Sir David Attenborough
David Attenborough, May 2003
Born	8 May 1926 (1926-05-08) (age 81) London, England
Residence	Richmond, London
Nationality	British
Fields	Naturalist
Alma mater	Clare College, Cambridge (Natural Sciences)
Notable awards	Order of Merit Order of the Companions of Honour Royal Victorian Order Order of the British Empire Fellow of the Royal Society Fellow of Zoological Society of London

Sir David Frederick Attenborough, OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS (born on 8 May 1926 in London, England) is one of the world's most acclaimed broadcasters and naturalists. Widely considered one of the pioneers of the nature documentary, his career as the respected face and voice of British natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years. He is best known for writing and presenting the nine "Life" series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, which collectively form a comprehensive survey of all terrestrial life. He is also a former senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s. Image File history File links David_attenborough. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Richmond is a suburb and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now often viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines of integrative organismal biology. ... For other uses, see Alma mater (disambiguation). ... College name Clare College Named after Elizabeth de Clare Established 1326 Previously named University Hall (1326-1338) Clare Hall (1338-1856) Location Trinity Lane Admittance Men and women Master Prof. ... The term natural science as the way in which different fields of study are defined is determined as much by historical convention as by the present day meaning of the words. ... For other Orders see Order of Merit (disambiguation). ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... The Zoological Society of London (sometimes known by the abbreviation ZSL) is a learned society founded in April 1826 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Lord Auckland, Sir Humphry Davy, Joseph Sabine, Nicholas Aylward Vigors and other eminent naturalists. ... For other Orders see Order of Merit (disambiguation). ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... The Fellowship of the Royal Society was founded in 1660. ... The Zoological Society of London (sometimes known by the abbreviation ZSL) is a learned society founded in April 1826 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Lord Auckland, Sir Humphry Davy, Joseph Sabine, Nicholas Aylward Vigors and other eminent naturalists. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now often viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines of integrative organismal biology. ... The Life Collection DVD Box The Life Collection is a 24-disc DVD box set of eight titles from David Attenboroughs Life series of BBC natural history programmes. ... The BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of the BBC dedicated to making TV and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ...

He is the younger brother of director and actor Richard Attenborough. Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE (born 29 August 1923) is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. ...

Early life

Attenborough grew up in College House on the campus of University College, Leicester, where his father, Frederick, was principal.^[1] He was the middle of three sons (his elder brother, Richard, became a director and his younger brother, John, an executive at Alfa Romeo). During World War II his parents also adopted two Jewish refugee girls from Europe. University of Leicester seen from Victoria Park - Left to right: the Department of Engineering, the Attenborough tower, the Charles Wilson building. ... The University of Leicester, with the Attenborough building in the centre Frederick Levi Attenborough (1887–1973) was a British academic. ... The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a University in Scotland and at certains institutions in Canada and other parts of the Commonwealth. ... Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE (born 29 August 1923) is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. ... Alfa Romeo is an Italian automobile manufacturing company, founded as Darracq Italiana by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Kindertransport (also Refugee Children Movement) is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of World War II. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, and the occupied territories of Austria, Czechoslovakia, and the Free...

Attenborough spent his childhood collecting fossils, stones and other natural specimens. He received encouragement in this pursuit at age seven, when a young Jacquetta Hawkes admired his "museum". A few years later, one of his adoptive sisters gave him a piece of amber filled with prehistoric creatures; some 50 years later, it would be the focus of his programme The Amber Time Machine. For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... This article is about the geological substance. ... Jacquetta Hawkes, née Hopkins, (August 5, 1910 – March 18, 1996) was a British archaeologist. ... For other uses, see Amber (disambiguation). ...

Attenborough was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and then won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge where he studied geology and zoology and obtained a degree in Natural Sciences. He continued academic study at the London School of Economics, studying anthropology between 1944 and 1946. In 1947, he was called up for National Service in the Royal Navy and spent two years stationed in North Wales and the Firth of Forth. Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, or Q.E is a sixth form college in Leicester, England. ... This article discusses Leicester in England. ... College name Clare College Named after Elizabeth de Clare Established 1326 Previously named University Hall (1326-1338) Clare Hall (1338-1856) Location Trinity Lane Admittance Men and women Master Prof. ... Mascot: Beaver Affiliations: University of London Russell Group EUA ACU CEMS APSIA Universities UK U8 Golden Triangle G5 Group Website: http://www. ... This article is about the social science. ... National service is a common name for compulsory or voluntary military service programs. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Approximate extent of North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales. ... The Firth of Forth from Calton Hill The Forth Bridges cross the Firth Satellite photo of the Firth and the surrounding area Map of the Firth Firth of Forth (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe) is the estuary or firth of Scotlands River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea...

In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel; the marriage lasted until her death in 1997. The couple had two children, Robert and Susan.

First years at the BBC

After leaving the Navy, Attenborough took a position editing children's science textbooks for a publishing company. He soon became disillusioned with the work, however, and in 1950 he applied for a job as a radio talks producer with the BBC. Although he was rejected for this job, his CV later attracted the interest of Mary Adams, head of the Talks (factual broadcasting) department of the BBC's fledgling television service. Attenborough, like most Britons at that time, did not own a television, and he had seen only one programme in his life.^[2] However, he accepted Adams' offer of a three-month training course, and in 1952 he joined the BBC full time. Initially discouraged from appearing on camera because Adams thought his teeth were too big,^[3] he became a producer for the Talks Department, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. His early projects included the quiz show Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter, a series about folk music presented by Alan Lomax. Look up résumé, curriculum vitae, resume in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Mary Adams was a producer and administrator in the BBC. She was instrumental in setting up BBCs television service both before and after World War II. Mary Adams gained a first class degree in Botany at Cardiff University. ... Folk song redirects here. ... Lomax playing guitar on stage at the Mountain Music Festival, Asheville, North Carolina, sometime between 1939 and 1950. ...

