For many years, audiences have been able to learn about the diversity of life on Earth thanks to Sir David Attenborough’s engaging and approachable programs.
However, the naturalist, broadcaster, and national treasure has also guided us through the evolving technology that are employed to bring that life to our screens.
Here are a few of Sir David’s most memorable moments as he celebrates 100 today:
In a volcanic forest near the border between Rwanda and Zaire, Sir David came across a family of mountain gorillas in the 1979 television series Life On Earth.
One young gorilla lies across his body in a video that has been named one of the greatest TV moments ever, and you can see the baby gorillas who were busily taking off his shoes just at the edge of the image.
Thirty countries were represented in the 13-part series. Over 500 million people, or 11.4% of the world’s population, watched.
In 1979, Sir David was seen with mountain gorillas in a volcanic woodland near the Rwandan border with Zaire.
As he studied the grey reef shark in The Living Planet in 1984, Sir David made history as one of the first underwater presenters.
He was able to provide his commentary and be clearly recorded because to advancements in full face plates.
In 1984, Sir David made an underwater observation of a grey reef shark for The Living Planet.
Sir David gave a presentation in zero gravity from the NASA experimental aircraft known as the “vomit comet” in The Living Planet as well.
He talked about how we take gravity for granted when bouncing and floating around, and then he ended his speech entirely upside down.
In 1984, Sir David shows the “vomit comet” in zero gravity from a NASA experimental aircraft.
In the 1990 film Trials of Life, Sir David showed audiences swimming with dolphins.
He put on his scuba diving outfit to listen in on their chats, giving us a glimpse of the noises and body language dolphins use to communicate.
In the 1990 BBC program Trials of Life, Sir David takes viewers swimming with dolphins.
In the 1998 film The Life of Birds, Sir David gripped his binoculars as he cautiously approached a lyrebird in South Australia and marvelled at its remarkable imitation abilities.
In an effort to outperform competitors and draw a partner, the bird made chainsaw noises, camera shutters, and automobile alarms.
In The Life of Birds (1998), Sir David approaches a lyrebird cautiously in South Australia.
A capercaillie knocked the presenter to the ground during another unforgettable scene in The Life of Birds, which was shot in Scotland’s pine woodlands.
In an attempt to scare off any intruders, the capercaillie, the biggest grouse, charged at Sir David before pursuing him and causing him to topple over.
In the 1998 film The Life of Birds, a capercaillie knocks Sir David over in a Scottish pine woodland.
He used a potent scanning electron microscope to magnify the image of a pin 10,000 times in State of the Planet (2000), revealing the microscopic world that is far beyond human awareness.
During State of the Planet in 2000, Sir David enlarged a picture of a pin ten thousand times.
It was heartwarming to see Sir David’s pure joy as a massive blue whale surfaced in 2002’s The Life of Mammals.
The 100-foot (30-meter) whale, the largest known mammal, dwarfs him as he clings to his tiny boat.
In The Life of Mammals in 2002, Sir David comments enthusiastically about a massive blue whale that has surfaced.
In The Life of Mammals, Sir David also went to see several orphaned chimpanzees that were learning how to survive in the wild.
An excited chimp leaped right in to welcome him as his boat got closer to the landing spot. Later, he had a good time cracking nuts with some nimble mammals.
In the 2002 film The Life of Mammals, Sir David observes an eager chimp attempting to crack a nut.
When Sir David trekked carefully through knee-deep snow to confront a Siberian tiger in captivity, it was another amazing scene in the series.
In The Life of Mammals (2002), Sir David encounters a captive Siberian tiger in knee-deep snow.
Another well-known scene in The Life of Mammals included Sir David interacting with the creatures he was attempting to capture on camera.
He attempted to communicate with a pack in the wild in the Arctic by demonstrating the wolf howl, and an expert noted that his impersonation was excellent.
In The Life of Mammals (2002), Sir David tries to communicate with a group by howling like a wolf.
During Life of Mammals, Sir David also approached a sloth covertly before yelling “boo.” However, the slowest mammal on the planet appeared uninterested and did not respond.
In the 2002 documentary series Life of Mammals, Sir David says “boo” to a sloth.
Slow motion was utilised in a scene from the 2008 film Life in Cold Blood to illustrate the variety of frog and toad sizes, shapes, and abilities.
Sir David marvelled at the “miracle of miniaturisation” while lying on the floor of a Madagascar rainforest with a small pygmy frog perched on his fingertip.
A small pygmy frog perched on Sir David’s fingertip in a Madagascar rainforest in 2008
At the age of 84, Sir David made history in 2011 when he travelled to the North Pole in Frozen Planet, becoming the oldest person to do it.
In Frozen Planet in 2011, Sir David became the oldest person to travel to the North Pole.
In 2016, the broadcaster turned 90. For the BBC’s Attenborough At 90 program, he spoke with journalist Kirsty Young about the highlights of his life and work.
