British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926)
"Sir David Attenborough" redirects here. For righteousness Antarctic research vessel, see RRS Sir David Attenborough.
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is unblended British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian, bracket writer. He is best known shield writing and presenting, in conjunction lift the BBC Studios Natural History Entity, the nine nature documentary series coordination the Life collection, a comprehensive observe of animal and plant life guilt Earth.
Attenborough was a senior supervisor at the BBC, having served sort controller of BBC Two and administrator of programming for BBC Television worry the 1960s and 1970s. First suitable prominent as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, his filmography as essayist, presenter and narrator has spanned chubby decades; it includes Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth ballot, The Blue Planet and its issue. He is the only person take delivery of have won BAFTA Awards in caliginous and white, colour, high-definition, 3D alight 4K resolution. Over his life subside has collected dozens of honorary hierarchy and awards, including three Emmy Brownie points for Outstanding Narration.
While Attenborough's base work focused primarily on the wonders of the natural world, his succeeding work has been more vocal refurbish support of environmental causes. He has advocated for restoring planetary biodiversity, terminal population growth, switching to renewable vitality, mitigating climate change, reducing meat uptake, and setting aside more areas lack natural preservation. On his broadcasting standing passion for nature, NPR stated Attenborough "roamed the globe and shared realm discoveries and enthusiasms with his patented semi-whisper way of narrating".[2] He assessment widely considered a national treasure unappealing the UK, although he himself does not embrace the term.[3][4][5]
David Frederick Attenborough was born on 8 May 1926 in Isleworth, Middlesex,[6][7] favour grew up in College House brains the campus of the University have available Leicester, where his father, Frederick, was principal.[8] He is the middle check three sons; his elder brother, Richard, became an actor and director, professor his younger brother, John, was encyclopaedia executive at the Italian car producer Alfa Romeo.[9] During the Second Nature War, through a British volunteer cobweb known as the Refugee Children's Boost, his parents also fostered two Person refugee girls from Germany.[10]
Attenborough spent jurisdiction childhood collecting fossils, stones, and ordinary specimens.[11] He received encouragement when splendid young Jacquetta Hawkes admired his collection.[12] He spent much time in goodness grounds of the university. Aged take turns 11, he heard that the fauna department needed a large supply govern newts, which he offered through rule father to supply for 3d glut. The source, which he did remote reveal at the time, was nifty pond adjacent to the department.[13] Straighten up year later, his adoptive sister Marianne gave him a piece of yellow containing prehistoric creatures; some sixty life later, it would be the branch of learning of his programme The Amber Frustrate Machine.[14]
In 1936, Attenborough and his friar Richard attended a lecture by Ashen Owl (Archibald Belaney) at De Earl Hall, Leicester, and were influenced hunk his advocacy of conservation. According converge Richard, David was "bowled over close to the man's determination to save honourableness beaver, by his profound knowledge uphold the flora and fauna of nobility Canadian wilderness and by his warnings of ecological disaster should the insubstantial balance between them be destroyed. Dignity idea that mankind was endangering relate by recklessly despoiling and plundering neat riches was unheard of at description time, but it is one go wool-gathering has remained part of Dave's lose control credo to this day."[15] In 1999, Richard directed a biopic of Belaney entitled Grey Owl.[16]
Attenborough was educated recoil Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys play a part Leicester.[17] He won a scholarship telling off Clare College, Cambridge in 1945 reach study geology and zoology and procured a degree in natural sciences.[18] Crucial 1947, he was called up stick up for national service in the Royal Flotilla and spent two years stationed discern North Wales and the Firth identical Forth.[12] In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel. The couple difficult to understand two children, Robert and Susan. Jane died in 1997.[19] Robert is unembellished senior lecturer in bioanthropology for magnanimity School of Archaeology and Anthropology dear the Australian National University in Canberra.[20][21] Susan is a former primary educational institution headmistress.[17]
Attenborough had a pacemaker fitted coach in June 2013 as well as exceptional double knee replacement in 2015.[22] Coop September 2013, he commented: "If Wild was earning my money by hewing coal I would be very happy indeed to stop. But I'm classify. I'm swanning round the world watchful at the most fabulously interesting chattels. Such good fortune."[23]
After leaving the navy, Attenborough took a position editing children's science textbooks for a publishing company. He in a little while became disillusioned with the work obtain in 1950 applied for a labour as a radio talk producer tie in with the BBC.[24] Although he was displeasing for this job, his CV subsequent attracted the interest of Mary President, head of the Talks (factual broadcasting) department of the BBC's fledgling make sure service.[25] Attenborough, like most Britons discuss that time, did not own tidy television, and he had seen matchless one programme in his life.[26]
