Eddie Kidd: Ryan Farquhar returns former stuntman's leathers after social media appeal

Eddie Kidd was one of the world's premier stunt performers.

In the 1980s and 1990s, his work was seen by millions of film fans, although not many will have known it was him.

Kidd was the stunt double for Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond films The Living Daylights and Goldeneye.

He also doubled for Harrison Ford and Val Kilmer and famously leapt the Great Wall of China on his bike, one of over 12,000 stunts he performed.

Kidd was as famous as Evil Knievel and his daredevil motorbike stunts were renowned across the world including Northern Ireland.

However, in August 1996, he was seriously injured in a crash while performing a stunt in England and was left paralysed and with brain damage.

Throughout his career, Kidd was known for his generosity to his legions of fans and regularly gave away memorabilia including gloves and leathers to various charities.

And this is where the story really begins.

Kidd's family wanted to recover some of that memorabilia as they had little themselves and only owned one of Eddie's bikes.

His partner, Billie, appealed to the wider public through social media channels.

It was seen by Northern Ireland road racing legend Ryan Farquhar.

Ten years ago, the Dungannon rider was at an event in Wales and was asked to bring a set of leathers to swap.

"It was actually meant to be for a set of Steve Hislop's leathers, but whenever I got there, the leathers the collector was trying to swap, they were a set that Steve had crashed in and they'd been cut off and they weren't familiar and I didn't recognise them," recalled Farquhar.

"So I had a look round and I saw a set of Eddie's leathers. The collector tried to tell me they were Evil Knievel's, but I knew they were Eddie's. So I did a swap with them and that's how I came to get them."

After seeing her appeal, Farquhar immediately replied to Eddie's partner Billie on social media.

"They got back to me and said they would love to have as much memorabilia back because they've given that much away for charities.

"I'd watched the programme on Top Gear that Paddy McGuinness had done on Eddie and it was really emotional.

"I just think it's something I should do, I should give them, if Eddie would like them back, I think it's the right thing to do because he had given them to charity.

"I'd like to meet the guy as well, so I think it's a nice gesture and a good excuse to get over to meet him.

"As a kid I'd watched many of his jumps and I was always fascinated with Eddie and Evil Knievel."

With the relationship established, Farquhar travelled to Kidd's home near Brighton, to return the leathers.

Kidd, now 64, uses a wheelchair and requires assistance with communicating. He is helped by his carer Glen.

"I am very happy [to get the leathers back] but they are dirty," said Kidd.

He had worn them in 1978 along with a cape that Kidd still had.

He expressed his delight at meeting Farquhar, as he put it, "one champion to another".

On meeting Kidd, Farquhar said: "When I came in you could see the excitement in his face, the smile on his face and, you know, the fact that it means so much to him getting the leathers back, he can remember riding on them.

"I'm really pleased that I can give something back to such a special person that unfortunately has ended up with the disabilities that he has but the will that he has to live, you know, fair play to him, there's not many people would be as strong as what he is. It's a day I'll never forget."