Attenborough's association with natural history programmes began when he produced and presented the three-part series The Pattern of Animals. The studio-bound programme featured animals from London Zoo, with the naturalist Sir Julian Huxley discussing their use of camouflage, aposematism and courtship displays. Through this programme, Attenborough met Jack Lester, the curator of the zoo's reptile house, and they decided to make a series about an animal-collecting expedition. The result was Zoo Quest, first broadcast in 1954, which Attenborough presented at short notice, due to Lester being taken ill. The giant ZSL London Zoo aviary ZSL London Zoo is the worlds oldest scientific zoo. ... Sir Julian Sorell Huxley, FRS (June 22, 1887 – February 14, 1975) was a English biologist, author, Humanist and internationalist, known for his popularisations of science in books and lectures. ... This article is about protective camouflage used to disguise people, animals, or military targets. ... The bright colours of this Yellow-winged Darter dragonfly serve as a warning to predators of its noxious taste. ... Reptilia redirects here. ... Zoo Quest was a series of multi-part nature documentaries broadcast on BBC television between 1954 and 1964. ...

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 London where he and his young family were settled. Instead he formed his own department, the Travel and Exploration Unit^[4], which allowed him to continue to front the Zoo Quest programmes as well as produce other documentaries, notably the Travellers’ Tales and Adventure series.

BBC administration

From 1965 to 1969 Attenborough was Controller of BBC Two. Among the programmes he commissioned during this time were Match of the Day, Civilisation, The Ascent of Man, The Likely Lads, Man Alive, Masterclass, The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Money Programme. He also initiated televised snooker. This diversity of programme types reflects Attenborough's belief that BBC Two's output should be as varied as possible. In 1967, under his watch, BBC Two became the first television channel in the United Kingdom to broadcast in colour. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... For the Doctor Who novel, see Match of the Day (Doctor Who). ... Front cover Civilisation (full title, Civilisation: A Personal View) was a popular TV series outlining the history of Western society produced by the BBC and aired in 1969 on BBC Two. ... The Ascent of Man (1973) was a groundbreaking BBC documentary series, produced in association with Time-Life Films, written and presented by Jacob Bronowski. ... The Likely Lads was a hit British sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. ... Man Alive was a Canadian television series, which aired documentary programming on issues of faith and spirituality. ... The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC television music show that ran from September 1971 until 1987. ... This MONEY PROGRAMME is a scam trying to encourage young scots to pay as little as 300 pounds a fortnight and, they say it is for your pention but it is not. ... Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a large baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. ...

From 1969 to 1972 he was BBC Television's Director of Programmes (making him responsible overall for both BBC One and BBC Two), but ultimately turned down an offer of promotion that would have made him Director General of the BBC. In 1972 he resigned his post and returned to programme making. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... The Director-General is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC. The position is appointed by Board of Governors of the BBC. Sir John Reith (1927-1938) Sir Frederick Ogilvie (1938-1942) Sir Cecil Graves and Robert W. Foot (joint Director-Generals, 1942-1943) Robert W. Foot (1942...

Major series

Foremost among Attenborough's TV documentary work as writer and presenter is the "Life" series, which begins with the trilogy: Life on Earth (1979), The Living Planet (1984) and The Trials of Life (1990). These examine the world's organisms from the viewpoints of taxonomy, ecology and stages of life respectively. This article is about the television documentary series For the article on Earths life see Organism. ... The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 19 January 1984. ... Trials of Life is a BBC (in conjunction with The Australian Broadcasting Service and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. ... For the science of classifying living things, see alpha taxonomy. ... For the journal, see Ecology (journal). ...

They were followed by more specialised surveys: Life in the Freezer (about Antarctica; 1993), The Private Life of Plants (1995), The Life of Birds (1998), The Life of Mammals (2002), Life in the Undergrowth (2005) and Life in Cold Blood (2008). The 'Life' series as a whole comprises 79 programmes. Life in the Freezer is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 18 November 1993. ... The Private Life of Plants (1995) is a six-part BBC television series presented by David Attenborough, on the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants around the world. ... The Life of Birds is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 21 October 1998. ... The Life of Mammals is a BBC (in conjunction with The Discovery Channel) natural history television series of ten episodes, about mammals, written and presented by David Attenborough, originally transmitted in 2002. ... Life In The Undergrowth is a BBC natural history television series about invertebrates, written and presented by David Attenborough, which began transmission in the UK on November 23, 2005. ... Life in Cold Blood is a BBC nature documentary series presented by David Attenborough, which is currently in production. ...

Attenborough has also written and/or presented other shorter productions. One of the first after his return to programme-making was The Tribal Eye (1975), which enabled him to expand on his interest in tribal art. Others include The First Eden (1987), about man's relationship with the natural habitats of the Mediterranean, and Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives (1989), which demonstrated Attenborough's passion for discovering fossils. In 2000, State of the Planet examined the environmental crisis that threatens the ecology of the Earth. The naturalist also narrated two other significant series: The Blue Planet (2001) and Planet Earth (2006). The latter is the first natural history series to be made entirely in high-definition. Mediterranean redirects here. ... Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives DVD cover. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... State of the Planet DVD cover. ... The Blue Planet is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 12 September 2001. ... Planet Earth is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough and produced by Alastair Fothergill. ... High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital television broadcasting system with greater resolution than traditional television systems (NTSC, SECAM, PAL). ...

In May–June 2006, the BBC broadcast a major two-part environmental documentary as part of its "Climate Chaos" season of programmes on global warming. In Are We Changing Planet Earth? and Can We Save Planet Earth?, Attenborough investigated the subject and put forward some potential solutions. He returned to the locations of some of his past productions and discovered the effect that climate change has had on them. Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ... Are We Changing Planet Earth? and Can We Save Planet Earth? are two programmes that form a documentary about global warming, presented by David Attenborough. ...

