With David Attenborough celebrating his 100th birthday on Friday, we asked people to share their memories of him. Some recalled chance encounters, while others spoke of the abiding influence his programmes have had on them. Here are some of the responses.
‘I should have been watching the orangutans but I spent most of the time staring at Attenborough’
In 2002, I had just finished the first year of my zoology degree at the University of Bristol. Desperate to get some field experience, I joined a six-week project in Borneo. Towards the end of the trip, as a reward for all our hard work, we visited Tanjung Puting national park in the south. We were travelling by boat one day to see some rehabilitated orangutans when our captain suddenly told us we had to stop. There was something blocking the river ahead. We were then told there was a man in a kayak paddling across the river. That “blockage” turned out to be David Attenborough filming a piece to camera for The Life of Mammals.
As a group of enthusiastic zoologists, we could hardly believe what we were seeing. Was that really David Attenborough paddling a tiny wooden kayak just up ahead? His film crew, realising they had a fanclub on their hands, let us stay and watch. The scene involved him delivering the same piece to camera about 10 times, all while controlling the kayak – he was a true professional throughout.
Later that afternoon, we were lucky enough to sit with him and the crew while they filmed rehabilitated orangutans at a feeding platform. I know I should have been watching the orangutans, but I think I spent most of the time staring at David Attenborough, wondering whether I was in a dream.
It was an incredible encounter that I will never forget – meeting one of the world’s greatest naturalists in situ was a true pinch-me moment.
Dr Bonnie Metherell, 42, works at the Knepp Wildland Foundation and lives in West Sussex, UK
‘These programmes took me all around the world’
In the late 70s and early 80s, I was in primary school in communist Poland. Behind the iron curtain, we would watch one of the very few programmes in English available back then: Life on Earth. It was broadcast every Sunday, but at a different time, so you always had to check the schedules in the newspaper.
At the time, we were not allowed to travel outside Poland, so as well as sparking a love of nature, these programmes took me all around the world.
They were voiced over in Polish and, being determined to learn English, I would listen out for Sir David’s voice, not understanding much back then but completely mesmerised by his discoveries. I followed Sir David’s trails of adventures as a teenager and through my adult years, and kept watching his nature programmes religiously. Watching him in his element has always been a moving yet very calming experience for me.
Dorota, early 50s, English teacher, Toruń, Poland
‘Life in the Freezer sparked my environmental awakening’
As a child of about six, I was gifted a VHS copy of Life in the Freezer. But we didn’t have a player at home, so I had to wait for visits to my grandmother’s house to watch it on hers. I adored my grandma, but I was almost just as excited to see Sir David Attenborough and the penguins, seals and other Antarctic creatures on screen each time.
Those moments were my earliest exposure to the wonder and fragility of the natural world beyond my own back yard. I’ve worked in the climate and sustainability sector for most of my adult life and I credit Life in the Freezer with sparking my environmental awakening.
Even now, watching Sir David Attenborough’s shows fills me with the same sense of wonder, joy and urgency to act – such is the enduring power of his life’s work. And whenever I watch it, I think of those special times spent with my grandmother.
Annika, 40, works in the climate and sustainability sector and lives in Melbourne, Australia
‘He gave me a tour of his fossil collection whilst I dried off’
About 40 years ago, I worked as a driver for a courier company. One day, my load included a large wooden crate. When I arrived at the address, it was pouring with rain.
I unloaded the crate, big but not that heavy, and rang the bell, and who should open the door but David Attenborough. I was and still am a big fan, and I think I was briefly speechless with shock. When he saw the crate, he said: “Well, that won’t fit through the door, give me a minute.” He went back inside and returned a short time later wearing a raincoat and carrying a couple of hammers.
We dismantled the crate together. Inside was a huge clay/ceramic pot that he said he’d acquired, I think, in Papua New Guinea. We just about got it into the house, where his wife offered me a cup of tea and he gave me a brief tour of his fossil collection whilst I dried off a bit.
It was such an amazing experience, and to this day I’m still surprised – although I probably shouldn’t be, given his exploits – that he was prepared to come out into the downpour and help a mere delivery driver dismantle his crate and get it into the house.
Steve, 63, operations manager, London, UK
‘I’ll treasure this letter for ever’
From the age of five, I devoured every new David Attenborough programme that came out. They were regular Sunday evening family viewing. My particular favourite was The Blue Planet, taking us into an exuberant world never quite seen before in such colour and exquisite detail. At that age, so inspired by his enduring love and care for our planet, I was determined to become a marine biologist or zoologist.
Although I eventually ended up pursuing a career in town planning, at 19 I decided to write him a letter letting him know how grateful I was for what he had given to the world. Imagine my surprise a few weeks later when I received an eloquently handwritten response from him.
He thanked me for the “very generous” things I said about his programmes, adding that he was “delighted” I thought “so highly of them”, signing off: “Best wishes, David Attenborough.”
The fact that he took the time to sit and handwrite me a personal letter has always stuck with me. I will treasure this letter for ever. It’s carefully hidden away from sunlight to stop the ink fading, but I do have a framed copy that takes pride of place in my living room.
Helen, 33, chartered town planner, Glasgow, UK
‘His programmes awakened my love for the planet’
I was eight years old when I first watched David Attenborough’s nature programmes on the only TV in the entire village, in Chinnasekkadu. Every day, I would walk over four narrow, single-track dirt roads or footpaths, with dense bushes along them, to reach another mud house that had a small black-and-white TV. I would ask them to switch on the TV to watch David Attenborough’s programmes. Sometimes they laughed at me and asked what was the appeal of watching trees and monkeys.
Doordarshan was the only TV channel in India at the time and was a government channel that mainly broadcast national news, agricultural news and election results. But sometimes they aired nature-related programmes as a stopgap arrangement, and these were mainly David Attenborough’s. I fell in love and still love him and his work. His programmes awakened my love for the planet, made me respect every creature, and helped me realise the supremacy of nature.
Dr Dharman Needhi, 53, business consultant, Chennai, India
‘He was sitting at ease in the searing heat’
In June 2012, my husband and I travelled to the Galápagos to experience an immersive adventure with the wildlife endemic to these islands, and, in particular, to see the giant tortoises.
One of the trips was to the Charles Darwin research station in Puerto Ayora, on the island of Santa Cruz. The small group was led to a high platform overlooking the space to see famed Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island giant tortoises. It was a delightful surprise to find a crew filming David Attenborough, sitting at ease in the searing heat. We were all starstruck by this chance encounter with this iconic advocate for our natural world. Too shy to talk to him, we managed to capture a few photos of this amazing man.
Laurie Hamilton, retired art conservator, Nova Scotia, Canada
‘He showed me a kindness and generosity of spirit’
My memory is of a basic kindness shown to me by Sir David when I was about five or six years old. In the mid-1950s, my family lived in Richmond, Surrey. One day I was walking home from a friend’s house and I was somewhat anxious about crossing a rather busy road. Then a slightly built man came alongside me, took my hand and said: “Come on, I’ll help you to cross.” It was David Attenborough. I recognised him as I had seen him in the BBC television series Zoo Quest for a Dragon.
Another reason why his appearance was memorable was that he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of short trousers, which was a somewhat unusual choice of contemporary clothing for men in the 1950s. I remember thinking he looked like a scout master.
Meeting David Attenborough was something quite special. He showed me a kindness and generosity of spirit.
Terence, 75, retired emeritus professor in higher education policy, West Yorkshire, UK