David Attenborough turns 100: A look back on iconic storyteller’s extraordinary life

This Friday, May 8, David Attenborough will celebrate 100 remarkable years on Planet Earth.

Few in history have had the impact of this iconic centenarian.

He’s the man who invented modern nature documentary story-telling, and in a career spanning over 72 years, he’s tirelessly championed the natural world, urging his fellow citizens to protect the environment he’s spent a lifetime observing and capturing through some 100+ films and series.

The man has truly had a remarkable career: he’s championed technical advances and been instrumental in helping to save species.

He’s picked up 30 major broadcasting and environmental awards for his efforts and remains the only person to have ever won BAFTAs (British Academy of Film And Television Arts) across four television eras: black and white, colour, HD, and 3D.

Attenborough is so exceptional, he’s been knighted twice, first by Queen Elizabeth in 1985, then in 2022, when he was afforded the rare title of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) by King Charles.

As he reaches his incredible milestone, the world will be celebrating alongside him.

In the UK, the BBC — the network that gave him his first job way back in 1952 — has scheduled a suite of programming to commemorate his birthday.

They will also be live streaming David Attenborough’s 100 Years On Planet Earth, a celebratory live event from the Royal Albert Hall.

Closer to home, fans can get amongst the excitement too: The ABC, Attenborough’s first home on Aussie TV, have a dedicated section for his series on IView.

Here you can watch David Attenborough’s Celebration, a show that was a year in the making, and which charts him travelling to “parts of the world which have had special meaning to him during his 50 years of broadcasting.”

Throughout May, the ABC will also be showing some of Attenborough’s classic series every Saturday afternoon, including David Attenborough’s Galapagos and David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef, which saw the documentarian return to the reef some 60 years after first visiting in the 1950s.

Over on streaming, Netflix also has a number of his documentaries, including his most recent: Gorilla Story, which dropped only last month, and BritBox will be marking the occasion with 10 of his greatest series, including viewer favourite, The Blue Planet.

They’re all fitting tributes to a man who has had a remarkable impact on the millions who have sat down and watched one of his extraordinary nature programs.

And there are millions of us — his various series, dating right back to the early days of telvision, have always drawn vast audiences.

Way back in 1979, his Life on Earth documentary, which used innovate filming techniques to tell the 4-billion-year story of life, drew huge numbers, remaining to this day one of the most-watched series in history.

Attenborough’s reach is wide, and as nature enthusiast and TV presenter Steve Backshall recently pointed out, he’s inspired generations to embrace the natural world.

“David Attenborough has been like a favourite uncle, always there providing sumptuous stories and an endless insight into the natural world,” he recently told Radio Times.

“While renowned as a great naturalist, his finest ability is as a storyteller — he can hold us spellbound.”

Attenborough’s extraordinary life: a timeline

• 1926 Attenborough is born. He grew up on the campus of University College, Leicester, spending his childhood collecting fossils and stones.

• 1952 Joins the BBC. After a stint in the Royal Navy and in publishing, he joins the National Broadcaster as a trainee producer. Ironically, he didn’t even own a television at the time!

• 1954 First series airs: Zoo Quest saw him step in front of the camera for the first time to present. This series was considered ground-breaking at the time.

• 1965 Becomes the boss: Attenborough becomes Controller of BBC Two. He overhauls the struggling channel, going on to commission legendary shows like Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

• 1973 Returns to film making: Attenborough stepped away from his leadership position to get back out on the road, returning to his first love: film making.

• 1979 Life On Earth airs : His celebrated 13-part epic goes to air. It remains one of the most-watched series in history.

• 1985 Awarded first knighthood: Queen Elizabeth awards him the honour for his services to broadcasting, and he officially becomes Sir David Attenborough.

• 1995 Championing technology: Through The Private Life of Plants, Attenborough showcases ground-breaking time-lapse photography to illustrate the “dramatic and competitive” lives of plants.

• 2001 The Blue Planet airs: This time it was the world’s oceans getting a look-in. He revealed deep-sea creatures never before captured on film.

• 2006 Planet Earth: This was the very first natural history series filmed in high definition — it won multiple TV awards.

• 2017 His environmental advocacy ramps up: The Blue Planet II shone a light on plastic pollution, sparking a global movement to reduce single-use plastics.

• 2020 A Life On Our Planet: Seen as his “witness statement,” this doco (and the accompanying book) called for urgent action to address climate issues.

• 2026 Celebrating a century: The world celebrates Attenborough’s 100 years.