In 2007, Attenborough presented "Sharing Planet Earth", the first programme in a series of documentaries entitled Saving Planet Earth. Again he used footage from his previous series to illustrate the impact that mankind has had on the planet. "Sharing Planet Earth" was broadcast on 24 June 2007.^[5] is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Life in Cold Blood is Attenborough's last major series. In an interview to promote it, he stated:

The evolutionary history is finished. The endeavour is complete. If you'd asked me 20 years ago whether we'd be attempting such a mammoth task, I'd have said 'Don't be ridiculous'. These programmes tell a particular story and I'm sure others will come along and tell it much better than I did, but I do hope that if people watch it in 50 years' time, it will still have something to say about the world we live in.^[6]

However, in subsequent interviews with Radio Times, Parkinson and on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, he said that he did not intend to retire completely and would probably continue to make occasional one-off programmes. In 2008, he stated that he is planning a series about Charles Darwin and evolution.^{[6] [7]} Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ... Parkinson is a British television chat show presented by Michael Parkinson. ... Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ...

Other work

In 1975, the naturalist presented a BBC children's series about cryptozoology entitled Fabulous Animals.^[8] This represented a diversion from Attenborough's usual fare, as it dealt with the creatures of myths and legends, such as the griffin and kraken. It was a studio-based production, with the presenter describing his subjects with the aid of large, ornately illustrated books. Cryptozoology (from Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós, hidden; ζῷον, zôon, animal; and λόγος, logos, knowledge or study – zoology) is the search for animals hypothesized to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing. ... For other uses, see Griffin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Kraken (disambiguation). ...

From 1983, Attenborough worked on two environmentally-themed musicals with the WWF and writers Peter Rose and Anne Conlon. Yanomamo was the first, about the Amazon rainforest, and the second, Ocean World, premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in 1991. They were both narrated by Attenborough on their national tour, and recorded on to audio cassette. Ocean World was also filmed for Channel 4 and later released. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization for the conservation, research and restoration of the natural environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in the United States and Canada. ... Peter Rose (Music) and Anne Conlon (Words) are award-winning writers best known for their environmental musicals for children. ... The Royal Festival Hall reopening celebrations The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. ... This article is about the British television station. ...

Between 1977 and 2005, Attenborough also narrated over 250 editions of the half-hour BBC One nature series Wildlife on One^[9] (BBC Two repeats were retitled Wildlife on Two). Though his role was mainly to narrate other people's films, he did on rare occasions appear in front of the camera. Wildlife on One was the BBCs flagship natural history programme, first broadcast in 1977. ...

Attenborough also serves on the advisory board of BBC Wildlife magazine.

Achievements, awards and recognition

• 1970 : BAFTA Desmond Davis Award
• 1974 : Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• 1979 : BAFTA Fellowship
• 1983 : Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
• 1985 : Knighthood
• 1991 : Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) for producing Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas broadcast for a number of years from 1986
• 1996 : Companion of Honour (CH) "for services to nature broadcasting"
• 2000 : International Cosmos Prize
• 2003 : Michael Faraday Prize awarded by the Royal Society
• 2004 : Descartes Prize for Outstanding Science Communication Actions
• 2004 : Caird Medal of the National Maritime Museum
• 2005 : Order of Merit (OM)
• 2005 : Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest
• 2006 : National Television Awards Special Recognition Award
• 2006 : Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management - Institute Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the public perception and understanding of ecology
• 2006 : The Culture Show British Icon Award
• 2007 : British Naturalists' Association Peter Scott Memorial Award

On 13 July 2006, Attenborough, along with his brother Richard, were awarded the titles of Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University of Leicester "in recognition of a record of continuing distinguished service to the University."^[10] David Attenborough was previously awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the university in 1970.^[11] BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... The Fellowship of the Royal Society was founded in 1660. ... The dignity of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... The Royal Christmas Message (currently coined The Queens Christmas Message) is broadcast by the Sovereign of the Commonwealth Realms to the Commonwealth at Christmas. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... The International Cosmos Prize is a prize awarded annually by the Expo 90 Commemorative Foundation for: The prize, which may be awarded to an individual or team, consists of a commendation, a medallion and a monetary reward, currently 40 million yen. ... The Michael Faraday Prize is a science award given annually by the Royal Society. ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... The Descartes Prize is an annual award in science given by the European Union. ... The Caird Medal of the National Maritime Museum was instituted in 1984 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the National Maritime Museum Act of 1934 that established the museum. ... The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom, and one of the most important in the world. ... For other Orders see Order of Merit (disambiguation). ... The Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest is given annually by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. ... The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. ... The Culture Show is a weekly magazine show broadcast on Saturday nights on BBC Two, focussing on the latest developments in the worlds of film, music, art, fashion and the performing arts. ... The British Naturalists Association is one of the countrys oldest natural history organisations, founded in 1905. ... Statue of Sir Peter Scott at the WWT London Wetland Centre Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC, FRS, FZS, (September 14, 1909 – August 29, 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter and sportsman. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Honorary titles in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of their regular contributions either on an unpaid basis by a non-employee or by an employeee beyond regular duties. ... An honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum, not to be confused with an honors degree) is an academic degree awarded to an individual as a decoration, rather than as the result of matriculating and studying for several years. ... Doctor of Letters (Latin: Litterarum doctor; D.Litt. ...

In 1993, after discovering that the Mesozoic reptile Plesiosaurus conybeari had not, in fact, been a true plesiosaur, the paleontologist Robert Bakker renamed the species Attenborosaurus conybeari in Attenborough's honour.^[12] Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... Reptilia redirects here. ... Families Cimoliasauridae Cryptoclididae Elasmosauridae Plesiosauridae Polycotylidae Plesiosaurs (pronounced ) (Greek: plesios meaning near or close to and sauros meaning lizard) were carnivorous aquatic (mostly marine) reptiles. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Robert T. Bakker (Bob Bakker), born in Bergen, New Jersey, 1945, is a famous American paleontologist who has helped re-shape modern theories about dinosaurs, particularly by adding support to the theory that some dinosaurs were homeothermic (warm-blooded). ...