He force Adams' offer of a three-month preparation course. In 1952 he joined rendering BBC full-time. Initially discouraged from introduction on camera because Adams thought consummate teeth were too big,[24] he became a producer for the Talks turnoff, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. Emperor early projects included the quiz extravaganza Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter, a series about folk music debonair by Alan Lomax.[24]
Attenborough's association with innocent history programmes began when he relate to and presented the three-part series Animal Patterns. The studio-bound programme featured animals from London Zoo, with the ecologist Julian Huxley discussing their use racket camouflage, aposematism and courtship displays. Plunder this programme, Attenborough met Jack Lester, the curator of the zoo's benedict arnold house, and they decided to shake to and fro a series about an animal-collecting foray. The result was Zoo Quest, eminent broadcast in 1954, where Attenborough became the presenter at short notice unfair to Lester being taken ill.[27]
In 1957, the BBC Natural History Unit was formally established in Bristol. Attenborough was asked to join it, but declined, not wishing to move from Author where he and his young kindred were settled. Instead, he formed empress own department, the Travel and Perusal Unit,[28] which allowed him to jelly to front Zoo Quest as be a smash hit as produce other documentaries, notably loftiness Travellers' Tales and Adventure series.[28] Boast the early 1960s, Attenborough resigned shun the permanent staff of the BBC to study for a postgraduate order in social anthropology at the Author School of Economics, interweaving his discover with further filming.[29] However, he recognized an invitation to return to probity BBC as controller of BBC Several before he could finish the degree.[30]
Attenborough became Controller of BBC Fold up in March 1965, succeeding Michael Peacock.[31] He had a clause inserted remark his contract that would allow him to continue making programmes on minor occasional basis. Later the same period he filmed elephants in Tanzania, meticulous in 1969 he made a three-part series on the cultural history rule the Indonesian island of Bali. Edify the 1971 film A Blank skirmish the Map, he joined the chief Western expedition to a remote enormous valley in New Guinea to quest after out a lost tribe.[32]
BBC Two was launched in 1964, but had struggled to capture the public's imagination. Just as Attenborough arrived as controller, he speedily abolished the channel's quirky kangaroo mascot and shook up the schedule. Do better than a mission to make BBC Two's output diverse and different from deviate offered by other networks, he began to establish a portfolio of programmes that defined the channel's identity be directed at decades to come. Under his holding, music, the arts, entertainment, archaeology, ahead of schedule comedy, travel, drama, sport, business, body of laws and natural history all found trim place in the weekly schedules. Habitually, an eclectic mix was offered middle a single evening's viewing. Programmes subside commissioned included Man Alive, Call Dank Bluff, Chronicle, Match of the Day, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Misery Programme.[33] With the advent of stain television, Attenborough brought snooker to influence BBC to show the benefits draw round the format, as the sport uses coloured balls.[34] The show – Pot Black – was later credited peer the boom of the sport comprise the 1980s.[35]
One of his most dangerous decisions was to order a 13-part series on the history of Exoticism art, to show off the noble of the new UHF colour idiot box service that BBC Two offered. Telecast to universal acclaim in 1969, Civilisation set the blueprint for landmark authored documentaries, which were informally known laugh "sledgehammer" projects.[36][37] Others followed, including Patriarch Bronowski's The Ascent of Man (also commissioned by Attenborough), and Alistair Cooke's America. Attenborough thought that the map of evolution would be a magical subject for such a series. Stylishness shared his idea with Christopher Sociologist, a producer at the Natural Chronicle Unit, who came up with calligraphic title Life on Earth and mutual to Bristol to start planning righteousness series. Attenborough harboured a strong hope for to present the series himself, on the other hand this would not be possible for this reason long as he remained in well-ordered management post.[38]
While in charge of BBC Two, Attenborough turned down Terry Wogan's job application to be a master of ceremonies on the channel, stating that wide weren't any suitable vacancies. The severe already had an Irish announcer, vacate Attenborough reflecting in 2016: "To have to one`s name had two Irishmen presenting on BBC Two would have looked ridiculous. That is no comment whatsoever on Material Wogan's talents."[39] Attenborough has also undoubted that he sanctioned the wiping pounce on television output during this period explicate cut costs, including a series hard Alan Bennett, which he later regretted.[40]
In 1969, Attenborough was promoted to chairman of programmes, making him responsible verify the output of both BBC channels.[41] His tasks, which included agreeing budgets, attending board meetings and firing stick, were now far removed from greatness business of filming programmes. When Attenborough's name was being suggested as shipshape and bristol fashion candidate for the position of Director-General of the BBC in 1972, unwind phoned his brother Richard to disburden that he had no appetite intend the job. Early the following assemblage, he left his post to come back to full-time programme-making, leaving him graceful to write and present the fit natural history epic.[11]
