London celebrated the centenary of David Attenborough on Friday, with the highlight being a special BBC evening event at the British capital’s Royal Albert Hall dedicated to the works of the legendary English broadcaster, natural historian and environmentalist. Stars, royals, and collaborators highlighted his work and career during this period David Attenborough 100 years on planet EarthWhich attracted 5,000 people and was broadcast on the BBC with a slight delay.
Sir David himself, royal guests, musicians and other guests such as Prince William, original Monty Python member Michael Palin, Bastille singer Dan Smith, Icelandic band Sigur Rós, singer Sienna Spiro and naturalists Steve Backshall, Liz Boonen, Chris Packham and Anna Dimitriadis, who showed off a thermal imaging camera by spotting Benedict Cumberbatch in the crowd, graced the stage on Attenborough’s actual birthday.
The video greetings shared on Friday evening began with a short royal film starring King Charles III writing his 100th birthday message to Attenborough, which was delivered with the help of various members of the animal kingdom, including a hedgehog who sparked much laughter with his appearance. The short is titled Very special deliveryproduced by the Natural History Unit at BBC Studios. You can watch the short film at the end of this article.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman, composer Hans Zimmer and Paddington Bear added Hollywood star power to the video birthday messages, which also included the likes of documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Glastonbury Festival organizer Emily Eavis, and music stars such as Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Rye, Camila Cabello and Nile. Rodgers.
Palin shared on-stage insights into his long friendship and friendly rivalry with Attenborough and their work as fellow travellers. “David is a more intrepid traveler than me,” he joked. “When I see a swamp, I walk around it.” “David jumps.” Palin was the only Monty Python performer on stage, but she was the second snake of the night after the snake featured in one of the featured videos.
In his tribute, Prince William praised Attenborough for “transforming the way we see our only home, planet Earth,” adding that it also strengthened his personal dedication to protecting nature and the planet. “You have given us faith that positive change is still possible,” the king concluded.
Attenborough had shared a message on the eve of his 100th birthday. He noted: “I thought I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you had other ideas.” “I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the Christmas greetings from the home’s resident care pre-school groups and countless individuals and families of all ages. I simply cannot respond to each of you individually, but I would like to sincerely thank you all for your kind messages and wish those of you who have planned your local events tomorrow, a very happy day.”
Billed as “an unmissable event honoring one of the most influential figures in broadcasting and natural history storytelling”, Friday’s Christmas concert in London featured star power, dramatic wildlife stories and live music, with the BBC Concert Orchestra performing original scores from some of Attenborough’s most famous series.
The night, hosted by Kirsty Young, who has already hosted the party celebrating the legend’s 90th birthday, opened with a standing ovation for Attenborough, who waved to the crowd before sitting next to Prince William.
What followed was a performance by the BBC Concert Orchestra, joined by the Ascension and Flocks Choir, of the theme from Planet Earth IIaccompanied by a video montage celebrating 70 years of Attenborough’s career as a wildlife filmmaker.
Dan Smith, who collaborated with Hans Zimmer on The third planet Earth soundtrack, then took the stage and put smiles on the faces of the audience by performing the pastel song “Pompeii” with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Ascension Choir.
At the end of the evening, the audience watched a clip of Attenborough recording narration for a new series, before the Royal Albert Hall serenaded the birthday boy with a heartfelt rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, followed by a standing ovation which the audience clearly did not want to end.
Attenborough, or rather his voice, concluded the night. While scenes from the natural world were shown on a large screen, the audience heard his voice reciting the lyrics to the song “What a Wonderful World.”
Attenborough’s distinguished series included the likes Planet Earth, Blue planet and Frozen planet. Friday’s special event was the centerpiece of the wildlife broadcaster’s dedicated centenary season across leading TV channel BBC One and streaming service BBC iPlayer, giving Britons plenty of opportunities for ‘safari survival’ experiences.
Among the industry crowd on Friday was Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer. BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell; Zay Bennett, Chief Global Content Officer, BBC Studios; and Kate Ward, Managing Director, BBC Studios.
Also on Friday evening, the BBC revealed that Attenborough will provide narration for the upcoming series The third blue planeta six-episode, hour-long series for BBC One, iPlayer and BBC America from the Natural History Unit at BBC Studios, is scheduled to premiere this fall. “I’m thrilled to have David take the helm Blue planet “His exceptional talent for storytelling has shaped the way generations of audiences understand and connect with the natural world, and his voice remains synonymous with the best of the BBC’s natural history production,” said Jack Bootle, Head of Specialist Non-Fiction Commissioning at the BBC.
Jonny Keeling, Head of Natural History at BBC Studios, added: “We’re very excited to have David narrate this blockbuster new series. It’s packed with never-before-seen animal behaviour, new locations, new science and honest storytelling. David is the perfect voice to inspire audiences around the world to love, understand and protect the oceans.”
Watch the short film about the animals who help deliver the King’s birthday card to Attenborough below.