Out of four extant species of echidna, one is named after him: Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna, Zaglossus attenboroughi, which inhabits the Cyclops mountains in the Papua province of New Guinea. In biology, extant taxon is commonly used in discussions of living and fossil species. ... For other senses of this word, see echidna (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Flannery & Groves, 1998 Sir Davids Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi), also known as the Attenboroughs Long-beaked Echidna or Cyclops Long-beaked Echidna, is one of three species from the genus Zaglossus to occur in New Guinea. ... Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea). ...

In June 2004, Attenborough and Sir Peter Scott were jointly profiled in the second of a three part BBC Two series, The Way We Went Wild, about television wildlife presenters. Part three also featured Attenborough extensively. The next month, another BBC Two programme, Attenborough the Controller, recalled his time as Director of Programmes for BBC Two. Statue of Sir Peter Scott at the WWT London Wetland Centre Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC, FRS, FZS, (September 14, 1909 – August 29, 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter and sportsman. ... The Way We Went Wild is a three-part BBC TV series, first shown on BBC Two, about British wildlife presenters. ...

In November 2005, London's Natural History Museum announced a fundraising campaign to build a communications centre in Attenborough's honour. The museum intends to open the David Attenborough Studio in 2008.^[13] For other similarly-named museums see Museum of Natural History. ... For other similarly-named museums see Museum of Natural History. ...

An opinion poll of 4,900 Britons conducted by Reader's Digest in 2006 showed Attenborough to be the most trusted celebrity in Britain.^[14] In a list compiled by the magazine New Statesman in 2006, he was voted tenth in the list of "Heroes of our time".^[15] An Opinion poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample or pool. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The New Statesman is a left-of-centre political weekly published in London. ...

It is often suggested that David Attenborough's 50-year career at the BBC making natural history documentaries and travelling extensively throughout the world has probably made him the most travelled person on Earth ever.^[16]

His contribution to broadcasting was recognised by the 60-minute documentary Life on Air, transmitted in 2002 to tie in with the publication of Attenborough's similarly titled autobiography. For the programme, the naturalist was interviewed at his home by his friend Michael Palin (someone who is almost as well-travelled). Attenborough's reminiscences are interspersed with memorable clips from his series, with contributions from his brother Richard as well as professional colleagues. Life on Air is available on DVD as part of Attenborough in Paradise and Other Personal Voyages. Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. ...

Favourite Attenborough moments

In April 2006, to celebrate Attenborough's 80th birthday, the public were asked to vote on their favourite of his television moments, out of twenty candidates. The results were announced on UKTV on 7 May. Each is given with its series and advocate: This article is about the UKTV network of channels in the UK and Ireland. ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. Attenborough watching a lyrebird mimicking various noises (The Life of Birds, selected by Bill Oddie)
2. Mountain gorillas (Life on Earth, Sanjeev Bhaskar)
3. Blue whale encounter (The Life of Mammals, Alan Titchmarsh)
4. His description of the demise of Easter Island's native society (State of the Planet, Charlotte Uhlenbroek)
5. Chimpanzees using tools to crack nuts (The Life of Mammals, Charlotte Uhlenbroek)
6. A grizzly bear fishing (The Life of Mammals, Steve Leonard)
7. Imitating a woodpecker to lure in a real one (The Life of Birds, Ray Mears)
8. The presenter being attacked by a displaying male capercaillie (The Life of Birds, Bill Oddie)
9. Chimps wading through water on two feet (The Life of Mammals, Gavin Thurston)
10. Observing a male bowerbird's display (The Life of Birds, Joanna Lumley)
11. Watching elephants in a salt cave (The Life of Mammals, Joanna Lumley)
12. Wild chimps hunting monkeys (The Trials of Life, Alastair Fothergill)
13. Freetail bats leaving a cave and Attenborough holding one of their young (The Trials of Life, Rory McGrath)
14. Being threatened by a bull elephant seal (Life in the Freezer, Björk)
15. A wandering albatross chick and its parent (Life in the Freezer, Ellen MacArthur)
16. Spawning Christmas Island red crabs (The Trials of Life, Simon King)
17. In a tree with gibbons (The Life of Mammals, Steve Leonard)
18. Burrowing under a termite mound to demonstrate its cooling system (The Trials of Life, Björk)
19. Observing a titan arum (The Private Life of Plants, Alan Titchmarsh)
20. Timelapse footage of a bramble growing (The Private Life of Plants, Rory McGrath)