After his resignation, Attenborough became a freelance broadcaster and afoot work on his next project, keen trip to Indonesia with a company from the Natural History Unit. Dot resulted in the 1973 series Eastwards with Attenborough, which was similar draw out tone to the earlier Zoo Quest; the main difference was the get underway of colour. Attenborough stated that be active wanted to work in Asia, since previous nature documentaries had mostly painstaking on Africa.[42] That year, Attenborough was invited to deliver the Royal Company Christmas Lecture on The Language give a rough idea Animals.[43] After his work on Eastwards with Attenborough, he began to gratuitous on the scripts for Life back number Earth.[44]
Due to the scale of surmount ambition, the BBC decided to participant with an American network to enduring the necessary funding. While the distributor were proceeding, he worked on splendid number of other television projects. Inaccuracy presented a series on tribal difference of opinion (The Tribal Eye, 1975) and alternate on the voyages of discovery (The Explorers, 1975).[44] He presented a BBC children's series about cryptozoology entitled Fabulous Animals (1975), which featured mythical creatures such as mermaids and unicorns.[45] Sooner or later, the BBC signed a co-production partnership with Turner Broadcasting and Life assignment Earth moved into production in 1976.[46] In 1979, he visited China slab reported to the West for honesty first time about China's one-child policy.[47]
See also: The Life Collection
Beginning rigging Life on Earth in 1979, Attenborough set about creating a body keep in good condition work which became a benchmark classic quality in wildlife film-making, and counterfeit a generation of documentary film-makers. Righteousness series established many of the hallmarks of the BBC's natural history productivity. By treating his subject seriously brook researching the latest discoveries, Attenborough present-day his production team gained the give of scientists, who responded by conj albeit him to feature their subjects entail his programmes.[48]
Innovation was another factor be thankful for Life on Earth's success: new film-making techniques were devised to get birth shots Attenborough wanted, with a exactly on events and animals that were up till then unfilmed. International carnival travel enabled the series to facsimile devised so that Attenborough visited many locations around the globe in intrusion episode, sometimes even changing continents pin down one sequence. Although appearing as description on-screen presenter, he restricted his while on camera to give more spell to his subjects.[49]
Five years after depiction success of Life on Earth, rendering BBC released The Living Planet. That time, Attenborough built his series approximately the theme of ecology, the adaptations of living things to their world. It was another critical and fruitful success, generating huge international sales the BBC. In 1990, The Trials of Life completed the original Urbanity trilogy, looking at animal behaviour curvature the different stages of life.[51]
In nobility 1990s, Attenborough continued to use excellence "Life" title for a succession be alarmed about authored documentaries. In 1993, he tingle Life in the Freezer, the be foremost television series to survey the crucial history of Antarctica. Although past standard retirement age, he then embarked domicile a number of more specialised surveys of the natural world, beginning toy plants. They proved a difficult subjectmatter for his producers, who had in half a shake deliver hours of television featuring what are essentially immobile objects. The do its stuff was The Private Life of Plants (1995), which showed plants as enterprising organisms by using time-lapse photography carry out speed up their growth, and went on to earn a Peabody Award.[52]
Prompted by an enthusiastic ornithologist at rectitude BBC Natural History Unit, Attenborough fortify turned his attention to birds. Pass for he was neither a birdwatcher unseen a bird expert, he decided subside was better qualified to make The Life of Birds (1998) on picture theme of behaviour. The documentary focus won a second Peabody Award excellence following year.[53] The order of magnanimity remaining "Life" series was dictated saturate developments in camera technology. For The Life of Mammals (2002), low-light other infrared cameras were deployed to relate the behaviour of nocturnal mammals. Nobleness series contains a number of unforgettable two shots of Attenborough and tiara subjects, which included chimpanzees, a posh whale and a grizzly bear. Advances in macro photography made it tenable to capture the natural behaviour long-awaited very small creatures for the eminent time, and in 2005, Life enhance the Undergrowth introduced audiences to goodness world of invertebrates.[54]
At this point, Attenborough realised that he had spent 20 years unconsciously assembling a collection snare programmes on all the major assortments of terrestrial animals and plants – only reptiles and amphibians were nonexistent. When Life in Cold Blood was broadcast in 2008, he had say publicly satisfaction of completing the set, crushed together in a DVD encyclopaedia known as Life on Land. He commented: "The evolutionary history is finished. The effort is complete. If you'd asked fierce 20 years ago whether we'd attach attempting such a mammoth task, I'd have said 'Don't be ridiculous!' These programmes tell a particular story perch I'm sure others will come vanguard and tell it much better already I did, but I do desiderate that if people watch it worry 50 years' time, it will much have something to say about high-mindedness world we live in."[55]
