London celebrated David Attenborough’s centenary on Friday, with the highlight being a special BBC broadcast evening event at the Royal Albert Hall in the British capital dedicated to the work of the legendary English broadcaster, natural historian and conservationist. Stars, royals and collaborators shone a spotlight on his work and career during David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth, which drew 5,000 people in attendance and aired on the BBC with a slight delay.
Sir David himself and such royal, musical and other guests as Prince William, original Monty Python member Michael Palin, Bastille frontman Dan Smith, Icelandic bandSigur Rós, singer Sienna Spiro and naturalists Steve Backshall, Liz Bonnin, Chris Packham and Anna Dimitriadis, who showed off a thermal imaging camera by finding Benedict Cumberbatch in the crowd,graced the stage on Attenborough’s actual birthday.
Video greetings shared on Friday evening were led off by a royal short film starring King Charles III writing his 100th birthday letter to Attenborough, which got delivered with the help of various members of the animal kingdom, including a hedgehog that drew much laughter with his appearance. The short,entitled A Very Special Delivery, was produced by BBC Studios’ natural history unit. You can watch the short 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 maker Louis Theroux, United Nations secretary-generalAntonio Guterres, Glastonbury Festival organizer Emily Eavis, and such music stars as Coldplay’s Chris Martin,Raye, Camila Cabello and Nile Rodgers.
Palin shared onstage insights into his long friendship and friendly rivalry with Attenborough and their work as fellow globetrotters. “David is a more intrepid traveler than myself. When I see a swamp, I walk around it,” he quipped. “David jumps in.” Palin was the only Monty Python representative on stage, but the second python of the night after a snake featured in one of the highlight videos.
Prince William in his tribute lauded Attenborough for having “transformed how we see the only home we have, Planet Earth,” adding that he has also strengthened his personal dedication to protecting nature and the planet. “You have given us belief that positive change is still possible,” the royal concluded.
Attenborough had shared a message on the eve of his 100th birthday. “I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas,” he noted. “I’ve been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings from preschool groups to care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages. I simply can’t reply to each of you all separately, but I would like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages and wish those of you who have planned your own local events tomorrow, have a very happy day.”
Touted as an “unmissable event honoring one of the most influential figures in broadcasting and natural history storytelling,” the Friday birthday bash in London featured star power, dramatic wildlife stories and live music, as theBBC Concert Orchestra served up original compositions from some of Attenborough’s most popular landmark series.
The night, hosted by Kirsty Young, who had already hosted the legend’s 90th birthday celebration event, opened with a thunderous standing ovation for Attenborough who waved at the crowd before sitting down next to Prince William.
What followed was a performance by theBBC Concert Orchestra,joined by theAscension ChoirandThe Herds,of the theme fromPlanet Earth II, accompanied by a video montage celebrating the 70 years of Attenborough’s career as a wildlife filmmaker.
Dan Smith, who collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the Planet Earth III soundtrack, then hit the stage and put smiles on the faces of the crowd by performing the Bastille hit song“Pompeii” with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Ascension Choir.
Toward the end of the evening, the audience was treated to a clip showing Attenborough recording narration for a new series, before all of Royal Albert Hall serenaded the birthday boy with a heartfelt rendition of “Happy Birthday,” followed by a standing ovation that the audience clearly didn’t want to end.
Attenborough, more precisely his voice, closed out the night.While scenes from the natural world played on a big screen, the audience heard his voice reading the lyrics from the song“What a Wonderful World.”
Attenborough’s landmark series have included the likes of Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet. Friday’s special event was a centerpiece of a centenary season dedicated to the wildlife broadcaster across flagship TV channel BBC One and the BBC iPlayer streaming service, giving Brits plenty of opportunities for “stay-in safari” experiences.
Among Friday’s industry crowd were BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips; BBCStudiosCEO Tom Fussell; Zai Bennett, CEO of BBC Studios Global Content; and Kate Ward, managing director, factual at BBC Studios.
Friday night’s London event, courtesy of Georg Szalai
Also on Friday evening, the BBC revealed thatAttenboroughwill provide the narration for the upcomingBlue Planet III, a series of six hourlong episodes for BBC One, iPlayer and BBC America from the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, set to premiere this fall. “I’m thrilled that David is taking the helm of Blue Planet once again,” said Jack Bootle, BBC head of specialist factual commissioning. “His extraordinary talent for storytelling has shaped the way generations of audiences understand and connect with the natural world, and his voice remains synonymous with the very best of the BBC’s natural history output.”
Added Jonny Keeling, head of the BBC Studios Natural History Unit: “We are so excited to have David narrate this new blockbuster series. It’s full of never-before-seen animal behavior, new locations, new science and heartfelt storytelling. David is the perfect voice to inspire audiences across the globe to love, understand and protect the oceans.”
Watch the short film about animals helping deliver the King’s birthday card to Attenborough below.