For the BBC’s Attenborough At 90 documentary, Sir David had a conversation with journalist Kirsty Young.
Later that year, sights like rare snow leopard mating footage and lions assaulting a giraffe in a desert were accompanied by Sir David’s calming narrative in Planet Earth II.
An exciting, fast-paced footage of a baby marine iguana fleeing from a swarm of racer snakes on Fernandina Island was also included in the highly regarded documentary series.
This has been praised as one of the most suspenseful scenes in the history of wildlife broadcasting.
On Fernandina Island in 2016, a young marine iguana manages to flee from a group of racer snakes.
In 2017, Sir David made a comeback as a host for Blue Planet II, which went on to become the most watched UK television program of the year. The first episode of the nature series drew a record-breaking 14 million viewers.
The show featured stunning scenes of surfing dolphins, a sex-changing fish, and tragic footage of walruses struggling to find a home.
Additionally, it is believed that the series has increased public, media, and government awareness of plastic pollution.
In the 2017 film Blue Planet II, a walrus mother and calf are looking for a place to live in Svalbard, in the Arctic.
During Blue Planet II, Sir David also got up close and personal with his subject in Trinidad, where he helped release and lead newly hatched leatherback turtles into the ocean by wading into the Caribbean surf.
During Blue Planet II in 2017, Sir David gets up close and personal with leatherback turtles in Trinidad.
When Dynasties’ first episode, which centred on chimpanzees, aired in November 2018, it was the most watched show of the month.
The BBC camera crew intervened and saved the sick penguins in the series, which was narrated by Sir David. This broke the long-standing rule of wildlife shooting not to get involved. The series also showed the hardships of newborn penguins battling to avoid an ice death.
In 2018, Dynasties chronicled the hardships faced by young penguins as they battled to stay alive.
Before Kylie Minogue’s performance in 2019, Sir David made an unexpected visit on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage with a four-minute promo for the BBC’s upcoming natural history series Seven Worlds, One Planet.
In addition, Sir David spoke to the enormous audience, praising Glastonbury’s efforts in prohibiting single-use plastic bottles from the Somerset event that year.
Sir David addresses the sizable audience at Somerset’s Glastonbury Festival.
In 2020, the seasoned broadcaster aired A Life On Our Planet, a compelling and illuminating first-hand narrative in which Sir David considered both the pivotal events in his life as a naturalist and the catastrophic transformations he has seen.
In September 2020, Sir David attended a private outdoor viewing of the show at Kensington Palace with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their kids.
In 2020, Sir David attends a special screening with Prince William and Kate and their kids.
In 2021, A Life in Colour highlighted the bright and vibrant colours of nature using state-of-the-art camera equipment.
The peacock spider and paradise kingfisher were among the breathtaking images that illustrated how animals utilise colour to protect their area, find mates, and thrive.
In Costa Rica, Sir David also had a memorable press photo with a toucan.
In 2021, he encountered a toucan in Costa Rica using state-of-the-art camera gear for A Life in Colour.
In 2022, fellow environmentalist and then-Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, presented Sir David Attenborough with the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, one of Britain’s highest awards.
In recognition of his significant contributions to science, Sir David was also recognised a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and included in the Order of the Companions of Honour in the New Year Honours list.
In 2022, Sir David receives the title of Knight Grand Cross from the Order of St. Michael and St. George.
The naturalist detailed the laborious process of unearthing a marine monster’s skull for Attenborough and the Giant marine Monster in 2023.
This showed how the enormous skull of a pliosaur—one of the largest carnivorous animals ever seen—was removed from the Jurassic coast in Dorset.
In Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster, he studied the skull of a pliosaur in 2023.
With his seven-part series titled after the continent, Sir David transported viewers to Asia in 2024. It explored the lives of red pandas, urban elephants, hunting wolves, high-altitude elephants in India, “kiss-chasing” rhinos in Nepal, and glowing squids in the ocean.
Using the most recent advancements in audio technology, such as specially designed cameras and laser vibrometers, he also investigated how animals use sound to communicate, flourish, and live in the natural world in Secret World of Sound.
In 2024, Sir David transported viewers to Asia with a series that examined the lifestyles of urban elephants. The 2024 documentary Asia also included “kiss-chasing” rhinoceros in Nepal.
With Ocean In Concert in 2025, a live orchestra and choral group performed Steven Price’s original score in time with the film, immersing viewers in the grandeur of the undersea world and transforming its potent imagery and compelling narrative into a poignant experience.
That year, Sir David won the Daytime Emmy for hosting Netflix’s Secret Lives of Orangutans, shattering Dick Van Dyke’s record as the oldest winner.
The score was performed live by an orchestra and vocal group in Ocean In Concert in 2025.
Living rooms all throughout the world have heard the quiet but enthusiastic voices of Sir David Attenborough. These are a few of his most notable sayings:
