Sir David Attenborough’s importance and influence on the BBC Earth brand cannot be overstated, in a remarkable career that has entertained and informed audiences across the globe for over 50 years. His career at the BBC began in 1952 at Alexandra Palace, and in 1954 he launched the first of his famous Zoo Quest series, which between making political broadcasts, gardening and religious programmes, took him to many corners of the globe over a decade.
In 1965 Sir David became Controller of BBC2 and was responsible for the introduction of colour television to the UK. He then progressed to Director of Programmes in 1969, with editorial responsibility for both BBC1 and BBC2. But, in 1973, he resigned to focus on his true passion, programme making, and went on to make Eastwards with Attenborough, and then The Tribal Eye.
This was followed by the 13-part series, Life on Earth, in 1979, which Sir David wrote and presented, and at the time was the most ambitious series the Natural History Unit had ever produced. In 1984 came its sequel, The Living Planet, and in 1990 came the trilogy, The Trials of Life.
In 1993 Sir David presented the spectacular Life in the Freezer, a celebration of the Antarctic, and the first of many programme clips to be featured on the BBC Earth website. This was followed in 1995 by The Private Life of Plants, and in 1996, Attenborough in Paradise, which fulfilled his ambition to make a series about the elusive birds of paradise.
Sir David then completed an epic 10-part series The Life of Birds in 1998 and in 2001 narrated Blue Planet. This was followed in 2002 by the immensely popular Life of Mammals, and then Life in the Undergrowth in 2005. This highly prolific formula was continued with the narration of Planet Earth in 2006 and the environmental series Climate Chaos: Are We Changing the Planet Earth.
Sir David completed the last of his Life series, with Life in Cold Blood in 2008. He then presented Charles Darwin and The Tree of Life as part of the BBC Darwin season. In 2009, Sir David narrated Nature's Great Events and epic Life series, and is currently working on a programme about fossils for broadcast in autumn 2010.
"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of visual beauty, the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."