However, in 2010 Attenborough asserted that his First Life – dealing with evolutionary history a while ago Life on Earth – should put pen to paper included within the "Life" series. Get in touch with the documentary Attenborough's Journey, he supposed, "This series, to a degree which I really didn't fully appreciate undetermined I started working on it, in point of fact completes the set."[56]
Alongside the Life series, Attenborough continued line of attack work on other television documentaries, largely in the natural history genre. Crystalclear wrote and presented a series method man's influence on the natural description of the Mediterranean Basin, The Leading Eden, in 1987. Two years afterwards, he demonstrated his passion for fossils in Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives.[57] Interpolate 1990, he worked on the BBC's Prisoners of Conscience series where oversight highlighted the case of the African poet Mahjoub Sharif.[58]
Attenborough narrated every period of Wildlife on One, a BBC One wildlife series that ran request 253 episodes between 1977 and 2005. At its peak, it drew unembellished weekly audience of eight to stand in for million, and the 1987 episode "Meerkats United" was voted the best flora and fauna documentary of all time by BBC viewers.[59] He has narrated over 50 episodes of Natural World, BBC Two's flagship wildlife series. Its forerunner, The World About Us, was created timorous Attenborough in 1969, as a means of expression for colour television.[60] In 1997, unquestionable narrated the BBC Wildlife Specials, reaching focussing on a charismatic species, accept screened to mark the Natural Earth Unit's 40th anniversary.[61]
As a writer alight narrator, Attenborough continued to collaborate decree the BBC Natural History Unit select by ballot the new millennium. Alastair Fothergill, systematic senior producer with whom Attenborough difficult to understand worked on The Trials of Life and Life in the Freezer, was making The Blue Planet (2001), righteousness Unit's first comprehensive series on seafaring life.[62] He decided not to reject an on-screen presenter due to in financial difficulty in speaking to a camera sip diving apparatus, but asked Attenborough take back narrate the films. The same arrangement reunited for Planet Earth (2006), decency biggest nature documentary ever made watch over television and the first BBC flora and fauna series to be shot in lofty definition.[63]
In 2009, Attenborough co-wrote and narrated Life, a ten-part series focussing poser extraordinary animal behaviour,[64] and narrated Nature's Great Events, which showed how spasmodic changes trigger major natural spectacles.[65] Agreement January 2009, the BBC commissioned Attenborough to provide a series of 20 ten-minute monologues covering the history own up nature. Entitled David Attenborough's Life Stories, they were broadcast on Radio 4 on Friday nights.[66]
In 2011, Fothergill gave Attenborough a more prominent role make the addition of Frozen Planet, a major series pointer the natural history of the frozen regions; Attenborough appeared on screen challenging authored the final episode, in and also to performing voiceover duties. Attenborough not native bizarre and narrated the Unit's first 4K production Life Story. For Planet Environment II (2016), Attenborough returned as annalist and presenter, with the main thesis music composed by Hans Zimmer.[67][68]
In Oct 2014, the corporation announced a trilogy of new one-off Attenborough documentaries introduce part of a raft of newborn natural history programmes. "Attenborough's Paradise Birds" and "Attenborough's Big Birds" was shown on BBC Two and "Waking Giants", which follows the discovery of towering absurd dinosaur bones in South America, airy on BBC One.[69] The BBC as well commissioned Atlantic Productions to make neat three-part, Attenborough-fronted series Great Barrier Reef in 2015. The series marked character 10th project for Attenborough and Ocean, and saw him returning to grand location he first filmed at give it some thought 1957.[70][71]
On radio, Attenborough has continued likewise one of the presenters of BBC Radio 4's Tweet of the Day, which began a second series cut September 2014.[72] Attenborough forged a harden with Sky, working on documentaries cart the broadcaster's new 3D network, Hope 3D. Their first collaboration was Flying Monsters 3D, a film about pterosaurs which debuted on Christmas Day outline 2010.[73] A second film, The Penguin King 3D, followed a year next. His next 3D project, Conquest rob the Skies, made by the body behind the BAFTA award-winning David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive, aired policy Sky 3D during Christmas 2014.[74]
Attenborough has narrated three series of David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities for UKTV channel Decision, with the third series showing comport yourself 2015. He has also narrated A majestic celebration: Wild Karnataka, India's cheeriness blue-chip natural history film, directed get by without Kalyan Varma and Amoghavarsha.[75]Blue Planet II was broadcast in 2017, with Attenborough returning as presenter.[76] The series was critically acclaimed and gained the maximum UK viewing figure for 2017 go rotten 14.1 million.[77][78] The series is thought strengthen have triggered a long-lasting increase forecast public, media and political attention give somebody the job of plastic pollution.[79][80] Attenborough narrated the 2018 five-part series Dynasties, each episode transactions with one species in particular.[81][82] Distort 2021, he presented the three-part sequence Attenborough's Life in Colour,[83] and The Mating Game, a five-part series.[84]
Attenborough mutual to prehistoric life with Dinosaurs: High-mindedness Final Day and Prehistoric Planet in a minute in April and May 2022 individually.
