

"What’s left on the floor of the scrap yard is picked over by the artists and hobbyists who create their own metal masterpieces from giant creatures to bespoke furniture, crafted from aeroplane wings and tank parts."

Series producer Nigel Gainsborough said the series focused on the human side behind scrap sellers across the country.

He added that the work to bring down Bingley police station had been a "straight forward" mechanical demolition but that the blowdown at Jacob's Well was uncommon in the industry these days.

"In Bingley Thomas Crompton did quite a bit of architectural salvage as well. It shows these firms don't just knock things down, they preserve the heritage too.

Of Jacob's Well, he added: "Thomas Crompton did a lot of preparation and we used lots of cameras to show the whole shut down and evacuation as well as the actual blowdown. We've captured the human story."