The world is celebrating David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
Huge names as wide ranging as King Charles III, Leonardo DiCaprio, Camila Cabello and Paddington Bear have just delivered virtual birthday messages to Attenborough in a celebration of his life that took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall and aired on the BBC. Others to have sent their love included Nile Rodgers, Judi Dench, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The scale of these rockstar tributes is testament to Attenborough’s seismic impact. The British centenarian is without a doubt the most famous naturalist of all time and is showing no signs of slowing, with the BBC just revealing that he will narrate the upcoming Blue Planet III landmark.
All week, the British press has been awash with tributes to Attenborough, who has been making and presenting nature documentaries for decades.
“His extraordinary talent for storytelling has shaped the way generations of audiences understand and connect with the natural world, and his voice remains synonymous with the very best of the BBC’s natural history output,” said Jack Bootle, Attenborough’s commissioner at the national broadcaster.
Attenborough is one of the UK’s greatest cultural exports and the nation has delighted in celebrating him. Across his career, which kicked off with a stint running BBC Two, he has hosted documentary powerhouses that have changed the shape of wildlife TV including Planet Earth, Life on Earth, Zoo Quest and Our Planet, winning numerous gongs along the way. He has mainly worked for the BBC but in recent years also turned to streamers like Netflix.
Attenborough’s oeuvre has become ever more crucial as global warming has come to the fore of worldwide conversation. He is now seen as a key asset in the battle against climate change. “He has taught me so much about the craft of storytelling which resonates with millions of people,” Tom Macdonald, Nat Geo’s EVP of Content, told Deadline. “As he turns 100, we celebrate a legacy that has not just profoundly shaped documentary making for the better, but the natural world around us.”
“Attenborough takeover day”
Today in London has been “Attenborough takeover day,” with a two-minute special birthday message delivered at the Piccadilly lights honoring his contribution.
Over the past 90 minutes, the BBC has been hosting the live celebration show titled David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth, which included a teaser for Blue Planet III.
It just concluded with an emotional reading by the man himself of “What a Wonderful World” accompanied by glorious shots from the natural world.
Hosted by Kirsty Young, the night mixed birthday messages with celebrations of Attenborough’s biggest shows and greatest moments. The Life on Earth section came with a message from Felix Ndagijimana at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Karisoke research center in Rwanda, who updated on how the famous gorillas are doing since Attenborough visited 50 years ago. The evening moved on to celebrate Planet Earth with a performance from Icelandic band Sigur Rós, the creators of the iconic soundtrack. Blue Planet then took the focus, with broadcasters Steve Backshall and Liz Bonnin discussing the importance of the franchise on plastics and environmental awareness of our oceans.
The show ended on a happy note as the crowd and those watching at home were given the message that Attenborough ain’t going anywhere.
Blue Planet III, which airs later this year, will “build on the groundbreaking legacy of the previous two series, redefining the realm of possibility in underwater wildlife film-making,” the BBC said. As he enters his eleventh decade, Attenborough will be as central to the project as ever.
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