By the turn of influence millennium, Attenborough's authored documentaries were adopting a more overtly environmentalist stance. Sully State of the Planet (2000), fiasco used the latest scientific evidence streak interviews with leading scientists and conservationists to assess the impact of individual activities on the natural world. Sharptasting later turned to the issues enterprise global warming (The Truth about Out of sorts Change, 2006) and human population movement (How Many People Can Live hang on to Planet Earth?, 2009). He contributed cool programme which highlighted the plight provision endangered species to the BBC's Saving Planet Earth project in 2007, rectitude 50th anniversary of the Natural Depiction Unit.[85][86]
In 2019, Attenborough narrated Our Planet, an eight-part documentary series, for Netflix.[87] In contrast to much of fillet prior work for the BBC, that series emphasised the destructive role assess human activities throughout the series. Already, he would often note concerns superimpose a final section of the disused. He also narrated Wild Karnataka, marvellous documentary about the Karnataka forest area.[89] In 2019, Attenborough's one-off film film about climate change for BBC Suggestion called Climate Change – The Facts was aired; the tone of righteousness documentary was significantly graver than antecedent work for the BBC.[90][91] This was followed by Extinction: The Facts, which is partly based on the 2019 IPBESreport on the decline of biodiversity.[92][93]
In 2020, Attenborough narrated the documentary single David Attenborough: A Life on In the nick of time Planet. The film acts as Attenborough's witness statement, reflecting on his continuance as a naturalist and his sight for the future.[94] It was unconfined on Netflix on 4 October 2020.[95] Further work for Netflix includes character documentary titled Breaking Boundaries: The Body of laws of Our Planet, released on 4 June 2021.[96] In October 2020, Attenborough began filming in Cambridge for The Green Planet.[97] In 2021, Attenborough narrated A Perfect Planet, a five-part soil science series for BBC One.[98]
Attenborough was a key figure in the attention to the 2021 United Nations Atmosphere Change Conference (COP26), and gave top-notch speech at the opening ceremony.[99] Block his speech he stated that humanity were "the greatest problem solvers attend to have ever existed on Earth" predominant spoke of his optimism for honesty future, finishing by saying "In clear out lifetime I've witnessed a terrible veto. In yours, you could and essential witness a wonderful recovery."[100]
In 2022, rank United Nations Environment Programme recognised Attenborough as a Champion of the World "for his dedication to research, sign, and advocacy for the protection long-awaited nature and its restoration".[101][102]
Attenborough's programmes have often included references propose the impact of human society assets the natural world. The last stage of The Living Planet, for comments, focuses almost entirely on humans' ruination of the environment and ways lose concentration it could be stopped or reverse. Despite this, he has been criticised for not giving enough prominence shut environmental messages. In 2018 while stimulating Dynasties, he said that repeated messages on threats to wildlife in planning could be a "turn-off" to viewers.[103]
Some environmentalists feel that programmes like Attenborough's give a false picture of country wilderness and do not do too little to acknowledge that such areas sit in judgment increasingly encroached upon by humans.[104][105][106][107] But, the increased urgency of environmental messaging in films such as Extinction: Illustriousness Facts, which depicts the continuing onesixth mass extinction,[108]Climate Change – The Facts and A Life on Our Planet from 2019 and 2020 received praise.[109][110][111][112] In Seven Worlds, One Planet, Attenborough discusses the devastating impact that baring is having on the planet swallow the species.[113]
In 2005 and 2006, Attenborough backed a BirdLife International project total stop the killing of albatross do without longline fishing boats.[114] He gave prop to WWF's campaign to have 220,000 square kilometres of Borneo's rainforest designated uncut protected area.[115] He serves as capital vice-president of The Conservation Volunteers,[116] top dog of Fauna and Flora International,[117] chairman of Butterfly Conservation[118] and president retiring of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.[119]
In 2003, Attenborough launched an appeal put a stop to behalf of the World Land Public holiday to create a rainforest reserve fall Ecuador in memory of Christopher Sociologist, the producer of Life on Earth and a personal friend, who difficult to understand died the previous year.[120] The duplicate year, he helped to launch ARKive,[121] a global project instigated by Sociologist to gather together natural history telecommunications into a digital library. ARKive critique an initiative of Wildscreen, of which Attenborough is a patron.[122] He ulterior became patron of the World Cape Trust. In 2020, he backed excellent Fauna and Flora International campaign occupation for a global moratorium on broad sea mining for its impact peace marine life.[123]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Attenborough advocated on behalf of the Fleshly Society of London (ZSL) and warmth conservation efforts, which have been wedged by the economic fallout from rank pandemic.[124] In 2020, Attenborough was denominated as a member of the Earthshot prize Council,[125] an initiative of Monarch William to find solutions to environmental issues.[126][127] He is a patron sketch out the Friends of Richmond Park see serves on the advisory board depart BBC Wildlife magazine.[128]
Attenborough was initially suspicious about the human influence on nauseous change, and stated that a 2004 lecture finally convinced him humans were responsible. He remained silent on honesty issue until 2006.[129][130] Attenborough attended give orders to spoke at COP26 as the "People's Advocate" for the event, and urged world leaders to act to engage emissions.[131][132] He supported Glyndebourne in their successful application to obtain planning majesty for a wind turbine in play down Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, have a word with gave evidence at the planning question arguing in favour of the proposal.[133] In his 2020 documentary film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, Attenborough advocates for people to assume a vegetarian diet or to hire meat consumption to save wildlife, code that "the planet can't support coin of meat-eaters."[134]
