The BBC hosts a David Attenborough concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Cinemas show his nature films. Friends have spent weeks praising the man and his work.
But Alistair Fothergill, producer of some of Attenborough’s most famous documentaries, said the world’s most famous wildlife presenter would likely be uncomfortable with all the attention as he celebrates his 100th birthday on Friday.
“He was always very clear to everyone who worked with him: ‘Remember, the animals are the stars, and I’m not,'” Fothergill told The Associated Press. “So, yeah, it’s surprising that for one of the most famous men on the planet, he doesn’t like being famous at all.”
Glorious gorilla
But Attenborough had to accept the accolades this week as scientists, politicians and conservationists celebrated the man who brought playful gorillas, super-whales and tiny poison dart frogs into living rooms around the world for more than 70 years.
Through BBC programmes, such as: Life on Earth, The private life of plants and Blue planet, Attenborough highlighted the beauty, ferocity and sometimes downright strangeness of nature with a calming, melodic voice that conveyed the awe of what he witnessed.
Viewers who may never leave their hometown are transported to the Himalayas, the Amazon and the unexplored jungles of Papua New Guinea. But behind these stunning images was an interest in scientific rigor that helped teach people about complex topics such as evolution, animal behavior and biodiversity.
As the evidence mounted, he began sounding the alarm about climate change, ocean plastic and other human-caused threats to the planet.
Sir David Attenborough surrounded by a saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.
BBC Studios
Professor Ben Jarrod, an evolutionary biologist at the University of East Anglia and a broadcaster who worked alongside Attenborough, said it helped people understand not only how life evolved, but more importantly, why we should protect it.
Jarrod believes Attenborough initially saw himself as a neutral observer, but was forced to speak out when he saw politicians, business leaders and the public not taking the emergency seriously.
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“It shows you the magnificence and ferocity and fragility of the natural world. He didn’t have to resort to policy making and advocacy,” Jarrod said.
“I think it’s very easy for a lot of people to say: ‘He should have done it sooner. Why didn’t he act 20 years ago, or 30 years ago, or 40 years ago?'” Jarrod then asked: “Why didn’t we do it?”
Fond of fossils from the beginning
Attenborough was born in London on May 8, 1926, the same year as the late Queen Elizabeth II, and grew up at what is now the University of Leicester, where his father was a senior leader.
His passion for nature developed when he was a young boy, riding his bike in the surrounding countryside collecting treasures such as abandoned bird nests, snake skin, and most importantly, fossils.
“I would find a fossil and show it to my father and he would say, ‘Good, good, tell me all about it.’ I responded and became an expert myself,” Attenborough told Smithsonian Magazine in 1981.
He went on to study geology and zoology at Cambridge University.
In 1952, Attenborough joined the BBC, working behind the scenes on “everything from ballets to short stories”. After spending about two months there, the discovery of a “living fossil” off the coast of East Africa sparked an international sensation, and he was asked to produce a short article about the coelacanth.
Three-year-old Susan and her father David Attenborough cover their ears as Georgie the sulfur-crested cockatoo lets out a piercing scream. Georgie was brought to her home in Richmond from New Guinea, which David Attenborough visited for the ‘Zoo Quest’ series.
PA images via Getty Images
This story was told in studio by Professor Julian Huxley, an evolutionary biologist, who used pickled wildlife specimens and a photograph of a coelacanth to explain the importance of the fish.
But Attenborough believed television could do more.
“I always wanted to make films about animals around the world,” he recalled in a 1985 interview with The Associated Press. “But the situation was: We have TV cameras in the studio. What’s this about spending money outside?”
In 1954, he finally convinced the BBC to let him accompany a London Zoo team that traveled to West Africa to collect specimens. That began a decade as host and producer of “Zoo Quest,” launching his career in the industry.
The privilege of his life
One of the most famous moments in that long career came during the 1979 series Life on Earth, when Attenborough met a family of mountain gorillas in a forest on the border of Rwanda and what was then Zaire (now Congo).
During this scene, which has been voted one of Britain’s best television moments of all time, a baby gorilla lies on his body while several children try to take off his shoes. Attenborough smiles and laughs, speechless with delight.
Attenborough later told the BBC: “Honestly, I don’t know how long it took. I think it was about 10 minutes, or even a quarter of an hour.” I was simply transferred.”
“It was really special,” he said. “It was one of the most special moments of my life.”
A character that everyone can understand
Jean-Baptiste Guyon, professor of science communication at University College London, said Attenborough combined his knowledge of television, understanding of his audience and commitment to science to create a character who could present complex issues of wildlife, conservation and natural history to a wide audience.
“He basically gave wildlife television a character, a front-of-house person… who came to embody the television discourse about nature,” Guyon said.
On this centenary of his founding, his fans were keen to find him. He said in a recorded audio message that he thought he would celebrate this day quietly. As if.
Head of Butterfly Conservation, Sir David Attenborough, with the Greater Mormon Butterfly of South East Asia, and a paper detailing the different species common in the UK, during the launch of London Zoo’s large butterfly count in Regent’s Park, London.
John Stillwell/PA Images via Getty Images
He said: “I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the Christmas greetings from pre-school groups to care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages. I simply cannot respond to each of you individually, but I would like to sincerely thank you all for your kind messages.”
Fothergill said he doesn’t plan to stop now.
“He told me recently that he feels incredibly privileged that a man in his late 90s is still being asked to work. And, you know, it’s going to last forever. He’s going to die wearing safari shorts.”
