Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Frederick Attenborough, OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS – to give him his, extensive, full title –is one of the world's most acclaimed broadcasters and naturalists. Widely considered one of the pioneers of the nature documentary, his career as the respected face and voice of British natural history programmes has endured for over 50 years. He is best known for writing and presenting the eight ‘Life’ series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, which collectively form a comprehensive survey of all terrestrial life. The ninth – and for Attenborough, final – series is Life in Cold Blood, which is on air now.

Sir David Attenborough's distinguished broadcasting career spans fifty years. It began in 1952 when he joined BBC Television Talks Department, and in 1954 he launched the first of his famous Zoo Quest series which over the next 10 years took him to the wilder parts of the world. In 1965, he became Controller of BBC Two and was responsible for the introduction of colour television in Britain, and in 1969, he was appointed Director of Programmes.

In 1973, he resigned to return to programme making. First came Eastwards With Attenborough, a natural history series set in South East Asia, then The Tribal Eye, examining tribal art. In 1979, he wrote and presented the 13-part series Life On Earth - at the time the most ambitious series ever produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. It began his landmark “Life” series…

In 1984 came its sequel, The Living Planet, and in 1990 followed the final part of the trilogy, The Trials of Life.These examined the world's organisms from the viewpoints of taxonomy, ecology and stages of life respectively.

His many other – often groundbreaking – projects have included Life in the Freezer (about Antarctica; 1993), The Private Life of Plants (1995), The Life of Birds (1998), The Life of Mammals (2002) and Life in the Undergrowth (2005).

Attenborough In Paradise (1996) fulfilled a lifelong ambition - to make a special film about the elusive but beautiful birds of paradise; in 1997, he narrated the award-winning The Wildlife Specials, marking 40 years of the BBC Natural History Unit, and in Autumn 2001 he narrated The Blue Planet. Life in Cold Blood completes the ‘Life’ series, about which he has said: “Once I have completed the reptiles series, that will be enough. It would complete the survey for me.”

In 1985, David Attenborough was knighted. Over the years he has received several honorary degrees and a number of prestigious awards including Fellowship of the Royal Society. He has also served as a Trustee of the British Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and President of the Royal Society for Nature Conservation.

Life in Cold Blood, the book to accompany the series, is out now.