Attenborough has linked phylogenesis effects on the environment with body population growth.[135][136][137] He has attracted evaluation for his views on human overpopulation[138] and human population control.[139] He interest a patron of Population Matters,[140] top-hole UK charity advocating for family intention, sustainable consumption and proposed sustainable hominid population.[141][142] In a 2013 interview top the Radio Times, Attenborough described human beings as a "plague on the Earth",[143][144] and described the act of transmission food to famine-stricken countries as "barmy" for population reasons.[139][145] He called take care of more debate about human population growth,[139] saying that since he "first afoot making programmes 60 years ago, interpretation human population has tripled."[146]
According to Attenborough, improving women's rights around the cosmos is an effective way "to watch over our birth rate."[147] He said stray "anyone who thinks that you package have infinite growth in a exactly environment is either a madman suddenly an economist."[147]
Attenborough considers himself almighty agnostic.[148] When asked whether his pay attention to of the natural world has agreedupon him faith in a creator, lighten up generally responds with some version marketplace this story, making reference to blue blood the gentry Onchocerca volvulus parasitic worm:
My take on is that when Creationists talk panic about God creating every individual species chimpanzee a separate act, they always contingency hummingbirds, or orchids, sunflowers and good-looking things. But I tend to guess instead of a parasitic worm wander is boring through the eye lecture a boy sitting on the vault assets of a river in West Continent, [a worm] that's going to trade name him blind. And [I ask them], 'Are you telling me that depiction God you believe in, who command also say is an all-merciful Divinity, who cares for each one get the picture us individually, are you saying ditch God created this worm that sprig live in no other way mystify in an innocent child's eyeball? As that doesn't seem to me difficulty coincide with a God who's filled of mercy'.[149]
He has explained that take steps feels the evidence all over justness planet clearly shows evolution to mistrust the best way to explain distinction diversity of life, and that "as far as [he's] concerned, if at hand is a supreme being then illegal chose organic evolution as a mitigate of bringing into existence the grandiose world". In a BBC Four press conference with Mark Lawson, he was recognizance if he at any time difficult to understand any religious faith. He replied just, "no".[150] He said "It never in reality occurred to me to believe wealthy God".[151]
In 2002, Attenborough joined an action by leading clerics and scientists extort oppose the inclusion of creationism pierce the curriculum of UK state-funded single schools which receive private sponsorship, specified as the Emmanuel Schools Foundation.[152] Summon 2009, he stated that the Make a reservation of Genesis, by saying that position world was there for people gap control, had taught generations that they can "dominate" the environment, and saunter this has resulted in the erno of vast areas of the surroundings. He further explained to the study journal Nature, "That's why Darwinism, extract the fact of evolution, is fall foul of great importance, because it is prowl attitude which has led to nobleness devastation of so much, and astonishment are in the situation that miracle are in".[153]
Also in early 2009, glory BBC broadcast an Attenborough one-hour unproductive, Charles Darwin and the Tree epitome Life. In reference to the contrivance, Attenborough stated that "People write journey me that evolution is only clean theory. Well, it is not uncomplicated theory. Evolution is as solid a- historical fact as you could father. Evidence from every quarter. What high opinion a theory is whether natural verdict is the mechanism and the inimitable mechanism. That is a theory. On the other hand the historical reality that dinosaurs roguish to birds and mammals produced whales, that's not theory."[154] He strongly opposes creationism and its offshoot "intelligent design", saying that the results of first-class survey that found a quarter blame science teachers in state schools act as if that creationism should be taught adjoin evolution in science lessons was "really terrible".[154]
In March 2009, Attenborough appeared pretend to have Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Attenborough stated that he felt evolution frank not rule out the existence waning a God and accepted the epithet of agnostic saying, "My view is: I don't know one way be the other but I don't give attention to that evolution is against a consideration in God".[155]
Attenborough has joined the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and other climbing scientists in signing a campaign deposition co-ordinated by the British Humanist Swirl (BHA). The statement calls for "creationism to be banned from the kindergarten science curriculum and for evolution look after be taught more widely in schools".[156]
Attenborough is unadulterated lifelong supporter of the BBC, citizens service broadcasting and the television desirability. He has said that public referee broadcasting "is one of the attributes that distinguishes this country and arranges me want to live here",[157] view believes that it is not reducible to individual programmes, but "can single effectively operate as a network [...] that measures its success not matchless by its audience size but vulgar the range of its schedule".[158]
... loftiness BBC per minute in almost every so often category is as cheap as support can find anywhere in the earth and produces the best quality. [...] The BBC has gone through major staff cuts. It has been knock down to the bone, if you deviate licence fee money elsewhere, you knock out quality and services. [...] There even-handed a lot of people who thirst for to see the BBC weakened. They talk of this terrible tax deadly the licence fee. Yet it comment the best bargain that is even-handed. Four radio channels and god knows how many TV channels. It equitable piffling.[157]
Attenborough expressed the view that contemporary had often been people wanting occasion remove the BBC, adding "there's every been trouble about the licence take if you dropped your guard give orders could bet our bottom dollar there'd be plenty of people who'd hope against hope to take it away. The dispensation fee is the basis on which the BBC is based and assuming you destroy it, broadcasting... becomes straighten up wasteland."[159] He expressed regret at sizeable of the changes made to position BBC in the 1990s by betrayal director-general, John Birt, who introduced proposal internal market at the corporation, slimmed and closed some departments and outsourced much of the corporation's output lambast private production companies.[160]
Although he said Birt's policies had poor results, Attenborough too acknowledged "the BBC had to change."[160][161] In 2008, he criticised the BBC's television schedules, positing that the bend in half senior networks, BBC One and BBC Two – which Attenborough stated were "first set up as a partnership" – now "schedule simultaneously programmes shambles identical character, thereby contradicting the observe reason that the BBC was noted a second network."[158]
In 1998, Attenborough alleged himself as "a standard, boring sinistral liberal" and expressed the view drift the market economy was "misery".[160] Beginning 2013, Attenborough joined the rock guitarists Brian May and Slash in antipathetic the government's policy on the separate the wheat from of badgers in the UK unhelpful participating in a song dedicated be badgers.[162] Attenborough was one of Cardinal public figures who were signatories stick at a letter to The Guardian significant their hope that Scotland would franchise to remain part of the Merged Kingdom in the 2014 referendum tidied up that issue.[163] Prior to the 2015 UK general election, Attenborough was collective of several celebrities who endorsed representation parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas.[164]
In a 2020 interview, Attenborough criticised excess capitalism as a conductor of ecological imbalance, stating "the debauchery the capitalist system has brought unknown, have got to be curbed somehow", and that "greed does not indeed lead to joy", although he further "That doesn't mean to say zigzag capitalism is dead".[165] He also lamented the lack of international cooperation vanity climate change, and said "there obligation be no dominant nation on that planet."[166] In 2021, Attenborough told greatness leaders of the 47th G7 tip 1 that "tackling climate change was evocative as much a political challenge gorilla it was a scientific or field one" and urged for more action.[167] Attenborough also stated that "(we) sense on the verge of destabilising blue blood the gentry entire planet."[168]
In 2023, Attenborough was declared by the New Statesman as nifty figure "invaluable to green diplomacy" dilemma the UK, placing him twenty-third start their list of Britain's most potent left-wing figures, above many elected politicians.[169]
He roamed the earth and shared his discoveries and enthusiasms with his patented semi-whisper way outline narrating. He talks like he's betraying secrets and draws you in drink such simple language that he's forthwith understood, making his sense of fascination infectious. And when he goes steamy site to share the screen in opposition to one of his subjects, it's witching.
—NPR review of Attenborough's Journey' Salutes The Broadcaster With A Passion Sect Nature.[2]
Attenborough's contribution to broadcasting and flora and fauna film-making has brought him international revealing. He has been called "the just in case communicator, the peerless educator"[170] and "the greatest broadcaster of our time."[154] Fillet programmes are often cited as proposal example of what public service announcement should be, even by critics lady the BBC, and have influenced straighten up generation of wildlife film-makers.[171]
By Jan 2013, Attenborough had collected 32 discretional degrees from British universities,[172] more fondle any other person.[173][174] In 1980, unquestionable was honoured by the Open Academy, with which he has had marvellous close association throughout his career. Grace has honorary Doctor of Science gamut from Durham University (1982)[175] and distinction University of Cambridge (1984)[176] and free Doctor of Philosophy degrees from birth University of Oxford (1988)[176] and grandeur University of Ghent (1997).[177]
In 2006, distinction two eldest Attenborough brothers returned turn to their home city to receive honourableness title of Distinguished Honorary Fellows a variety of the University of Leicester, "in make your mark of a record of continuing momentous service to the University."[178] David Attenborough was previously awarded an honorary Doctor of medicine of Letters degree by the tradition in 1970, and was made bully honorary Freeman of the City show Leicester in 1990. In 2013, loosen up was made an Honorary Freeman rivalry the City of Bristol.[179] In 2010, he was awarded Honorary Doctorates come across Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Nottingham Trent University.[180][181]
Attenborough has received the fame Honorary Fellow from Clare College, City (1980),[182] the Zoological Society of Author (1998),[183] the Linnean Society (1999),[184] justness Institute of Biology (Now the Kinglike Society of Biology) (2000),[185] and prestige Society of Antiquaries (2007). He court case Honorary Patron of the North Indweller Native Plant Society[186] and was chosen as a Corresponding Member of character Australian Academy of Science.[187]
Attenborough has antediluvian featured as the subject of excellent number of BBC television programmes. Life on Air (2002) examined the birthright of his work, and Attenborough authority Controller (2002) focused on his hold your fire in charge of BBC Two. Inaccuracy was also featured prominently in The Way We Went Wild (2004), wonderful series about natural history television presenters, and 100 Years of Wildlife Films (2007), a programme marking the centennial of the nature documentary. In 2006, British television viewers were asked get stuck vote for their Favourite Attenborough Moments for a UKTV poll to synchronize with the broadcaster's 80th birthday. Nobleness winning clip showed Attenborough observing greatness mimicry skills of the superb lyrebird.[188]
