Yes, that’s right, he made it to the century. This remarkable human bean is my favourite person ever and I take great joy in joining those celebrating his fabulous achievements today and over the weekend.
A few highlights (courtesy Wikipedia [paraphrased]):
Aged 12 he was gifted a piece of amber containing prehistoric creatures - almost certainly inspiration for his brother’s film Jurassic Park.
In 1945 he won a scholarship to Cambridge to study geology and zoology and obtained a degree in natural sciences.
Despite not owning a television and only ever having seen one programme, he joined the BBC. He was discouraged from presenting because they felt his teeth were too big!, became controller of the new BBC2 and then director of BBC programming, eventually turning down the job of director general.
He commissioned Monty Python and snooker coverage in colour, and produced the late Queen’s speech for several years.
After resigning from the BBC he went freelance and, in 1976, persuaded them to take on a holistic documentary series chronicling the history of Life on Earth, the series which kickstarted the career of the single most recognisable natural history broadcaster ever to grace our screens. It was watched by more than 500 million people.
His presenting career spans eight decades.
He is the only person to have won BAFTA awards in black-and-white, colour, high-definition, 3D and 4K resolution.
He has more than 50 species named after him.
He has been knighted and has been awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (there are only 125 at any one time).
He has written and presented or narrated over 30 documentary series (and is still going!), the earliest of which are responsible for introducing me, and millions of others, to the natural world. I have watched them all, utterly enraptured by his ability to capture my attention and interest with that trademark style.
He is, I think, the most humble celebrity and incredibly popular across generations.
The BBC are hosting a 90-minute party in his honour at the Royal Albert Hall from 8.30 this evening. They have also curated his entire back catalogue onto iplayer and I’m slowly working my way through it - highly recommended viewing.
Centenarians used to get a letter from the Queen on their 100th birthday. DA has a close relationship with the Royal family, so I hope they’ll be going way further and giving him a private tea party.
I could have gone on gushing for pages, but that’ll do for now. Please join me in celebrating his 100 years of life on earth and in having delighted those of us so interested in his passion for the natural world. |
