Sir David Attenborough
April 26, 2016 8:53 AM Subscribe
Sir David Attenborough is decidely NOT dead. Yet. But he is turning 90 in a few days, and the BBC is very wisely choosing to celebrate him while he's still around to enjoy it. Their tribute page features quite a lot of material, which isn't all that hard when you consider that he's been on the air for 60 years, but does feature some rare treasures like color footage of his very first Zoo Quest program (sorry, programme), along with color still photos from the same. A BBC archivist stumbled upon a total of six color Zoo Quest episodes, all of which will air in Britain as part of the tribute.
Attenborough is still active in promoting world wildlife preservation: his latest series on the Great Barrier Reef aired a couple of months ago, and recently it was announced that he would narrate a second Planet Earth series. He did an AMA on Reddit to promote the GBR series, weighed in on the Boaty McBoatface fiasco (sadly, on the wrong side), and told the Times of India that his greatest regret was capturing rare animals for zoos back in the day.
In addition to decades of presenting television and radio series, Attenborough was the first controller of BBC 2 in the early 1960s, went on to run the entire BBC for a time, and very nearly became its governor-general. Like the Queen, who also just turned 90, he is generally regarded as a national treasure in the UK.
Attenborough is still active in promoting world wildlife preservation: his latest series on the Great Barrier Reef aired a couple of months ago, and recently it was announced that he would narrate a second Planet Earth series. He did an AMA on Reddit to promote the GBR series, weighed in on the Boaty McBoatface fiasco (sadly, on the wrong side), and told the Times of India that his greatest regret was capturing rare animals for zoos back in the day.
In addition to decades of presenting television and radio series, Attenborough was the first controller of BBC 2 in the early 1960s, went on to run the entire BBC for a time, and very nearly became its governor-general. Like the Queen, who also just turned 90, he is generally regarded as a national treasure in the UK.
I have watched as many David Attenborough documentaries as I could get my hands on. In 1979, he did a Life On Earth series in which a young, spry, higher-voiced Attenborough travels around the world and lays down the fossil and living evidence for evolution better than anyone.
After watching that, it's somewhat disappointing that his most recent series - which are spectacular, of course - have been so quiet about evolution, to the point that TV stations can make a couple of small edits and evolution disappears. Not that he has backed down from defense of evolution in his personal life, though.
posted by clawsoon at 9:04 AM on April 26, 2016
After watching that, it's somewhat disappointing that his most recent series - which are spectacular, of course - have been so quiet about evolution, to the point that TV stations can make a couple of small edits and evolution disappears. Not that he has backed down from defense of evolution in his personal life, though.
posted by clawsoon at 9:04 AM on April 26, 2016
but does feature some rare treasures like color footage of his very first Zoo Quest program (sorry, programme), along with color still photos from the same
Colour! ;D
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:04 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Colour! ;D
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:04 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
David Attenborough chases a giant anteater is pretty special.
posted by little onion at 9:05 AM on April 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by little onion at 9:05 AM on April 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
Yeah, really wish the title had been 'Sir David Attenborough turning 90!' Forever delighted by his account of encountering a Papua tribe (link).
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 9:06 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 9:06 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Go Sir David!
btw: I hope, when I turn 90, to get a card saying: We're throwing a party for you now, while you are still around to enjoy it. I am working on a civil reply, but I have not yet come upon the right choice of words.
whippersnappers, bah.
posted by mule98J at 9:07 AM on April 26, 2016
btw: I hope, when I turn 90, to get a card saying: We're throwing a party for you now, while you are still around to enjoy it. I am working on a civil reply, but I have not yet come upon the right choice of words.
whippersnappers, bah.
posted by mule98J at 9:07 AM on April 26, 2016
The David Attenborough, as narrated and described by Miles Kington (from the Making of the Living Planet).
posted by Sonny Jim at 9:09 AM on April 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Sonny Jim at 9:09 AM on April 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
In 1979, he did a Life On Earth series in which a young, spry, higher-voiced Attenborough travels around the world and lays down the fossil and living evidence for evolution better than anyone.
