The best of Sir David Attenborough on screen – and where to watch him

David Attenborough is a titan of television. The British broadcaster and natural historian, who turns 100 on May 8, has been a regular on our screens from the earliest days of the medium; he was making television shows before most households owned a set. He joined the BBC as a producer in 1952 and two years later presented his first show, Zoo Quest. It was shot in black and white, but with each subsequent change in technology and viewing habits, Attenborough has remained at the forefront of television. His work, both in front of and behind the camera, is ground-breaking, and his voice alone is synonymous with the nature documentary. Here are a few highlights – where available in Australia – and tributes from an unparalleled career.

Zoo Quest (1954)

While Attenborough’s first series is now a relic of a bygone age – primitive cameras, no field sound, and Attenborough was accompanying London Zoo staff catching animals to bring back to Britain – it also reveals a budding twentysomething presenter who was a natural. Qualities that would become Attenborough’s trademarks, including his empathy and ability to evocatively convey detail, are on display in this 1956 excerpt from a trip to Indonesia, where Attenborough and a guide track down an orangutan in the jungle canopy. YouTube

Life on Earth (1979)

The natural history series that became event television, Life on Earth was an epic production that visited more than 100 locations over three years to assemble footage to tell the story of life’s evolution on our planet. It pioneered filming and editing techniques now common to nature documentaries, and helped change public perceptions of the animal world. One of the most iconic sequences comes from the 12th episode, where Attenborough had several unexpected encounters with a female gorilla and her babies in Rwanda. In this clip from 2006’s Gorillas Revisited, Attenborough describes their connection as “bliss”.YouTube

Michael Parkinson interview (1998)

It wasn’t only animals that Attenborough could easily interact with. He bounds down the stairs and is a lively, thoughtful guest in this appearance on the late, great Michael Parkinson’s chat show. Entering the second half of his career – he was still only in his early seventies – Attenborough begins by explaining his enthusiasm for his work: “I’m very spoilt, aren’t I? I have a great time.” Attenborough is the episode’s second guest, coming on just after the 23-minute mark, but comedian Billy Connolly proves to be a terrific foil for the veteran host, whose banter even briefly gets a little saucy. YouTube

The Blue Planet (2001)

Another technical breakthrough, this award-winning eight-episode history of the world’s oceans used underwater photography to reveal aspects of marine life never seen before. Blue whales, orcas and schools of dolphins were just a few of the species revealed in their natural habitats (a small amount of lobster footage was shot at an aquarium to avoid disturbing the natural breeding process). Like many Attenborough series, time hasn’t dimmed its appeal – it’s top family viewing, as is the sequel Blue Planet II. BritBox and Stan*

Planet Earth (2006)

The favourable reaction to The Blue Planet was so overwhelming that Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit were asked to match its scope, but with the entire planet as the focus, not just the oceans. It took four years to produce, but the results were worth it. Whether deploying aerial shots or using microscopic cameras, the 11 episodes – each focusing on a different, distinct habitat – managed to combine strikingly beautiful images, fascinating revelations (The Last of Us fans should check the zombie ants controlled by fungi), and nail-biting predatory behaviour. Sequels Blue Planet II and III impressively further the show’s mission. BritBox and Stan

Great Barrier Reef (2015)

Australia featured in numerous Attenborough documentaries, with our unique flora and fauna regularly bringing the documentarian here. Attenborough first visited the Great Barrier Reef in 1957, and he returns almost 60 years later for this three-part series. Descending deep at night in a submersible, he guides the viewer through otherworldly coral formations and a wealth of sea creatures.

There are some remarkable time-lapse sequences in this series, alongside a recognition of Indigenous culture. Another Attenborough down under series is also available: 2018’s Tasmania. ABC iview and Stan

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)

While it’s framed as Attenborough looking back on his career, this feature-length documentary is a succinct, unsparing warning about the dangers facing our planet due to global warming and the eradication of nature’s redoubts. Some of the then-and-now comparisons of locations Attenborough once filmed in that are now ruined are horrifying. Ecological preservation has long been a concern of Attenborough’s, and in his final years it’s only become more explicit. The broadcaster calls this his “witness statement”, but it comes with a closing measure of optimism – there’s much we can do to enact genuine change. Netflix

Most Soothing David Attenborough Moments (2023)

Whether through his initiatives as a producer and department head, or his innovative work in the field, the BBC Earth brand wouldn’t exist without David Attenborough. The largest wildlife documentary production house in the world gives him a welcome shout-out with this 26-minute highlights reel of David Attenborough doing David Attenborough things: dedicated whispering in close proximity to lemurs, running his hands over tortoise shells, and hushed, detailed narration over intimate footage of jungle fowl eggs hatching. The video’s top-rated comment offers a fitting tribute: “Sir David Attenborough is a gift, not only to mankind, but to Nature as a whole.”

*Stan is owned by Nine, the publisher of this masthead.

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