David Attenborough marks his 100th birthday on Friday, with BBC producers and colleagues who have worked alongside him for decades saying there is simply no one quite like him, the BBC reports.
Executive producer Mike Gunton, who has collaborated with Attenborough since the late 1980s at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, said his energy has remained unchanged across decades of landmark productions. “I think that is his secret superpower. That sort of intellectual energy and physical energy is remarkable,” Gunton said.
Gunton first worked with Attenborough on Trials of Life, when Attenborough was in his 60s and Gunton in his 20s. He said that working with Attenborough guaranteed success. “If you get to work with him, you know you’re going to be working on a winner.”
Even into his 90s, Attenborough’s enthusiasm for the natural world has not faded. Gunton recalled accompanying him on a filming trip to Finland at the age of 96, when temperatures dropped to -3C. “We were all in the full gear and everything. And I said, ‘just take it easy’. Next thing you find, he’s out there with the sound recorders, picking up the bags. And I said, ‘no, stop’. But that is him — he loves to be part of the team,” Gunton said.
Elizabeth White, who worked with Attenborough on Blue Planet II in Bristol, described him as a phenomenal writer and narrator. “When he reads that script out for the final commentary record, it takes on its own unique Attenborough specialness. There’s nobody quite like him. The way he reads, the way he writes, it’s just incredible,” she said.
White first encountered Attenborough during the original Blue Planet series, when she was a PhD student on work experience. Despite being, in her own words, “the least important person in the room,” Attenborough approached her and showed genuine interest in her studies. “That really stuck with me. You know, he didn’t need to ask, but he did,” she said.
Attenborough has also become known for raising awareness about environmental issues. His warning about plastic pollution in the oceans sparked widespread public reaction, including a social media campaign under the slogan Do It for David. White said he has remained characteristically modest throughout, always crediting the production team rather than himself.
Gunton said those who ask what Attenborough is like behind the scenes receive a straightforward answer. “He is the perfect gentleman, the perfect companion. He’s funny, he’s kind, entertaining. He is just like you would hope he would be.”
The landmark series Attenborough works on typically take three or four years to complete, with his involvement extending well beyond narration.
On the eve of his 100th birthday on 8 May, Sir David Attenborough shared a message for us all:
“I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas. I’ve been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings from preschool groups to care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages.
“I simply can’t reply to each of you all separately, but I would like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages, and wish those of you who have planned your own local events tomorrow, have a very happy day.”