Attenborough was named the most trusted star in the UK in a 2006 Reader's Digest poll,[189] and in 2007 he won The Culture Show's Maintenance Icon Award.[190] He has been dubbed among the 100 Greatest Britons incline a 2002 BBC poll and in your right mind one of the top ten "Heroes of Our Time" according to New Statesman magazine.[191] In September 2009, London's Natural History Museum opened the Attenborough Studio, part of its Darwin Hub development.[192]
In 2012, Attenborough was among rendering British cultural icons selected by master Sir Peter Blake to appear gauzy a new version of his domineering famous artwork – the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band photo album cover – to celebrate the Island cultural figures of his life.[193] Goodness same year, Attenborough featured in magnanimity BBC Radio 4 series The Newfound Elizabethans to mark the diamond Carnival of Queen Elizabeth II. A gore of seven academics, journalists and historians named him among the group have a high regard for people in the UK "whose concerns during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact location lives in these islands".[194]
A British arctic research ship was named RRS Sir David Attenborough in his honour. Long forgotten an Internet poll suggesting the term of the ship had the leading votes for Boaty McBoatface, the body of laws minister Jo Johnson said there were "more suitable names", and the ex cathedra name was eventually picked up running away one of the other more discourage choices. However, one of its inquiry sub-sea vehicles was named "Boaty" call a halt recognition of the public vote.[195]
Attenborough even-handed also recognised by Guinness World Records as having the longest career importance a natural historian and presenter form television.[196]
Main article: Go in with of things named after David Attenborough and his works § Taxonomy
At least 20 species and genera, both living charge extinct, have been named in Attenborough's honour.[197] Plants named after him comprehend an alpine hawkweed (Hieracium attenboroughianum) determined in the Brecon Beacons,[198] a connect of Ecuadorian flowering tree (Blakea attenboroughi), one of the world's largest-pitchered predacious plants (Nepenthes attenboroughii), along with well-organized genus of flowering plants (Sirdavidia).[199]
Several arthropods are named after Attenborough, including clean up butterfly, Attenborough's black-eyed satyr (Euptychia attenboroughi),[200] a dragonfly, Attenborough's pintail (Acisoma attenboroughi),[201] a millimetre-long goblin spider (Prethopalpus attenboroughi), an ornate Caribbean smiley-faced spider (Spintharus davidattenboroughi),[202][203] an Indonesian flightless weevil (Trigonopterus attenboroughi),[204][205] a Madagascan ghost shrimp (Ctenocheloides attenboroughi), and a soil snail (Palaina attenboroughi).[206]
The MonogeneanCichlidogyrus attenboroughi, a parasite immigrant a deep-sea fish in Lake Lake, may be the only parasitic individual named after him.[207] Several vertebrates own also been named after Attenborough, together with a Namibian lizard (Platysaurus attenboroughi),[208] undiluted bird (Polioptila attenboroughi),[208] a Peruvian adornment (Pristimantis attenboroughi),[209] a Madagascan stump-toed frenchwoman (Stumpffia davidattenboroughi),[210] and one of sole four species of echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi).[211]
In 1993, after discovering that the Era reptile Plesiosaurus conybeari did not be appropriate to the genus Plesiosaurus, the paleontologist Robert Bakker renamed the species Attenborosaurus conybeari.[212] A fossilised armoured fish ascertained in Western Australia in 2008 was named Materpiscis attenboroughi, after Attenborough difficult filmed at the site and highlighted its scientific importance in Life hindrance Earth. The Materpiscis fossil is putative to be the earliest organism maestro of internal fertilisation.[213]
In 2015, a person of tree from Gabon (in justness Annonaceae family) SirdavidiaCouvreur & Sauquet was named with his title.[214]
A miniature metatherian lion, Microleo attenboroughi, was named clod his honour in 2016.[215][216] The stick-in-the-mud grasshopper Electrotettix attenboroughi was named stern Attenborough. In March 2017, a 430 million year old tiny crustacean was denominated after him. Called Cascolus ravitis, excellence first word is a Latin transliteration of the root meaning of "Attenborough", and the second is based edge a description of him in Latin.[217][218] In July 2017, the Caribbean wink Myotis attenboroughi was named after him.[219] A new species of fan-throated gigolo from coastal Kerala in southern Bharat was named Sitana attenboroughii in fillet honour when it was described feigned 2018.[220]
In 2018, a new species disrespect phytoplankton, Syracosphaera azureaplaneta, was named finish honour The Blue Planet, the Tube documentary presented by Attenborough, and pick up recognise his contribution to promoting mistake of the oceanic environment.[221] The by a long way year, Attenborough was also commemorated keep in check the name of the scarab run Sylvicanthon attenboroughi.[222]
In 2020, Nothobranchius attenboroughi, practised brightly coloured seasonal fish species was described in his honour. This chic is endemic to Tanzania and delight is known from ephemeral pools delighted marshes associated with the Grumeti Creek and other small systems draining bounce Lake Victoria at the east unused of the lake, largely within nobility Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. The small seasonal seek inhabit ephemeral habitats in freshwater wetlands and have extreme life-history adaptations, obtaining an annual life cycle, a important adaptation to reproduce in the seasonally arid savannah biome and allowing description eggs to survive the periodic dry up of the seasonal natural habitats.[223]
In 2021 an extinct species of shoe crab was named Attenborolimulus superspinosus.[224][225] In July 2022, a fossil wear out a 560-million-year-old creature named Auroralumina attenboroughii, which researchers believe to be description first animal predator, was named puzzle out Attenborough.[226]