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Who is David Attenborough?
David Attenborough was born in 1926 in London, England. He is best known as a naturalist and a media personality. He is also famous for writing and presenting programs that have inspired the modern format of nature documentaries.
Attenborough grew up in Leicester, England. His father was a principal of the local university. He had an older brother, Richard Attenborough, who later became a successful actor and a film producer. From a young age, David developed a strong interest in natural history. David completed his education at Clare College, Cambridge, and began to work at an educational publishing house in 1949.
After completing an educational training program at BBC (British Broadcasting Company), he applied for a radio presenting position at the BBC. However, David was offered a producer position with a factual broadcasting unit within the emerging BBC television network.
After becoming a television producer at the BBC in 1954, he originated “Zoo Quest” television series. It is a show about discovering exotic new animals in their habitat and bringing them back to the London Zoo.
The strong desire of David Attenborough to present animals in their natural state and environment established a trend in early television programming, which even countries up to this day.
After about 1- a year later, Attenborough resigned from the hosting show to study social anthropology. In 1965 he returned to the broadcasting company as the controller of the new BBC Two. He then commissioned a set of diverse programs, including comedies like Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Chronicle.
Time passed, and in about 1969, he chose to leave the BBC and focus on making documentaries about Earth, plants, and animals.
Documentaries of David Attenborough
David Attenborough has produced, written, and presented over one hundred documentaries in his entire lifetime. Following are some outstanding examples of them,
Life On Earth – It has taken three years to finish this documentary. After its release in 1979, researchers highly regarded it for reflecting strong respect for science and was appreciated by the audience for its cinematic storytelling.
The Private Life of Plants – This documentary was released in 1995. It had size episodes that showcased the life cycles of various plants worldwide. Soon it stood out for its clever use of slow-motion photography, which allowed viewers to witness gradual changes.
Planet Earth – Planet Earth was the BBC’s most expensive nature documentary. It was released in high definition in 2006. Actress Sigourney Weaver also had a role in this documentary.
What made David Attenborough famous?
After resigning from BBC, David started to write and produce television series on a freelance basis. He was able to write award-winning television programs on anthropology and natural history. Following are some award-winning television programs written by David Attenborough,
1.Life series: Life on Earth(1979)
2.The Living Planet (1984)
3.The Trails of Life (1990)
4.Life in the Freezer (1993)
5.The Life of Birds (1998)
6.The Life of Mammals (2002-03)
7.Life in the Undergrowth (2005)
8.Life in Cold Blood (2008)
The award-winning television programs of David Attenborough made him famous worldwide.
Astonishing ways that David Attenborough has shaped our world
1954 – Wildlife for the masses
As mentioned above, Zoo Quest was founded in 1954. It combined live studio presentation footage shot on location for the first time. Zoo Quest brought rare animals, including Chimpanzees, pythons, and birds of paradise, into viewers’ rooms.
1965 – Civilisation – in color!
Colour television was one of David Attenborough’s most outstanding achievements. As a controller of BBC Two, David commissioned the series Civilisation, written and presented by art historian Kenneth Clark in color TV. These landmark series helped the development of a new kind of television documentary.
1969 – Monty Python’s Flying Circus
This show was a global phenomenon at the time it was released. The show was made of stars like John Cleese, Micheal Palin, Terry HOnes, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, and Terry Gilliam. Python even became a part of the nation’s cultural DNA after the show.
2001 – Your first glimpse
If it weren’t for this show, the world would have never seen some of its rarest creatures. The series introduced millions of deep-sea wonders and was the first time of some species, including the hairy angles fish and the Dumbo octopus.
Pushing boundaries
After introducing color Television bacon in the 20th century, Sir David has always been at the forefront of pioneering 3d television. In 2015, he dived 1000ft off the Australian coast to film the Great Barrier Reef. It also breaks the record for the deepest ever dives on the reef. He has recently collaborated with the Natural History Museum on a virtual reality project. He is also filming his next BBC series – Planet Earth II in Ultra HD.
Awards held by David Attenborough
There are a lot of awards held by David Attenborough. Following are some most valuable awards held by him.
- 2020 Emmy-Outstanding Narrator: Winner
- 2017 BAFTA Television Awards-Best Specialist Factual: Winner
- 2017 BAFTA Television Awards-Best Specialist Factual: Winner
- 2014 BAFTA Television Awards-Best Specialist Factual: Winner
- 1996 Emmy-Outstanding Informational Series: Nominated
- 1985 Emmy-Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming – Writing: Nominated
David Attenborough’s net worth
After all the documentaries and television programs he has done, It is estimated that David Attenborough has a net worth of about $35 million as of 2022.
5 most Interesting facts about David Attenborough
- There are about 18 plants and animals named after him.
David Attenborough was a deity in the naturalist world. Dozens of flora and fauna are named after him. Some examples are flightless weevil, an extinct pygmy locust, a tiny goblin spider, and a wildflower.
- He has gifted the world televised snooker.
David Attenborough was not only limited to the natural world. David was responsible for introducing snooker coverage to the telly in the mid-1960s. As the controller of BBC, David made it his mission to bring color to the UK’s TV sets by pioneering the broadcast of snooker to showcase the advantages of color television.
- He has 32 university degrees.
Attenborough holds an incredible 32 honorary degrees from universities all over the United Kingdom. His degrees were awarded to him by Universities like Oxford, Durham, Cambridge, and Queens.
- He has been to the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef.
As mentioned above, David went on a 1000ft scuba dive below the surface. After he visited the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, he stated,
“The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger. The twin perils brought by climate change –an increase in the ocean’s temperature and acidity – threaten its very existence.”
- He’s still inspiring the world to protect oceans.
After all these years, Sir David Attenborough inspires the world to fight for ocean conservation. We all should be grateful for his service.
“We all need a healthy ocean, so we must change our ways. Together with the proper management, we can repopulate the seas. We can reduce marine pollution and minimize the impact of ocean acidification. The oceans’ power of regeneration is remarkable if we just offer it the chance. It’s not too late.”
David Attenborough’s quotes
Over the years, David Attenborough has taken us on countless journeys to some of the Earth’swildest places and inspired entire generations to take care of the earth.
Following are some of David Attenborough’s most inspiring quotes on nature,
- “It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement, the greatest source of visual beauty, the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”
- “It is that range of biodiversity that we must care for – the whole thing – rather than just one or two stars.”
- “I wish the world were twice as big – and half of it was still unexplored.”
- “It’s surely our responsibility to do everything to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth.”
- “The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are dependent on that world. It provides our food, water, and air. It is the most precious thing we have, and we need to defend it.”
After the vast impact done to the world, David Attenborough was Knighted in 1985. With all the books, documentaries, and services he has provided to us, we can undoubtedly conclude that David Attenborough is a true hero of the world. What do you think about the biography of David Attenborough? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
David Attenborough is the most valuable source of intelligence on the natural world. I have watched every thing I have had the opportunity to see and read. I have several of h is production and never tire of them. Yes, I believe he is deserving of the the Nobel Peace prize and I hope it happens soon. Best of luck to David.