David Attenborough:
The Legend
by Zach Falconer-Barfield
He is probably most famous for writing &
presenting the Life Collection, which spans Life
on Earth (1979) to Life in Cold Blood (2008).
What makes him so special well Fraser McAlpine
from BBC America web pages seemed to say it
best when they described him thus “To British television viewers he is the kind uncle
with a passion for the natural world and the
infinite patience to show you everything. His
serene, whispered tones…being akin to the
greatest teacher you ever had, speaking about
their most passionately-loved topic, for as long as
you want.”
In this Month’s review, in honour of the
Sustainability Issue, we are doing something
different, we are paying tribute to one individual
who has made a plethora of creative content
about the natural world, that man is David
Attenborough. Here in the UK, he is simply put a living legend - and yet he is hardly as well
known around the world, as he should be.
He is charming, loveable, knowledge and
passionate about the Natural World. He is a
Gentleman of the highest order.
David Attenborough is a broadcaster and
naturalist, he has been presenting nature
programmes since the 1950s and is still going
strong at 90, still presenting & narrating
programmes about his passion the natural world.
David is the middle of three brothers; his eldest
brother was the famous actor Richard
Attenborough (a subject of a future Gentleman
Icon piece we are sure). David has always been
interested in the natural world and his brother
remembers David being bowled over by a lecture
by Grey Owl in 1936, which spurred the young
boy on.
His long history with the BBC started in the 1950s
and his first appearance on television was in 1954,
he then started his long and immensely successful
partnership with the BBC Natural History unit.
He has hardly been of our screens for seven
decades.
5 Interesting facts about David Attenborough
1 - He commissioned ‘Monty Python’s Flying
Circus’
2 - He is the only person to have won a BAFTA (UK
Emmys) all TV mediums (Black & White, Colour,
HD & 3D
3 - Has 15 species named after him including a
spider, a shrimp & a dragonfly
4 - He is respected by everyone from Bjork to
Barack Obama, both of whom wanted to meet him.
5 - Apart from the 2 degrees he studied for he has
32 Honorary UK Degrees, more than any other
person.
The Reviews
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