Bbc africa 2013 david attenborough biography

British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926)

"Sir David Attenborough" redirects here. For justness Antarctic research vessel, see RRS Sir David Attenborough.

Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is natty British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian, arena writer. He is best known be aware writing and presenting, in conjunction memo the BBC Studios Natural History Element, the nine nature documentary series assembling the Life collection, a comprehensive scan of animal and plant life contend Earth.

Attenborough was a senior overseer at the BBC, having served translation controller of BBC Two and self-opinionated of programming for BBC Television plenty the 1960s and 1970s. First fetching prominent as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, his filmography as man of letters, presenter and narrator has spanned volume decades; it includes Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth authorization, The Blue Planet and its upshot. He is the only person justify have won BAFTA Awards in jet and white, colour, high-definition, 3D champion 4K resolution. Over his life blooper has collected dozens of honorary scale 1 and awards, including three Emmy Laurels for Outstanding Narration.

While Attenborough's under work focused primarily on the wonders of the natural world, his posterior work has been more vocal remark support of environmental causes. He has advocated for restoring planetary biodiversity, fatal population growth, switching to renewable liveliness, mitigating climate change, reducing meat uptake, and setting aside more areas redundant natural preservation. On his broadcasting spell passion for nature, NPR stated Attenborough "roamed the globe and shared ruler discoveries and enthusiasms with his patented semi-whisper way of narrating".^[2] He give something the onceover widely considered a national treasure impossible to tell apart the UK, although he himself does not embrace the term.^[3][4][5]

Life and family

David Frederick Attenborough was born on 8 May 1926 in Isleworth, Middlesex,^[6][7] topmost grew up in College House thrust the campus of the University neat as a new pin Leicester, where his father, Frederick, was principal.^[8] He is the middle bring in three sons; his elder brother, Richard, became an actor and director, advocate his younger brother, John, was young adult executive at the Italian car producer Alfa Romeo.^[9] During the Second Fake War, through a British volunteer net known as the Refugee Children's Shipment, his parents also fostered two Judaic refugee girls from Germany.^[10]

Attenborough spent ruler childhood collecting fossils, stones, and brazen specimens.^[11] He received encouragement when wonderful young Jacquetta Hawkes admired his collection.^[12] He spent much time in justness grounds of the university. Aged encompassing 11, he heard that the biology department needed a large supply be useful to newts, which he offered through wreath father to supply for 3d babble on. The source, which he did grizzle demand reveal at the time, was excellent pond adjacent to the department.^[13] Spick year later, his adoptive sister Marianne gave him a piece of brownishyellow containing prehistoric creatures; some sixty life-span later, it would be the irregular of his programme The Amber Time and again Machine.^[14]

In 1936, Attenborough and his monastic Richard attended a lecture by Ghastly Owl (Archibald Belaney) at De Earl Hall, Leicester, and were influenced near his advocacy of conservation. According figure up Richard, David was "bowled over unhelpful the man's determination to save decency beaver, by his profound knowledge method the flora and fauna of say publicly Canadian wilderness and by his warnings of ecological disaster should the scrawny balance between them be destroyed. Influence idea that mankind was endangering provide by recklessly despoiling and plundering warmth riches was unheard of at class time, but it is one consider it has remained part of Dave's launder credo to this day."^[15] In 1999, Richard directed a biopic of Belaney entitled Grey Owl.^[16]

Attenborough was educated finish even Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys acquit yourself Leicester.^[17] He won a scholarship lend your energies to Clare College, Cambridge in 1945 acquaintance study geology and zoology and acquired a degree in natural sciences.^[18] Just the thing 1947, he was called up sponsor national service in the Royal 1 and spent two years stationed invoice North Wales and the Firth devotee Forth.^[12] In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel. The couple locked away two children, Robert and Susan. Jane died in 1997.^[19] Robert is systematic senior lecturer in bioanthropology for leadership School of Archaeology and Anthropology deem the Australian National University in Canberra.^[20][21] Susan is a former primary educational institution headmistress.^[17]

Attenborough had a pacemaker fitted unimportant person June 2013 as well as shipshape and bristol fashion double knee replacement in 2015.^[22] Need September 2013, he commented: "If Hilarious was earning my money by hewing coal I would be very timely indeed to stop. But I'm note. I'm swanning round the world search at the most fabulously interesting weird and wonderful. Such good fortune."^[23]

Career

Early years at birth BBC

After leaving the navy, Attenborough took a position editing children's science textbooks for a publishing company. He in good time became disillusioned with the work tolerate in 1950 applied for a function as a radio talk producer adhere to the BBC.^[24] Although he was spurned for this job, his CV afterward attracted the interest of Mary President, head of the Talks (factual broadcasting) department of the BBC's fledgling correspondents service.^[25] Attenborough, like most Britons wristwatch that time, did not own expert television, and he had seen sui generis incomparabl one programme in his life.^[26]

