AS Sir David Attenborough turns 99 today, fans from across the generations have hailed the world’s most famous naturalist.
Prince William said he and his children have been “inspired” by the legendary broadcaster, while King Charles attended the London premiere of the star’s latest film, Ocean, on Tuesday.
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Meanwhile, US pop singer Billie Eilish described the telly icon as a “living treasure”.
One year shy of a century, Sir David’s mission to save the planet continues through his documentaries.
But he knows time is short.
In a moving speech at the end of Ocean, released today, David says: “Through the course of my life, we have been on a voyage of ocean discovery. Now, as I approach the end of my life, it’s my greatest hope we come to see the ocean as the lifeblood of our home.
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“I’m sure nothing is more important. If we save the sea, we save our world.”
Sir David has been revealing the wonders of the natural world to TV audiences for more than 70 years.
From a young lad collecting fossils in Leicester, he went on to study geology and zoology at Cambridge University in 1945.
The rising star landed his first job in TV, as a trainee producer with the BBC, in the early Fifties. And over the decades, he has become a broadcasting institution.
From laughing as endangered silverback gorillas got too close in 1978, to his excitement at seeing the fin of a blue whale rising from the depths in 2001, he has brought that heartfelt joy into our living rooms.
His documentaries, including Planet Earth and Blue Planet, have also made him a global figure.
Former US president Barack Obama has said: “I know from watching David’s programmes that our eco-systems are all interconnected.”
When Sir David has spoken at Parliament or at the United Nations, politicians listened.
But at his age, it is no longer easy for him to travel abroad to film or campaign. He had a pacemaker fitted in 2013 and a double knee replacement two years later.
While his scaled-back schedule is understandable, colleague Colin Butfield, 52, believes it is a huge loss as Sir David is irreplaceable.
The Ocean co-director, who has known the broadcaster for 20 years, says: “It seems hard to imagine even Charles Darwin or anybody else has had the ability to travel for so long.
‘Passion is genuine’
“Very few people have ever seen as much of the world as he has, giving him the ability to talk with such authority. I don’t know how anyone would ever replicate that.”
Sir David had been pondering a film about how to save our under-threat oceans for a while — but had feared time would run out.
Colin reveals: “David said, ‘If you’re gonna do it, we should probably get on with it’ . . . So we did.”
Ocean charts the voyage of discovery that David and scientists have made about the waters that cover 70 per cent of Earth’s surface, particularly since improvements in technology led to better underwater exploration.
David recalls: “The first time I tried scuba diving, I was so taken aback I forgot momentarily to breathe.”
Research has revealed the damage being done by “bottom trawlers”, the most common method of catching fish.
An area the size of the Amazon rainforest is being ploughed every year.
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Sir David is worried that they are now overfishing the krill in Antarctica, which are an essential source of food for other marine species.
But Ocean is not an anti-fishing movie — and he insists restoring the ocean is “for everyone on Earth”.
He adds: “After a lifetime recording the natural world, I can’t recall a more exciting time.” If Sir David retires from film-making, the question is: who will pick up the baton? Colin doesn’t see an obvious heir, though he hails the King and Prince William as powerful voices for the environment.
Having worked with the younger royal on the Earthshot Prize, which helps funds projects aimed at saving the planet, he says: “David was on the Earthshot Prize council for the first few years. I’m sure there must have been some inspiration coming to Prince William from David.”
Unfortunately, as heir to the throne, William is not likely to be filling Sir David’s shoes as a documentary maker.
But Colin says: “The passion is very genuine from Prince William. I’ve filmed him and seen him at projects, and you know he really cares.
“But he’s obviously got his day job.”
- Ocean with David Attenborough, rated PG, is out today.
SALUTE TO FRIENDS
By Caroline Iggulden
IT was a moment that brought the audience to their feet in applause.
King Charles and Sir David Attenborough entering London’s Royal Festival Hall together for the premiere of new film Ocean.
It felt truly special to see these two remarkable men – one a sovereign, the other a national treasure – chatting and laughing together as they took their seats.
It is astonishing to think Charles was just nine when he first met Sir David at the BBC’s studios, where the royal was introduced to the broadcaster’s pet cockatoo. Decades on, the pair are said to be firm friends, united by their unstinting passion for conserving the planet.
In the week Sir David turns 99, it was striking to see the natural historian – dapper in a tux – defy his years by striding into the theatre.
Astonishingly, Ocean shows David still active, and filming on a windswept beach.
It blends in black-and-white footage from his early career to offer hope that there is still time to protect our oceans. It is little wonder the film earned the veteran star a second rousing ovation as the credits rolled.