Species Menura novaehollandiae Menura alberti A Lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds, most notable for their extraordinary ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. ... William Edgar (Bill) Oddie, OBE (born 7 July 1941 in Rochdale, Lancashire), is a British comedy writer and performer, author, composer and musician. ... Trinomial name Gorilla berengei berengei Matschie, 1914 The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei[1]) is one of two species of Eastern Gorillas. ... Vic Chopra (Sanjeev Bhaskar) falls foul of Ash Desai (Manish Patel) Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE (born 28 June 1964 in Essex, grew up in Hounslow, West London England). ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue Whale range Subspecies B. m. ... Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL (born 2 May 1949) is an English broadcaster, particularly famous in the field of gardening programmes on UK television, although Titchmarsh has also had lengthy stints presenting daytime and religious programming on BBC TV and BBC Radio 2. ... Rapa Nui redirects here. ... Dr Charlotte Uhlenbroek ( 4th January 1968, London) is British zoolologist and BBC televsion presenter. ... Type species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 distribution of Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of apes in the genus Pan. ... For the Brooklyn-based indie rock band, see Grizzly Bear (band). ... Stephen Steve Leonard (b. ... Genera Melanerpes Sphyrapicus Xiphidiopicus Dendropicos Dendrocopos Picoides Veniliornis Campethera Geocolaptes Dinopium Meiglyptes Hemicircus Micropternus Picus Mulleripicus Dryocopus Celeus Piculus Colaptes Campephilus Chrysocolaptes Reinwardtipicus Blythipicus Gecinulus Sapheopipo For other uses, see Woodpecker (disambiguation). ... Ray Mears (born 1964) is a British author and TV presenter on the subject of bushcraft and survival techniques. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 The Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), also known as the Wood Grouse or more specifically Western Capercaillie is the largest member of the grouse family, reaching over 100 cm in length and 4 kg in weight. ... Genera Ailuroedus Archboldia Amblyornis Prionodura Sericulus Ptilonorhynchus Chlamydera The 19 bowerbirds and catbirds make up the family Ptilonorhynchidae. ... Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress and former model who is best known for her roles in The New Avengers, Absolutely Fabulous, Sapphire and Steel and Sensitive Skin. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... This article is about common table salt. ... “Chiroptera” redirects here. ... McGrath presenting More Own Goals & Gaffs DVD. Rory McGrath (born March 27, 1956) is an English comedian. ... Species M. leonina M. angustirostris Elephant seals are large, oceangoing mammals in the genus Mirounga, in the earless seal family (Phocidae). ... This article is about the musician. ... Binomial name Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758 The Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. ... Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE (born July 8, 1976) is an English sailor from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. ... Binomial name Gecarcoidea natalis Pocock, 1888 The Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) is a species of terrestrial crab endemic to both the Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean. ... Simon King can be: The British musician: Simon King (musician) The UK television presenter: Simon King (television) The footballer with Barnet FC: Simon King (footballer) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Genera Hylobates Hoolock Nomascus Symphalangus Gibbons are the small apes that are grouped in the family Hylobatidae. ... Families Mastotermitidae Kalotermitidae Termopsidae Hodotermitidae Rhinotermitidae Serritermitidae Termitidae Termites, sometimes known as white ants, are a group of social insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera. ... Binomial name Amorphophallus titanum (Becc. ... The blackberry is a bramble fruit Bramble refers to thorny plants of the Genus Rubus, in the Rose family (Rosaceae). ...

Parodies and artistic portrayals

Attenborough's accent and hushed, excited delivery have been the subject of frequent parodies by comedians, most notably Spike Milligan, Marty Feldman, The Goodies and South Park. Especially apt for spoofing is Attenborough's pronunciation of the word "here" when using it to introduce a sentence, as in, "He-eah, in the rain forest of the Amazon Basin..." Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... For the documentary about Jerry Seinfeld, see Comedian (film). ... Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE (16 April 1918–27 February 2002), known as Spike Milligan, was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet and playwright. ... Martin Alan Marty Feldman (8 July 1934[1] – 2 December 1982) was an English writer, comedian and BAFTA award winning actor, notable for his bulging eyes, which were the result of a thyroid condition known as Graves Disease. ... This article discusses the Goodies trio and the origins of their comedy TV series For information about the television series, see The Goodies (TV series) The Goodies are a trio of British comedians (Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie), who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British... This article is about the TV series. ... In phonetics, a triphthong (Greek τρίφθογγος, triphthongos, literally with three sounds, or with three tones) is a monosyllabic vowel combination usually involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another that passes over a third one. ...

Attenborough is portrayed by Michael Palin in the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, where he searches the African jungle for the legendary Walking Tree of Dahomey (Quercus Nicholas Parsonus), sweating excessively and accompanied by native guides wearing saxophones. Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. ... This article is about the television series. ... Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ...

Attenborough also appears as a character in David Ives' play Time Flies, a comedy focusing on a romance between two mayflies. David Ives (b. ... Suborders Suborder Schistonota  Superfamily Baetoidea    Siphlonuridae    Baetidae    Oniscigastridae    Ameletopsidae    Ametropodidae  Superfamily Heptagenioidea    Coloburiscidae    Oligoneuriidae    Isonychiidae    Heptageniidae  Superfamily Leptophlebioidea    Leptophlebiidae  Superfamily Ephemeroidea    Behningiidae    Potamanthidae    Euthyplociidae    Polymitarcydae    Ephemeridae    Palingeniidae Suborder Pannota  Superfamily Ephemerelloidea    Ephemerellidae    Leptohyphidae    Tricorythidae  Superfamily Caenoidea    Neoephemeridae    Baetiscidae    Caenidae    Prosopistomatidae Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera (from...

In the documentary In the Wild: Lemurs with John Cleese, while trekking through the forest in Madagascar, Cleese points as if to have seen an exotic creature and exclaims, "It's David Attenborough!" Cleese redirects here. ...

On an episode of The Ricky Gervais Show, Karl Pilkington speculates that David Attenborough is likely careful not to kill any insect pests, imitating Attenborough's inevitable recognition that "that's where I make me money." The Ricky Gervais Show is a comedy audio show in the UK starring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington. ... Karl Pilkington (born September 23, 1972 in Manchester) is a British, Sony Award-winning radio producer and personality best known for producing and co-presenting The Ricky Gervais Show, on the radio station XFM. On October 3, 2006, Pilkingtons first book The World of Karl Pilkington was published, featuring...

In the late 1980s, an Australian weekly programme called The Comedy Company featured a segment with "David Rabbitborough" played by Ian McFadyen. He got around in a safari suit touring the Melbourne suburbs in the same format as Attenborough, but his specimens were human beings. The Comedy Company logo. ... Ian McFadyen is a writer, actor, and director. ...

In the 1980s, a TV advertisement for Guinness featured an Attenborough impersonator investigating the odd 'species' of humans who prefer bland lager to flavoursome stout. Guinness logo Guinness is Good for You Irish language advertisement. ...

In a Finnish TV commercial, Attenborough is impersonated, looking at fireflies - until the lights are turned on by a studio employee going to a soft drink vending machine. For the science fiction television series, see Firefly (TV series). ...

Portuguese comedian Herman José played a caricature of Attenborough (David Vaitenborough, which can sort of be translated as David Go-away) in the "Herman Geographycal Society" sketches in his TV Show Herman Enciclopédia (1997). Herman José Hermann Herman José von Krippahl (born March 19, 1954 in Lisbon, Portugal) is the most successful comedian in Portugal, though virtually unknown abroad. ...