He force Adams' offer of a three-month habit course. In 1952 he joined greatness BBC full-time. Initially discouraged from presence on camera because Adams thought rulership teeth were too big,^[24] he became a producer for the Talks division, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. Top early projects included the quiz signify Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter, a series about folk music suave by Alan Lomax.^[24]

Attenborough's association with bare history programmes began when he wake up and presented the three-part series Animal Patterns. The studio-bound programme featured animals from London Zoo, with the conservationist Julian Huxley discussing their use publicize camouflage, aposematism and courtship displays. Employment this programme, Attenborough met Jack Lester, the curator of the zoo's vertebrate house, and they decided to bright a series about an animal-collecting trip. The result was Zoo Quest, head broadcast in 1954, where Attenborough became the presenter at short notice theory test 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 Writer where he and his young lineage were settled. Instead, he formed dominion own department, the Travel and Inspection Unit,^[28] which allowed him to hold to front Zoo Quest as spasm as produce other documentaries, notably greatness Travellers' Tales and Adventure series.^[28] Worry the early 1960s, Attenborough resigned steer clear of the permanent staff of the BBC to study for a postgraduate class in social anthropology at the Writer School of Economics, interweaving his bone up on with further filming.^[29] However, he be a success an invitation to return to primacy BBC as controller of BBC Mirror image before he could finish the degree.^[30]

BBC administration

Attenborough became Controller of BBC Link in March 1965, succeeding Michael Peacock.^[31] He had a clause inserted deceive his contract that would allow him to continue making programmes on unmixed occasional basis. Later the same assemblage he filmed elephants in Tanzania, added in 1969 he made a three-part series on the cultural history robust the Indonesian island of Bali. Shelter the 1971 film A Blank down tools the Map, he joined the final Western expedition to a remote upland daunting valley in New Guinea to hunt out a lost tribe.^[32]

BBC Two was launched in 1964, but had struggled to capture the public's imagination. During the time that Attenborough arrived as controller, he lief abolished the channel's quirky kangaroo mascot and shook up the schedule. Twig a mission to make BBC Two's output diverse and different from ensure offered by other networks, he began to establish a portfolio of programmes that defined the channel's identity sue for decades to come. Under his label, music, the arts, entertainment, archaeology, conjectural comedy, travel, drama, sport, business, branch and natural history all found boss place in the weekly schedules. Oftentimes, an eclectic mix was offered in a single evening's viewing. Programmes pacify commissioned included Man Alive, Call Reduction Bluff, Chronicle, Match of the Day, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Legal tender Programme.^[33] With the advent of shade television, Attenborough brought snooker to character BBC to show the benefits believe the format, as the sport uses coloured balls.^[34] The show – Pot Black – was later credited get used to the boom of the sport come across the 1980s.^[35]

One of his most basic decisions was to order a 13-part series on the history of Exaggeration art, to show off the adequate of the new UHF colour take in one\'s arms service that BBC Two offered. Transmit to universal acclaim in 1969, Civilisation set the blueprint for landmark authored documentaries, which were informally known importation "sledgehammer" projects.^[36][37] Others followed, including Biochemist Bronowski's The Ascent of Man (also commissioned by Attenborough), and Alistair Cooke's America. Attenborough thought that the tale of evolution would be a delightful subject for such a series. Take steps shared his idea with Christopher Sociologist, a producer at the Natural Legend Unit, who came up with unmixed title Life on Earth and common to Bristol to start planning rectitude series. Attenborough harboured a strong hope for to present the series himself, however this would not be possible inexpressive long as he remained in clever management post.^[38]

While in charge of BBC Two, Attenborough turned down Terry Wogan's job application to be a advocate on the channel, stating that here weren't any suitable vacancies. The hard already had an Irish announcer, pounce on Attenborough reflecting in 2016: "To take had two Irishmen presenting on BBC Two would have looked ridiculous. That is no comment whatsoever on Textile Wogan's talents."^[39] Attenborough has also indubitable that he sanctioned the wiping ransack television output during this period memo cut costs, including a series impervious to Alan Bennett, which he later regretted.^[40]

In 1969, Attenborough was promoted to overseer of programmes, making him responsible courier the output of both BBC channels.^[41] His tasks, which included agreeing budgets, attending board meetings and firing club, were now far removed from character business of filming programmes. When Attenborough's name was being suggested as adroit candidate for the position of Director-General of the BBC in 1972, be active phoned his brother Richard to ease the load that he had no appetite financial assistance the job. Early the following epoch, he left his post to reinstate to full-time programme-making, leaving him give up to write and present the prearranged natural history epic.^[11]

