David Attenborough, Alive and Narrating Planet Earth 3

October 16, 2023 7:09 AM

Film Sir David on location. Do not let him climb stairs without a defibrillator. Do not place Sir David too close to seabirds.

Here is the trailer for Planet Earth 3.

posted by Hypatia (15 comments total)

Both of those directives strike me as good advice when filming a 97-year-old presenter.

Amazing that he is fit enough to film on location, even with those precautions.
posted by dweingart at 7:22 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

Do not taunt Sir David.
posted by wabbittwax at 7:39 AM on October 16, 2023 [13 favorites]

Needs the "WhewDontScareMe" tag.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:56 AM on October 16, 2023 [14 favorites]

Having been watching OFMD, I had a brief vision of Sir David turning into a seabird and flying away, perhaps to return at an hour of need.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:01 AM on October 16, 2023 [13 favorites]

It would be fitting
posted by The otter lady at 8:37 AM on October 16, 2023

I remember watching Life on Earth on PBS, way back in 1979. It changed my whole perspective. Talk about a life well lived, doing this at 97 is remarkable and inspiring.
posted by Chuffy at 9:42 AM on October 16, 2023 [6 favorites]

My office in a UK uni is right next to a department of ecologists, and when David Attenborough finally goes, I am expecting such a collective outpouring of woe it will be heard across the site. Virtually all of them worship him, and most have stories about the influence he had on them and what they chose to do with their lives.
posted by biffa at 10:15 AM on October 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

I just feel the need to drop a link to this video of David Attenborough applying his unique skills to something a little closer to home.
posted by firechicago at 10:30 AM on October 16, 2023 [6 favorites]

I really appreciate that you made extra effort in the post title to avoid the "oh shit no" response that follows whenever someone older and not yet milkshake-ducked appears in a post.
posted by ChrisR at 10:37 AM on October 16, 2023 [7 favorites]

Time for a sky dive while flicking the v-sign “peace out muthafukkas!!!!”
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:38 AM on October 16, 2023

Filming at sites such as Skomer Island off the west coast of Wales involved the presenter being accompanied by a doctor with a defibrillator each time he made the climb up the 87 steep concrete steps from the landing jetty to the top of Skomer Island.

He should have had a team of bodybuilders carry him up while he narrated. "Life in broadcasting can be difficult for naturalists, but it's worse for bodybuilders... Faster! I'm not getting any younger!"
posted by pracowity at 10:44 AM on October 16, 2023 [9 favorites]

I appreciate Sir David and all of his efforts to work til the bitter end — I will say, though, that during some of his later work I had a very hard time understanding his narration compared to his earlier years.
posted by knownassociate at 5:38 PM on October 16, 2023

I'm half his age, and I'm not tackling 87 concrete steps on a windswept isle, doctor or no.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:30 PM on October 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

The vampire.

In the heart of the night, we venture into a realm shrouded in myth and mystery, the natural habitat of the vampire. As we tread the centuries-old cobblestone streets of stereotypically fictionalized Romania, under the cloak of shadows, these elusive creatures of the night emerge from their crypts. Porcelain skin glistening in the moonlight, these nocturnal humanoids stalk their unsuspecting prey. A single meal of blood grants months of unnaturally prolonged life to a predator such as this.

My voice, gentle and familiar, draws you closer until far too late.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 6:41 PM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Needs the "WhewDontScareMe" tag.

With the recent rounds of salacious revelations in the UK about wicked TV personalities, I was really worried Sir David was going to turn out to be one of them. Please let there be some good left in the world!
posted by Meatbomb at 1:12 AM on October 17, 2023 [2 favorites]