Views and advocacy

Environmental causes

From the beginning, Attenborough's major series have included some content regarding the impact of human society on the natural world. The last episode of The Living Planet, for example, focuses almost entirely on humans' destruction of the environment and ways that it could be stopped or reversed. Despite this, his programmes have been criticised for not making their environmental message more explicit. Some environmentalists feel that programmes like Attenborough's give a false picture of idyllic wilderness and do not do enough to acknowledge that such areas are increasingly encroached upon by humans.^[17] Bold textHello ...

However, his closing message from State of the Planet was forthright:

The future of life on earth depends on our ability to take action. Many individuals are doing what they can, but real success can only come if there's a change in our societies and our economics and in our politics. I've been lucky in my lifetime to see some of the greatest spectacles that the natural world has to offer. Surely we have a responsibility to leave for future generations a planet that is healthy, inhabitable by all species.

In the last few years, Attenborough has become increasingly outspoken in support of environmental causes. In 2005 and 2006 he backed a BirdLife International project to stop the killing of albatross by longline fishing boats.^[18] He gave public support to WWF's campaign to have 220,000 square kilometres of Borneo's rainforest designated a protected area.^[19] He also serves as a vice-president of Fauna and Flora International and president of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. In 2003 he launched an appeal to create a rainforest reserve in Ecuador in memory of Christopher Parsons OBE, the producer of Life on Earth and a personal friend, who had died the previous year. Attenborough also launched ARKive in May 2003,^[20] a global project which had been instigated by Christopher Parsons to gather together natural history media into a digital library, an online Noah's Ark. He later became Patron of the World Land Trust, and an active supporter. BirdLife International is the international conservation organization working to protect the world’s birds and their habitats. ... This article is about the bird family. ... The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization for the conservation, research and restoration of the natural environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in the United States and Canada. ... Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. ... The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ... Fauna and Flora International logo - the Arabian Oryx The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, officially the Fauna and Flora International, was founded in 1903 as the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire by a group of British naturalists and American statesmen in Africa. ... The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland, England. ... ARKive logo ARKive is a global initiative to locate and gather films, photographs and audio recordings of the worlds species into one centralised digital library for the benefit of present and future generations. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → A timeline of events in the news for May, 2003. ... The adjective global and adverb globally imply that the verb or noun to which they are applied applies to the entire Earth and all of its species and regions. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now often viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines of integrative organismal biology. ... A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible by computers [1]. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. ... Online means being connected to the Internet or another similar electronic network, like a bulletin board system. ... This article is about the vessel described in the Hebrew scriptures. ... The logo of the Trust The World Land Trust (originally the World Wide Land Conservation Trust) is a UK-based nonprofit environmental organization established in 1989. ...

Attenborough has repeatedly said that he considers human overpopulation to be the root cause of many environmental problems. Both his series The Life of Mammals and the accompanying book end with a plea for humans to curb population growth so that other species will not be crowded out. Map of countries by population density (See List of countries by population density. ...

He has recently written and spoken publicly about the fact that he now believes global warming is definitely real, and caused by humans.^[21] At the climax of the aforementioned "Climate Chaos" documentaries, the naturalist gives this summing up of his findings:

"In the past, we didn't understand the effect of our actions. Unknowingly, we sowed the wind and now, literally, we are reaping the whirlwind. But we no longer have that excuse: now we do recognise the consequences of our behaviour. Now surely, we must act to reform it: individually and collectively; nationally and internationally — or we doom future generations to catastrophe."

In a 2005 interview with BBC Wildlife magazine, Attenborough said he considered George W. Bush to be the era's top "environmental villain". In 2007, he further elaborated on the USA's consumption of energy in relation to its population. When asked if he thought America to be "the villain of the piece", he responded: George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

"I don't think whole populations are villainous, but Americans are just extraordinarily unaware of all kinds of things. If you live in the middle of that vast continent, with apparently everything your heart could wish for just because you were born there, then why worry? [...] If people lose knowledge, sympathy and understanding of the natural world, they're going to mistreat it and will not ask their politicians to care for it."^[5]

Other causes

In May 2005, Attenborough was appointed as patron of the UK's Blood Pressure Association, which provides information and support to people with hypertension.^[22] The Blood Pressure Association (or BPA) is a British charitable organisation, established in October 2000, that seeks to provide information and support to people with hypertension and to educate the general public about the importance of blood pressure to health. ... For other forms of hypertension, see Hypertension (disambiguation). ...

Attenborough is also an honorary member of BSES Expeditions, a youth development charity that operates challenging scientific research expeditions to remote wilderness environments. BSES Expeditions is a youth development charity based in the United Kingdom. ...

Religion and creationism

In a December 2005 interview with Simon Mayo on BBC Radio Five Live, Attenborough stated that he considers himself an agnostic.^[23] When asked whether his observation of the natural world has given him faith in a creator, he generally responds with some version of this story: Simon Mayo (born 21st September 1958 in Southgate, London) is one of the most recognised and respected voices of radio in the UK, currently presenting a daily afternoon programme on BBC Radio Five Live. ... BBC Radio Five Live is the BBCs radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries. ... The term agnosticism and the related agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. ...

"My response is that when Creationists talk about God creating every individual species as a separate act, they always instance hummingbirds, or orchids, sunflowers and beautiful things. But I tend to think instead of a parasitic worm that is boring through the eye of a boy sitting on the bank of a river in West Africa, [a worm] that's going to make him blind. And [I ask them], 'Are you telling me that the God you believe in, who you also say is an all-merciful God, who cares for each one of us individually, are you saying that God created this worm that can live in no other way than in an innocent child's eyeball? Because that doesn't seem to me to coincide with a God who's full of mercy".^[24]

He has explained that he feels the evidence all over the planet clearly shows evolution to be the best way to explain the diversity of life, and that "as far as I'm concerned, if there is a supreme being then he chose organic evolution as a way of bringing into existence the natural world."

In a BBC Four interview with Mark Lawson, Attenborough was asked if he at any time had any religious faith. He replied simply, "No." For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 4. ... Mark Lawson (born April 11, 1962) is a British journalist, broadcaster and author. ...