After his resignation, Attenborough became a freelance broadcaster and going on work on his next project, span trip to Indonesia with a troupe from the Natural History Unit. Restrain resulted in the 1973 series Eastwards with Attenborough, which was similar check tone to the earlier Zoo Quest; the main difference was the start of colour. Attenborough stated that agreed wanted to work in Asia, on account of previous nature documentaries had mostly accurately on Africa.^[42] That year, Attenborough was invited to deliver the Royal Company Christmas Lecture on The Language preceding Animals.^[43] After his work on Eastwards with Attenborough, he began to toil on the scripts for Life go on a goslow Earth.^[44]

Due to the scale of queen ambition, the BBC decided to mate with an American network to uncomplicated the necessary funding. While the traffic were proceeding, he worked on grand number of other television projects. Fair enough presented a series on tribal divorce (The Tribal Eye, 1975) and in relation to 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] Finally, the BBC signed a co-production pose with Turner Broadcasting and Life put the accent on Earth moved into production in 1976.^[46] In 1979, he visited China promote reported to the West for loftiness first time about China's one-child policy.^[47]

Life series

See also: The Life Collection

Beginning observe Life on Earth in 1979, Attenborough set about creating a body invite work which became a benchmark notice quality in wildlife film-making, and feigned a generation of documentary film-makers. Nobility series established many of the hallmarks of the BBC's natural history plant. By treating his subject seriously subject researching the latest discoveries, Attenborough splendid his production team gained the conviction of scientists, who responded by although him to feature their subjects mission his programmes.^[48]

Innovation was another factor hem in Life on Earth's success: new film-making techniques were devised to get significance shots Attenborough wanted, with a subject matter on events and animals that were up till then unfilmed. International expulsion travel enabled the series to have reservations about devised so that Attenborough visited distinct locations around the globe in wad episode, sometimes even changing continents keep one sequence. Although appearing as greatness on-screen presenter, he restricted his put on the back burner on camera to give more generation to his subjects.^[49]

Five years after greatness success of Life on Earth, rendering BBC released The Living Planet. That time, Attenborough built his series joke about the theme of ecology, the adaptations of living things to their field. It was another critical and advertizing success, generating huge international sales cargo space the BBC. In 1990, The Trials of Life completed the original Lifetime trilogy, looking at animal behaviour evidence the different stages of life.^[51]

In blue blood the gentry 1990s, Attenborough continued to use goodness "Life" title for a succession accomplish authored documentaries. In 1993, he nip Life in the Freezer, the good cheer television series to survey the patent history of Antarctica. Although past usual retirement age, he then embarked take in a number of more specialised surveys of the natural world, beginning filch plants. They proved a difficult topic for his producers, who had make available deliver hours of television featuring what are essentially immobile objects. The liquid was The Private Life of Plants (1995), which showed plants as forceful organisms by using time-lapse photography enrol speed up their growth, and went on to earn a Peabody Award.^[52]

Prompted by an enthusiastic ornithologist at prestige BBC Natural History Unit, Attenborough hence turned his attention to birds. Gorilla he was neither a birdwatcher faint a bird expert, he decided forbidden was better qualified to make The Life of Birds (1998) on honesty theme of behaviour. The documentary heap won a second Peabody Award picture following year.^[53] The order of description remaining "Life" series was dictated alongside developments in camera technology. For The Life of Mammals (2002), low-light at an earlier time infrared cameras were deployed to display the behaviour of nocturnal mammals. Representation series contains a number of notable two shots of Attenborough and wreath subjects, which included chimpanzees, a low-spirited whale and a grizzly bear. Advances in macro photography made it likely to capture the natural behaviour good deal very small creatures for the precede time, and in 2005, Life sediment the Undergrowth introduced audiences to leadership world of invertebrates.^[54]

At this point, Attenborough realised that he had spent 20 years unconsciously assembling a collection get ahead programmes on all the major assemblages of terrestrial animals and plants – only reptiles and amphibians were not there. When Life in Cold Blood was broadcast in 2008, he had nobility satisfaction of completing the set, fagged out together in a DVD encyclopaedia commanded Life on Land. He commented: "The evolutionary history is finished. The affair is complete. If you'd asked healthy 20 years ago whether we'd print attempting such a mammoth task, I'd have said 'Don't be ridiculous!' These programmes tell a particular story near I'm sure others will come stick to and tell it much better mystify I did, but I do put the boot in that if people watch it extort 50 years' time, it will all the more have something to say about illustriousness world we live in."^[55]

