Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough, whose defining career in wildlife film and television continues to have an impact on our sport.
With a career spanning eight decades, it's hard to overstate the impact he and his films have had on the world of conservation and natural history storytelling.
Starting with Zoo Quest in the 1950s and shaping the BBC's future as Controller of BBC Two and then Director of Programmes, he went on to produce the landmark series Life on Earth, broadcast in 1979 and watched by 500 million people worldwide. Follow-ups including The Trials of Life, The Secret Life of Plants, The Life of Birds and The Life of Mammals added to a huge body of groundbreaking work. More recent series including Planet Earth, Life, Nature's Great Events, Frozen Planet, Green Planet, Wild Isles, the just-released Secret Garden and countless others continue to bring the natural world to living rooms around the globe.
It is, of course, Blue Planet that is the one closest to our hearts. Released in 2001, it was one of the most ambitious documentary projects ever undertaken and has undoubtedly had an enormous impact on scuba diving and snorkelling - inspiring people around the world to give the sport a go and see the wonders of the sea with their own eyes. Its sequel went further still: Blue Planet II had a huge impact on marine conservation efforts around the globe, an influence so widely recognised it became known as "the Blue Planet effect". As a diver himself, Attenborough has an extraordinary ability to bring the underwater world closer to all of us.
Mary Tetley, BSASC CEO said:
David Attenborough is one of my heroes - along with so many of us I am sure. I have been so lucky to meet with him twice and actually sit with him and chat. He has huge respect for divers, with many of his underwater wildlife documentaries being filmed by divers who are BSAC members. Happy 100th birthday to you David!
Sir David Attenborough continues to work into his second century of life, inspiring new generations to explore our world, take an interest in nature, and conserve the planet we call home.
And what better way to celebrate than with the BBC's upcoming programming? The 90-minute special David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth airs tonight, 8 May, at 8:30pm. It combines memorable wildlife moments from the BBC's natural history archive with live music drawn from his most iconic series, alongside reflections from public figures and leading voices in conservation and wildlife filmmaking.
Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure is available now on BBC iPlayer - a behind-the-scenes look at this ground-breaking landmark series, featuring exclusive interviews with Attenborough and members of the original crew.
Happy birthday, David, from all of us at BSAC!