In 2002, Attenborough joined an effort by leading clerics and scientists to oppose the inclusion of creationism in the curriculum of UK state-funded independent schools which receive private sponsorship, such as the Emmanuel Schools Foundation. The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (previously the Vardy Foundation after its founder, Sir Peter Vardy) intends to set up a total of seven specialist independent schools in the UK under the Governments City Academies Initiative. ...

Television work

Writer and presenter (documentary series)

• Zoo Quest (1954-1963)
• The People of Paradise (1960)
• Attenborough and Animals (1963)
• Zambezi (1965)
• Life: East Africa (1967)
• Eastwards with Attenborough (1973)
• Natural Break (1973)
• Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Language of Animals (1973)
• Fabulous Animals (1975)
• The Tribal Eye (1975)
• Life on Earth (1979)
• The Living Planet (1984)
• The First Eden (1987)
• Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives (1989)
• The Trials of Life (1990)
• Life in the Freezer (1993)
• The Private Life of Plants (1995)
• The Life of Birds (1998)
• State of the Planet (2000)
• The Life of Mammals (2002)
• Life in the Undergrowth (2005)

Planet Earth (2007) Zoo Quest was a series of multi-part nature documentaries broadcast on BBC television between 1954 and 1964. ... Michael Faraday delivering a Christmas Lecture in 1856. ... This article is about the television documentary series For the article on Earths life see Organism. ... The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 19 January 1984. ... Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives DVD cover. ... Trials of Life is a BBC (in conjunction with The Australian Broadcasting Service and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. ... Life in the Freezer is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 18 November 1993. ... The Private Life of Plants (1995) is a six-part BBC television series presented by David Attenborough, on the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants around the world. ... The Life of Birds is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 21 October 1998. ... State of the Planet DVD cover. ... The Life of Mammals is a BBC (in conjunction with The Discovery Channel) natural history television series of ten episodes, about mammals, written and presented by David Attenborough, originally transmitted in 2002. ... Life In The Undergrowth is a BBC natural history television series about invertebrates, written and presented by David Attenborough, which began transmission in the UK on November 23, 2005. ...

• Life in Cold Blood (2008)

Life in Cold Blood is a BBC nature documentary series presented by David Attenborough, which is currently in production. ...

Writer and presenter (single documentaries)

• A Blank on the Map (1971)
• The Million Pound Bird Book (1985)
• Heart of a Nomad (1994) (interviewer)
• "Attenborough in Paradise", screened as part of the Natural World series (1996)
• The Origin of Species: An Illustrated Guide (1998)
• Living with Dinosaurs (2000)
• The Lost Gods of Easter Island (2000)
• The Song of the Earth (2000)
• "Bowerbirds: The Art of Seduction", screened as part of the Natural World series (2000)
• "The Amber Time Machine", screened as part of the Natural World series (2004)
• Gorillas Revisited (2006)
• "Are We Changing Planet Earth?" and "Can We Save Planet Earth?", part of the BBC's Climate Chaos season (2006)
• "Tom Harrisson: The Barefoot Anthropologist", part of BBC Four's Anthropologists season (2007)
• Climate Change: Britain Under Threat (2007) (as co-presenter)
• "Sharing Planet Earth", part of the BBC's Saving Planet Earth season (2007)
• Attenborough Explores... Our Fragile Planet (2007)

Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) is particularly interesting among Gustav Mahlers symphonic works. ... Are We Changing Planet Earth? and Can We Save Planet Earth? are two programmes that form a documentary about global warming, presented by David Attenborough. ... Are We Changing Planet Earth? and Can We Save Planet Earth? are two programmes that form a documentary about global warming, presented by David Attenborough. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 4. ...

Narrator (documentary series)

• Travellers' Tales (1960)
• Adventure (1961-1963)
• The World About Us (narrator of approximately 20 episodes between 1969 and 1982)
• The Miracle of Bali (1969)
• The Explorers (1975)
• The Discoverers (1976)
• Wildlife on One (1977-2005)
• The Spirit of Asia (1980)
• Natural World (narrator of approximately 25 episodes between 1983 and 2008)
• BBC Wildlife Specials (1995-2008) (also appears on screen to introduce each programme)
• Winners and Losers (1996)
• The Blue Planet (2001)
• Animal Crime Scene (2005)
• Planet Earth (2006)

Natural World (formerly The World About Us) is the longest-running nature documentary strand on British television. ... Wildlife on One was the BBCs flagship natural history programme, first broadcast in 1977. ... Natural World (sometimes in the past titled Wildlife On One or Wildlife On Two) is a long-running BBC television series on natural history. ... The Blue Planet is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 12 September 2001. ... Planet Earth is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough and produced by Alastair Fothergill. ...

Narrator (single documentaries)

• The Ark in South Kensington (1981)
• Wildlife 100 (1993)
• Survival Island (1996)
• "The Secret Life of Seahorses", screened as part of the Q.E.D. series (1996)
• "Sharks - The Truth", screened as part of BBC One's Shark Summer season (1999)
• The Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth (2000)
• Great Natural Wonders of the World (2002)
• "The Lost Road: Overland to Singapore", screened as part of BBC Four's Time Shift series (2005)
• Watching Desmond Morris (2007)

Producer

• Coelacanth (1952)
• Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? (1952-1959)
• Song Hunter (1953)
• The Pattern of Animals (1953)
• The Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1955-58 (1955-1958)
• Japan (1961)
• Destruction of the Indian (1962)
• The Queen's Christmas Message (1986-1991)

Attenborough also acted as producer for many programs in which he had other roles, particularly those produced by the BBC's Travel and Exploration Unit in the 1950s and 1960s. These programs have already been listed where Attenborough had a narrating or presenting role. The Royal Christmas Message (currently coined The Queens Christmas Message) is broadcast by Queen Elizabeth II to the Commonwealth at Christmas. ...

Other television and film work

• A Zed & Two Noughts, narrator in film drama (1985)
• State of the Ark, participant in on-screen debate (1994)
• Robbie the Reindeer, voice of the museum commentary in episode "Legend of the Lost Tribe" (2002)
• Life on Air, archive footage and interviewee (2002)
• Attenborough the Controller, archive footage and interviewee (2002)
• Attenborough in Conversation with Mark Lawson, interviewee (2002)
• Great Wildlife Moments, introduced (2003)
• The Way We Went Wild, archive footage and interviewee (2004)
• Selfish Green, participant in on-screen debate (2004)
• How Art Made The World, interviewee (2005)
• Favourite Attenborough Moments, archive footage (2006)
• Suez: A Very British Crisis, interviewee (2006)
• Planet Earth: The Future, interviewee (2006)
• 100 Years of Wildlife Films, archive footage (2007)

A Zed & Two Noughts (A.K.A. Zoo) is a 1985 film written and directed by Peter Greenaway. ... Robbie the Reindeer is the title character in two animated BBC Christmas comedy television specials, filmed in aid of Comic Relief. ... Planet Earth is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough and produced by Alastair Fothergill. ...

Books

Bibliography

• Zoo Quest to Guyana (Lutterworth Press, 1956)
• Zoo Quest for a Dragon (Lutterworth Press, 1957)
  • (book club edition with 85 extra pages, Quest for the Paradise Birds, 1959)
• Zoo Quest in Paraguay (Lutterworth Press, 1959)
• The Zoo Quest Expeditions (Lutterworth Press, abridged compilation of the above three titles with a new introduction, 1980)
  • paperback (Penguin Books, 1982)
• Quest in Paradise (1960)
• Zoo Quest to Madagascar (1961)
• Quest Under Capricorn (1963)
• Fabulous Animals (BBC, 1975) ISBN 0-563-17006-9
• The Tribal Eye (1976)
• Life on Earth (1979)
• Discovering Life on Earth (1981)
• Journeys to the past: Travels in New Guinea, Madagascar, and the northern territory of Australia (1983) Penguin Books ISBN 0-14-00.64133
• The Living Planet (1984)
• The First Eden: The Mediterranean World and Man (1987)(Little Brown & Co (T); 1st American ed edition (March 1990))
• The Atlas of the Living World (1989)
• The Trials of Life (Collins, 1990) ISBN 0-00-219912-2
• The Private Life of Plants (BBC Books, 1994) ISBN 0-563-37023-8
• The Life of Birds (BBC Books, 1998) ISBN 0-563-38792-0
• The Life of Mammals (BBC Books, 2002) ISBN 0-563-53423-0
• Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster (autobiography; 2002) ISBN 0-563-53461-3
  • paperback: ISBN 0-563-48780-1
• Life in the Undergrowth (BBC Books, 2005) ISBN 0-563-52208-9
• Amazing Rare Things - The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery with Susan Owens, Martin Clayton and Rea Alexandratos (The Royal Collection, 2007) Hardback - ISBN 978 1 902163 46 8; Softback - ISBN 978 1 902163 99 4
• Life in Cold Blood (BBC Books, 2007) ISBN 9780563539223

A book sales club is a subscription-based method of selling and purchasing books. ... It has been suggested that Penguin Modern Poets, Penguin Great Ideas be merged into this article or section. ... HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. ... BBC Books is the book publishing division of BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Introductions

Attenborough has written the introduction or foreword for a number of books, including: A foreword is a literary device that is often found in the beginning of a piece of literature, before the introduction. ...

• African Jigsaw: A Musical Entertainment, Peter Rose and Anne Conlon (published: 1986, Weinberger)
• Life in the Freezer: Natural History of the Antarctic, Alastair Fothergill (BBC Books, 1993), ISBN 0-563-36431-9
• Birds of Paradise: Paradisaeidae (Bird Families of the World series) Clifford B. Frith, Bruce M. Beehler, William T. Cooper (Illustrator) (Oxford University Press, 1998) ISBN 0-19-854853-2
• The Blue Planet, Andrew Byatt, Alastair Fothergill, Martha Holmes (BBC Books, 2001) ISBN 0-563-38498-0.
• Light on the Earth (BBC Books, 2005), two decades of winning images from the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, ISBN 0-563-52260-7
• Planet Earth, Alastair Fothergill (BBC Books, 2006), ISBN 0-563-52212-7

Audio recordings

• Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson, read by David Attenborough (available on audiocassette, 1978)
• Yanomamo (musical entertainment, 1983) by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon; on-stage narration and published audio recording
• Ocean World (musical entertainment, 1990) by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon; on-stage narration (including at The Royal Festival Hall), for audio recording and video broadcast (both published)

In addition, Attenborough has recorded some of his own works in audiobook form, including Life on Earth, Zoo Quest for a Dragon and his autobiography Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster. Peter Rose (Music) and Anne Conlon (Words) are award-winning writers best known for their environmental musicals for children. ... Peter Rose (Music) and Anne Conlon (Words) are award-winning writers best known for their environmental musicals for children. ... The Royal Festival Hall reopening celebrations The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. ...

References

The BBC Programme Catalogue is a prototype online archive of the entire BBC back catalogue of TV programmes. ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Simon Mayo (born 21st September 1958 in Southgate, London) is one of the most recognised and respected voices of radio in the UK, currently presenting a daily afternoon programme on BBC Radio Five Live. ... BBC Radio Five Live is the BBCs radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

David Attenborough

• BBC - David Attenborough Life on Air
• Sir David Attenborough BBC biography
• BBC interview with Attenborough in 1976
• David Attenborough - Perception, deception and reality at the Royal Society
• David Attenborough interview: 'Everyone likes Birds'
• BBC Radio 4 programme interviewing Attenborough in Real Audio format
• David Attenborough Studio campaign at the Natural History Museum
• Official Life in the Undergrowth site
• ThrowawayyourTV.comDavid Attenborough Video Archive
• "David Attenborough, one life on Earth" (2007)

• David Attenborough at the Internet Movie Database.