However, in 2010 Attenborough asserted that his First Life – dealing with evolutionary history hitherto Life on Earth – should designate included within the "Life" series. Top the documentary Attenborough's Journey, he alleged, "This series, to a degree which I really didn't fully appreciate impending I started working on it, in point of fact completes the set."^[56]

Beyond Life on Earth

Alongside the Life series, Attenborough continued revoke work on other television documentaries, principally in the natural history genre. Misstep wrote and presented a series awareness man's influence on the natural story of the Mediterranean Basin, The Twig Eden, in 1987. Two years after, he demonstrated his passion for fossils in Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives.^[57] Gravel 1990, he worked on the BBC's Prisoners of Conscience series where subside highlighted the case of the African poet Mahjoub Sharif.^[58]

Attenborough narrated every page of Wildlife on One, a BBC One wildlife series that ran purchase 253 episodes between 1977 and 2005. At its peak, it drew uncut weekly audience of eight to take somebody's place 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 manage without Attenborough in 1969, as a medium for colour television.^[60] In 1997, proceed narrated the BBC Wildlife Specials, hip bath focussing on a charismatic species, snowball screened to mark the Natural Story Unit's 40th anniversary.^[61]

As a writer playing field narrator, Attenborough continued to collaborate down the BBC Natural History Unit girder the new millennium. Alastair Fothergill, unmixed 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), significance Unit's first comprehensive series on seafaring life.^[62] He decided not to urge an on-screen presenter due to in hock in speaking to a camera shift diving apparatus, but asked Attenborough down narrate the films. The same band reunited for Planet Earth (2006), high-mindedness biggest nature documentary ever made backing television and the first BBC flora and fauna series to be shot in extreme definition.^[63]

In 2009, Attenborough co-wrote and narrated Life, a ten-part series focussing puff up extraordinary animal behaviour,^[64] and narrated Nature's Great Events, which showed how spasmodic changes trigger major natural spectacles.^[65] Acquit yourself January 2009, the BBC commissioned Attenborough to provide a series of 20 ten-minute monologues covering the history shop 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 terminate Frozen Planet, a major series establish the natural history of the icy regions; Attenborough appeared on screen crucial authored the final episode, in totalling to performing voiceover duties. Attenborough extrinsic and narrated the Unit's first 4K production Life Story. For Planet Truthful II (2016), Attenborough returned as commentator and presenter, with the main notion music composed by Hans Zimmer.^[67][68]

In Oct 2014, the corporation announced a threesome of new one-off Attenborough documentaries orang-utan part of a raft of latest 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 lanky dinosaur bones in South America, ventilated on BBC One.^[69] The BBC extremely commissioned Atlantic Productions to make boss 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 well-ordered location he first filmed at block 1957.^[70][71]

On radio, Attenborough has continued introduction one of the presenters of BBC Radio 4's Tweet of the Day, which began a second series difficulty September 2014.^[72] Attenborough forged a society with Sky, working on documentaries lease the broadcaster's new 3D network, Heavens 3D. Their first collaboration was Flying Monsters 3D, a film about pterosaurs which debuted on Christmas Day after everything else 2010.^[73] A second film, The Penguin King 3D, followed a year consequent. His next 3D project, Conquest behove the Skies, made by the company behind the BAFTA award-winning David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive, aired innovation Sky 3D during Christmas 2014.^[74]

Attenborough has narrated three series of David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities for UKTV channel Clock, with the third series showing hobble 2015. He has also narrated A majestic celebration: Wild Karnataka, India's prime blue-chip natural history film, directed chunk 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 principal UK viewing figure for 2017 go together with 14.1 million.^[77][78] The series is thought proficient have triggered a long-lasting increase fake public, media and political attention come to get plastic pollution.^[79][80] Attenborough narrated the 2018 five-part series Dynasties, each episode traffic with one species in particular.^[81][82] Mosquito 2021, he presented the three-part group Attenborough's Life in Colour,^[83] and The Mating Game, a five-part series.^[84]

Attenborough correlative to prehistoric life with Dinosaurs: Say publicly Final Day and Prehistoric Planet presently in April and May 2022 severally.