In 1986 I had a college course based entirely on this series.
posted by bricksNmortar at 9:10 AM on April 26, 2016
In 1986 I had a college course based entirely on this series.
posted by bricksNmortar at 9:10 AM on April 26, 2016
My first job after college was fact checking Sir David's scripts for Life in The Freezer. I love the odd but cool world of natural history tv. Its had a few ups and downs but long may it survive.
posted by C.A.S. at 9:14 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by C.A.S. at 9:14 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sonny Jim that clip is wonderful! heehee
posted by Wretch729 at 9:17 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Wretch729 at 9:17 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Loved how he narrated Adele's Hello: she hasn't upgraded her handset since 1999! Hashtag flip phone.
posted by sapagan at 9:26 AM on April 26, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by sapagan at 9:26 AM on April 26, 2016 [5 favorites]
Sonny Jim's clip is the best! Especially Attenborough trying to look busy in the background and then forgetting himself with a shy grin.
posted by tavella at 9:30 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by tavella at 9:30 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
A treasure of humanity and an advocate for our world. More like him please!
posted by lalochezia at 9:38 AM on April 26, 2016
posted by lalochezia at 9:38 AM on April 26, 2016
This narration of a pet tortoise mounting a shoe he did on the Graham Norton Show still makes me laugh.
posted by zzazazz at 9:51 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by zzazazz at 9:51 AM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
People usually mention him rolling around with the gorillas, but the occasion I always remember is him knee deep in a mountain of bat guano, surface of the guano covered in a seething swarm of insects, in a pitch dark cave with bats swooping past his head; him narrating as calmly as if he was at a garden party.
posted by Segundus at 10:04 AM on April 26, 2016
posted by Segundus at 10:04 AM on April 26, 2016
Whenever Sir David finally leaves this world it will be because he sadly recognizes that we no longer deserve him.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:09 AM on April 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:09 AM on April 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh, is it "post your favorite Sir David clip" time? I love this one of him getting interrupted by a bird of paradise.
posted by Lexica at 10:22 AM on April 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Lexica at 10:22 AM on April 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
They should really name the boat after him.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:52 AM on April 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:52 AM on April 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh, is it "post your favorite Sir David clip" time?
Of course it is.
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:06 AM on April 26, 2016
Of course it is.
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:06 AM on April 26, 2016
In 1979, he did a Life On Earth series in which a young, spry, higher-voiced Attenborough travels around the world and lays down the fossil and living evidence for evolution better than anyone.
Oh man, memories. Those VHS tapes were the absolute highlight of my 7th grade biology class, and probably my original gateway into thinking about asking science questions for a living. I think we watched all of them, spaced out over a year. So good.
posted by deludingmyself at 5:46 PM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh man, memories. Those VHS tapes were the absolute highlight of my 7th grade biology class, and probably my original gateway into thinking about asking science questions for a living. I think we watched all of them, spaced out over a year. So good.
posted by deludingmyself at 5:46 PM on April 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
All of the above... and I'm always further amazed by the man when I remember that his brother was the equally noteworthy RIchard Attenborough (that thread, somewhat unnervingly, was to mark his death at 90, so it's a good thing I'm a steely-eyed rationalist and don't believe in jinxes.)
posted by Devonian at 3:21 AM on April 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Devonian at 3:21 AM on April 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
One thing I loved about the Attenborough's Life Stories series was that we got a documentary about Sir David written by Sir David and narrated by Sir David.
posted by Blackanvil at 12:54 PM on April 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Blackanvil at 12:54 PM on April 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
"Britain’s new polar research ship is to be named RRS Sir David Attenborough, despite Boaty McBoatface topping the public vote. The decision to name the £200m state-of-the-art vessel after the naturalist comes days before his 90th birthday, and is in recognition of his legacy in British broadcasting. The name Boaty McBoatface will live on in the form of the ship’s remotely operated submarine, which will be dispatched from RRS Sir David Attenborough to allow the research crew to collect data and samples from the Arctic and Antarctic."
posted by effbot at 3:16 AM on May 6, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by effbot at 3:16 AM on May 6, 2016 [4 favorites]
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