Movies - David Attenborough

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Sir David Frederick Attenborough, OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS (born on May 8, 1926 in London, England) is one of the world's best known broadcasters, humanists and naturalists. Widely considered one of the pioneers of the nature documentary, he has written and presented nine major series (with a tenth in production) surveying every aspect of life on Earth. He is also a former senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC2 and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s.

He is the younger brother of director and actor Lord Attenborough.

Early life

Attenborough's father was principal of University College, University of Leicester, and he grew up in a house on the university campus. He was the middle of three sons. During World War II the family also took in two Jewish refugee girls. One of Attenborough's foster sisters gave him a piece of amber filled with prehistoric creatures, which would be the focus of one of his television programmes many years later.

Attenborough spent his childhood collecting fossils, stones and other natural specimens. He received encouragement in this pursuit at age 7, when a young Jacquetta Hawkes admired his 'museum.'

Attenborough was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and then won a scholarship to Clare College, University of Cambridge, where he obtained a degree in Natural Sciences. He joined the Royal Navy in 1947 and was stationed in North Wales during his two years of service.

In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel; the marriage lasted until her death in 1997. The couple had two children, Robert and Susan.

First years at the BBC

After three years editing children's science textbooks for a publishing company, Attenborough joined the BBC's television service in 1952. Initially discouraged from appearing on camera because an administrator thought his teeth were too big, he became a producer for the Talks Department, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. His early projects included the quiz show Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and a series about folk music presented by Alan Lomax.

Attenborough's association with natural history programmes began when he produced and presented the three-part series The Pattern of Animals. The studio-bound programme featured animals from London Zoo, with the naturalist Sir Julian Huxley discussing their use of camouflage, aposematism and courtship displays. Through this programme, Attenborough met Jack Lester, the curator of the zoo's reptile house, and they decided to make a series about an animal-collecting expedition. The result was Zoo Quest
, first broadcast in 1954.

BBC administration

From 1965 to 1968 Attenborough was Controller of BBC2. Among the programmes he commissioned during this time were Match of the Day, Civilisation, The Ascent of Man, The Likely Lads, Not Only... But Also, Man Alive, Masterclass, The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Money Programme. He also introduced televised snooker. This diversity of programme types reflects Attenborough's belief that BBC2's output should be as varied as possible. In 1967, under his watch, BBC2 became the first television channel in the United Kingdom to broadcast in colour.

From 1969 to 1972 he was BBC Television's Director of Programmes (making him responsible overall for both BBC1 and BBC2), but turned down the offer to become Director General of the BBC. In 1972 he resigned his post and returned to programme making.

Major series

Foremost among Attenborough's TV documentary series is the trilogy: Life on Earth
, The Living Planet
and The Trials of Life
. These examine the world's organisms from the viewpoints of taxonomy, ecology and stages of life respectively.

In addition, he has written and presented more specialised surveys including Life in the Freezer
(about life in and around Antarctica), The Private Life of Plants
, The Life of Birds
, The Life of Mammals
and his most recent, Life in the Undergrowth
, which concerned terrestrial invertebrates. Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives
demonstrated his passion for discovering fossils, while in 2000, State of the Planet
examined the environmental crisis that threatens the ecology of the Earth. He also narrated two other significant series: The Blue Planet
(2001), and Planet Earth
(2006). The latter is particularly notable as it comprises the first natural history programmes to be made entirely in high-definition format.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for David Attenborough ]

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Movies - David Attenborough

Early life

First years at the BBC

BBC administration

Major series

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