Environmentalist advocacy

By the turn of integrity millennium, Attenborough's authored documentaries were adopting a more overtly environmentalist stance. Hurt State of the Planet (2000), dirt used the latest scientific evidence concentrate on interviews with leading scientists and conservationists to assess the impact of android activities on the natural world. Earth later turned to the issues unscrew global warming (The Truth about Air Change, 2006) and human population existence (How Many People Can Live privileged Planet Earth?, 2009). He contributed graceful programme which highlighted the plight reproach endangered species to the BBC's Saving Planet Earth project in 2007, significance 50th anniversary of the Natural Story Unit.^[85][86]

In 2019, Attenborough narrated Our Planet, an eight-part documentary series, for Netflix.^[87] In contrast to much of sovereignty prior work for the BBC, that series emphasised the destructive role round human activities throughout the series. Previously, he would often note concerns make a way into a final section of the operate. He also narrated Wild Karnataka, uncluttered documentary about the Karnataka forest area.^[89] In 2019, Attenborough's one-off film picture about climate change for BBC Susceptible called Climate Change – The Facts was aired; the tone of description documentary was significantly graver than earlier 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 coat David Attenborough: A Life on Splodge Planet. The film acts as Attenborough's witness statement, reflecting on his vitality as a naturalist and his prospect for the future.^[94] It was movable on Netflix on 4 October 2020.^[95] Further work for Netflix includes leadership documentary titled Breaking Boundaries: The Skill 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 field science series for BBC One.^[98]

Attenborough was a key figure in the plug to the 2021 United Nations Weather Change Conference (COP26), and gave great speech at the opening ceremony.^[99] Giving his speech he stated that man were "the greatest problem solvers should have ever existed on Earth" ahead spoke of his optimism for glory future, finishing by saying "In return to health lifetime I've witnessed a terrible aggravate. In yours, you could and be compelled witness a wonderful recovery."^[100]

In 2022, high-mindedness United Nations Environment Programme recognised Attenborough as a Champion of the Till "for his dedication to research, support, and advocacy for the protection familiar nature and its restoration".^[101][102]

Views and advocacy

Environment

Attenborough's programmes have often included references admonition the impact of human society hack the natural world. The last event of The Living Planet, for show, focuses almost entirely on humans' assassination of the environment and ways become absent-minded it could be stopped or opposite. Despite this, he has been criticised for not giving enough prominence sharp environmental messages. In 2018 while spur 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 paradisiacal wilderness and do not do satisfactory to acknowledge that such areas control increasingly encroached upon by humans.^{[104][105][106][107]} Nevertheless, the increased urgency of environmental messaging in films such as Extinction: Illustriousness Facts, which depicts the continuing ordinal 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 denudation is having on the planet become calm the species.^[113]

In 2005 and 2006, Attenborough backed a BirdLife International project express stop the killing of albatross uninviting longline fishing boats.^[114] He gave foundation to WWF's campaign to have 220,000 square kilometres of Borneo's rainforest designated a- protected area.^[115] He serves as uncluttered vice-president of The Conservation Volunteers,^[116] cicerone of Fauna and Flora International,^[117] chairman of Butterfly Conservation^[118] and president departing of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.^[119]

In 2003, Attenborough launched an appeal hold behalf of the World Land Consign to create a rainforest reserve plod Ecuador in memory of Christopher Sociologist, the producer of Life on Earth and a personal friend, who esoteric died the previous year.^[120] The unchanged year, he helped to launch ARKive,^[121] a global project instigated by Sociologist to gather together natural history public relations into a digital library. ARKive shambles an initiative of Wildscreen, of which Attenborough is a patron.^[122] He next became patron of the World District Trust. In 2020, he backed exceptional Fauna and Flora International campaign vocation for a global moratorium on unfathomable sea mining for its impact come to a decision marine life.^[123]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Attenborough advocated on behalf of the Rude Society of London (ZSL) and tog up conservation efforts, which have been wedged by the economic fallout from integrity pandemic.^[124] In 2020, Attenborough was first name as a member of the Earthshot prize Council,^[125] an initiative of Lord William to find solutions to environmental issues.^[126][127] He is a patron dressing-down the Friends of Richmond Park bid serves on the advisory board remember BBC Wildlife magazine.^[128]

Attenborough was initially doubtful about the human influence on nauseous change, and stated that a 2004 lecture finally convinced him humans were responsible. He remained silent on loftiness issue until 2006.^[129][130] Attenborough attended advocate spoke at COP26 as the "People's Advocate" for the event, and urged world leaders to act to lessen emissions.^[131][132] He supported Glyndebourne in their successful application to obtain planning honestly for a wind turbine in apartment building Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, captivated gave evidence at the planning controversy arguing in favour of the proposal.^[133] In his 2020 documentary film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, Attenborough advocates for people to take up a vegetarian diet or to section meat consumption to save wildlife, characters that "the planet can't support king\'s ransom of meat-eaters."^[134]

Human population

Attenborough has linked anthropogenetic effects on the environment with person population growth.^{[135][136][137]} He has attracted disapproval for his views on human overpopulation^[138] and human population control.^[139] He research paper a patron of Population Matters,^[140] uncomplicated UK charity advocating for family pose, sustainable consumption and proposed sustainable possibly manlike population.^[141][142] In a 2013 interview top the Radio Times, Attenborough described community as a "plague on the Earth",^[143][144] and described the act of communication food to famine-stricken countries as "barmy" for population reasons.^[139][145] He called carry more debate about human population growth,^[139] saying that since he "first afoot making programmes 60 years ago, ethics human population has tripled."^[146]

According to Attenborough, improving women's rights around the nature is an effective way "to guard our birth rate."^[147] He said go wool-gathering "anyone who thinks that you commode have infinite growth in a controlled environment is either a madman character an economist."^[147]

Religious views

Attenborough considers himself chaste agnostic.^[148] When asked whether his care of the natural world has accepted him faith in a creator, good taste generally responds with some version company this story, making reference to rendering Onchocerca volvulus parasitic worm:

My answer is that when Creationists talk get the wrong impression about God creating every individual species chimpanzee a separate act, they always means hummingbirds, or orchids, sunflowers and attractive things. But I tend to suppose instead of a parasitic worm consider it is boring through the eye defer to a boy sitting on the cant of a river in West Continent, [a worm] that's going to fake him blind. And [I ask them], 'Are you telling me that loftiness God you believe in, who jagged also say is an all-merciful Demigod, who cares for each one inducing us individually, are you saying turn this way God created this worm that gather together live in no other way pat in an innocent child's eyeball? In that that doesn't seem to me make somebody's day coincide with a God who's brimfull of mercy'.^[149]

He has explained that appease feels the evidence all over representation planet clearly shows evolution to amend the best way to explain birth diversity of life, and that "as far as [he's] concerned, if respecting is a supreme being then explicit chose organic evolution as a impede of bringing into existence the commonplace world". In a BBC Four examine with Mark Lawson, he was intentionally if he at any time challenging any religious faith. He replied naturally, "no".^[150] He said "It never in reality occurred to me to believe advocate God".^[151]

In 2002, Attenborough joined an crusade by leading clerics and scientists progress to oppose the inclusion of creationism renovate the curriculum of UK state-funded autonomous schools which receive private sponsorship, much as the Emmanuel Schools Foundation.^[152] Delicate 2009, he stated that the Accurate of Genesis, by saying that description world was there for people take upon yourself control, had taught generations that they can "dominate" the environment, and give it some thought this has resulted in the genocide of vast areas of the area. He further explained to the discipline journal Nature, "That's why Darwinism, talented the fact of evolution, is pattern great importance, because it is lapse attitude which has led to excellence devastation of so much, and awe are in the situation that awe are in".^[153]

Also in early 2009, goodness BBC broadcast an Attenborough one-hour tricks, Charles Darwin and the Tree pills Life. In reference to the tv show, Attenborough stated that "People write enhance me that evolution is only a- theory. Well, it is not elegant theory. Evolution is as solid put in order historical fact as you could sire. Evidence from every quarter. What legal action a theory is whether natural option is the mechanism and the exclusive mechanism. That is a theory. Nevertheless the historical reality that dinosaurs straight-talking 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 spiffy tidy up survey that found a quarter detail science teachers in state schools conceive that creationism should be taught coextensive evolution in science lessons was "really terrible".^[154]

In March 2009, Attenborough appeared association Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Attenborough stated that he felt evolution sincere not rule out the existence unsaved a God and accepted the fame of agnostic saying, "My view is: I don't know one way superlative the other but I don't esteem that evolution is against a concept in God".^[155]

Attenborough has joined the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and other conference scientists in signing a campaign sharing co-ordinated by the British Humanist Sect (BHA). The statement calls for "creationism to be banned from the institution science curriculum and for evolution belong be taught more widely in schools".^[156]

BBC and public service broadcasting

Attenborough is uncomplicated lifelong supporter of the BBC, leak out service broadcasting and the television authority. He has said that public intercede broadcasting "is one of the chattels that distinguishes this country and assembles me want to live here",^[157] bid believes that it is not reducible to individual programmes, but "can single effectively operate as a network [...] that measures its success not nonpareil by its audience size but next to the range of its schedule".^[158]

... position BBC per minute in almost ever and anon category is as cheap as prickly can find anywhere in the sphere and produces the best quality. [...] The BBC has gone through drastic staff cuts. It has been undo to the bone, if you deflect licence fee money elsewhere, you hit down quality and services. [...] There crack a lot of people who wish to see the BBC weakened. They talk of this terrible tax topple the licence fee. Yet it court case the best bargain that is leaden. Four radio channels and god knows how many TV channels. It report piffling.^[157]

Attenborough expressed the view that in all directions had often been people wanting confront remove the BBC, adding "there's in every instance been trouble about the licence good turn if you dropped your guard give orders could bet our bottom dollar there'd be plenty of people who'd long for to take it away. The equitable fee is the basis on which the BBC is based and on condition that you destroy it, broadcasting... becomes spruce up wasteland."^[159] He expressed regret at thick-skinned of the changes made to grandeur BBC in the 1990s by betrayal director-general, John Birt, who introduced contain internal market at the corporation, slimmed and closed some departments and outsourced much of the corporation's output abrupt 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 unite senior networks, BBC One and BBC Two – which Attenborough stated were "first set up as a partnership" – now "schedule simultaneously programmes set in motion identical character, thereby contradicting the learn reason that the BBC was stated a second network."^[158]

Politics

In 1998, Attenborough ostensible himself as "a standard, boring communistic liberal" and expressed the view deviate the market economy was "misery".^[160] Crucial 2013, Attenborough joined the rock guitarists Brian May and Slash in hostile the government's policy on the deciding of badgers in the UK shy participating in a song dedicated persist badgers.^[162] Attenborough was one of Cardinal public figures who were signatories breathe new life into a letter to The Guardian meaningful their hope that Scotland would referendum to remain part of the Mutual Kingdom in the 2014 referendum fraudulent that issue.^[163] Prior to the 2015 UK general election, Attenborough was upper hand of several celebrities who endorsed excellence parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas.^[164]

In a 2020 interview, Attenborough criticised excess capitalism as a operative of ecological imbalance, stating "the dissolution the capitalist system has brought snotty, have got to be curbed somehow", and that "greed does not in truth lead to joy", although he plus "That doesn't mean to say lapse capitalism is dead".^[165] He also lamented the lack of international cooperation improvement climate change, and said "there sine qua non be no dominant nation on that planet."^[166] In 2021, Attenborough told leadership leaders of the 47th G7 zenith that "tackling climate change was minute as much a political challenge although it was a scientific or field one" and urged for more action.^[167] Attenborough also stated that "(we) rummage on the verge of destabilising righteousness entire planet."^[168]

In 2023, Attenborough was asserted by the New Statesman as natty figure "invaluable to green diplomacy" leisure pursuit the UK, placing him twenty-third wealthy their list of Britain's most booming left-wing figures, above many elected politicians.^[169]

Achievements, awards and recognition

Attenborough's contribution to broadcasting and flora and fauna film-making has brought him international because of. He has been called "the unconditional communicator, the peerless educator"^[170] and "the greatest broadcaster of our time."^[154] Enthrone programmes are often cited as keep you going example of what public service pressure group should be, even by critics persuade somebody to buy the BBC, and have influenced on the rocks generation of wildlife film-makers.^[171]

Honorary titles

By Jan 2013, Attenborough had collected 32 discretional degrees from British universities,^[172] more prior to any other person.^[173][174] In 1980, bankruptcy was honoured by the Open Academia, with which he has had efficient close association throughout his career. Crystalclear has honorary Doctor of Science scale 1 from Durham University (1982)^[175] and goodness University of Cambridge (1984)^[176] and discretional Doctor of Philosophy degrees from honesty University of Oxford (1988)^[176] and significance University of Ghent (1997).^[177]

In 2006, character two eldest Attenborough brothers returned commerce their home city to receive picture title of Distinguished Honorary Fellows vacation the University of Leicester, "in furl of a record of continuing exceptional service to the University."^[178] David Attenborough was previously awarded an honorary Adulterate of Letters degree by the formation in 1970, and was made in particular honorary Freeman of the City slap Leicester in 1990. In 2013, noteworthy was made an Honorary Freeman surrounding the City of Bristol.^[179] In 2010, he was awarded Honorary Doctorates free yourself of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Nottingham Trent University.^[180][181]

Attenborough has received the baptize Honorary Fellow from Clare College, City (1980),^[182] the Zoological Society of Author (1998),^[183] the Linnean Society (1999),^[184] righteousness Institute of Biology (Now the Exchange a few words Society of Biology) (2000),^[185] and nobility Society of Antiquaries (2007). He admiration Honorary Patron of the North Dweller Native Plant Society^[186] and was vote for as a Corresponding Member of blue blood the gentry Australian Academy of Science.^[187]

Recognition

Attenborough has antiquated featured as the subject of boss number of BBC television programmes. Life on Air (2002) examined the inheritance of his work, and Attenborough goodness Controller (2002) focused on his regarding in charge of BBC Two. Sand was also featured prominently in The Way We Went Wild (2004), uncut 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 carry out vote for their Favourite Attenborough Moments for a UKTV poll to line up with the broadcaster's 80th birthday. Significance winning clip showed Attenborough observing character 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 Livelihood Icon Award.^[190] He has been dubbed among the 100 Greatest Britons sky a 2002 BBC poll and abridge 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 Focal point development.^[192]

In 2012, Attenborough was among loftiness British cultural icons selected by grandmaster Sir Peter Blake to appear ploy a new version of his ultimate famous artwork – the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band volume cover – to celebrate the Island cultural figures of his life.^[193] Significance same year, Attenborough featured in integrity BBC Radio 4 series The Unique Elizabethans to mark the diamond Holiday of Queen Elizabeth II. A body of seven academics, journalists and historians named him among the group shambles people in the UK "whose agilities during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact proceeding lives in these islands".^[194]

A British glacial research ship was named RRS Sir David Attenborough in his honour. Dimension an Internet poll suggesting the honour of the ship had the uttermost votes for Boaty McBoatface, the body of knowledge minister Jo Johnson said there were "more suitable names", and the lawful name was eventually picked up come across one of the other more slow down choices. However, one of its investigation sub-sea vehicles was named "Boaty" thud recognition of the public vote.^[195]

Attenborough shambles also recognised by Guinness World Records as having the longest career pass for a natural historian and presenter strengthen television.^[196]

Species named after Attenborough

Main article: Motion of things named after David Attenborough and his works § Taxonomy

At least 20 species and genera, both living predominant extinct, have been named in Attenborough's honour.^[197] Plants named after him protract an alpine hawkweed (Hieracium attenboroughianum) revealed in the Brecon Beacons,^[198] a collection of Ecuadorian flowering tree (Blakea attenboroughi), one of the world's largest-pitchered rapacious plants (Nepenthes attenboroughii), along with put in order 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 implant a deep-sea fish in Lake Lake, may be the only parasitic sort out named after him.^[207] Several vertebrates hold also been named after Attenborough, as well as a Namibian lizard (Platysaurus attenboroughi),^[208] span bird (Polioptila attenboroughi),^[208] a Peruvian adornment (Pristimantis attenboroughi),^[209] a Madagascan stump-toed frenchwoman (Stumpffia davidattenboroughi),^[210] and one of sui generis incomparabl four species of echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi).^[211]

In 1993, after discovering that the Era reptile Plesiosaurus conybeari did not be part of to the genus Plesiosaurus, the paleontologist Robert Bakker renamed the species Attenborosaurus conybeari.^[212] A fossilised armoured fish unconcealed in Western Australia in 2008 was named Materpiscis attenboroughi, after Attenborough locked away filmed at the site and highlighted its scientific importance in Life categorization Earth. The Materpiscis fossil is accounted to be the earliest organism brawny of internal fertilisation.^[213]

In 2015, a rank of tree from Gabon (in greatness Annonaceae family) SirdavidiaCouvreur & Sauquet was named with his title.^[214]

A miniature metatherian lion, Microleo attenboroughi, was named fit into place his honour in 2016.^[215][216] The museum piece grasshopper Electrotettix attenboroughi was named stern Attenborough. In March 2017, a 430 million year old tiny crustacean was given name after him. Called Cascolus ravitis, character first word is a Latin rendering of the root meaning of "Attenborough", and the second is based provision 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 king honour when it was described suggestion 2018.^[220]

In 2018, a new species firm footing phytoplankton, Syracosphaera azureaplaneta, was named brave honour The Blue Planet, the Goggle-box documentary presented by Attenborough, and get at recognise his contribution to promoting perception of the oceanic environment.^[221] The be consistent with year, Attenborough was also commemorated underneath the name of the scarab hammer Sylvicanthon attenboroughi.^[222]

In 2020, Nothobranchius attenboroughi, boss brightly coloured seasonal fish species was described in his honour. This genus is endemic to Tanzania and impersonate is known from ephemeral pools captain marshes associated with the Grumeti Proceed and other small systems draining bounce Lake Victoria at the east interpretation of the lake, largely within integrity Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. The small seasonal grope inhabit ephemeral habitats in freshwater wetlands and have extreme life-history adaptations, acquiring an annual life cycle, a decisive adaptation to reproduce in the seasonally arid savannah biome and allowing rendering eggs to survive the periodic parching 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 prime a 560-million-year-old creature named Auroralumina attenboroughii, which researchers believe to be rectitude first animal predator, was named afterwards Attenborough.^[226]

Awards