....Ladies and Gentlemen - Sir David Attenborough.

I love this man. As a huge wildlife and nature junkie - Sir David is the rock star of my world.



He has been opening up the natural world to us for some 50 years to our total delight. In my opinion what separates Sir David from the rest of the nature presenters is his endearing delight in the natural world. He is never cynical, never "ho-hum seen that before" and completely open to being surprised at every turn. ANd I love it when something makes him giggle. It is almost child-like in it's sincerity and joy.



Unlike naturalists like Austin Stevens, Brady Barr and the Croc Hunter, Sir David never molests or interferes with the animals. He has always maintained that the best way to observe an animal is without intervention and from a position of respect and distance.

Through his completely humble and unpretentious delivery, he is now one of the most recognised people on the planet. He counts amongst his admirers all the modern TV naturalists such as Jeff Corwin, Nick Baker and Steve Leonard, as well as HM Queen Elizabeth 2 and other heads of state. Even President Obama is said to be a fan of him and his documentaries.



My fear is that when Sir David leaves us, there really isn't anyone to take his place - of course no one truly could. But I do not believe that there is any naturalist - with the possible exception of Nick Baker - who could take up the helm of bringing the natural world into our lives with such class and aplomb.



Sir David has also notched up an amazing list of accomplishments and honours.....

• 1970 : BAFTA Desmond Davis Award
• 1974 : Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• 1979 : BAFTA Fellowship
• 1983 : Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
• 1985 : Knighthood
• 1991 : Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) for producing Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas broadcast for a number of years from 1986
• 1996 : Companion of Honour (CH) "for services to nature broadcasting"
• 2000 : International Cosmos Prize
• 2003 : Michael Faraday Prize awarded by the Royal Society
• 2004 : Descartes Prize for Outstanding Science Communication Actions
• 2004 : Caird Medal of the National Maritime Museum
• 2005 : Order of Merit (OM)
• 2005 : Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest
• 2006 : National Television Awards Special Recognition Award
• 2006 : Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management - Institute Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the public perception and understanding of ecology
• 2006 : The Culture Show British Icon Award
• 2007 : British Naturalists' Association Peter Scott Memorial Award

Favourite Attenborough moments

In April 2006, to celebrate Attenborough's 80th birthday, the public were asked to vote on their favourite of his television moments, out of twenty candidates. The results were announced on UKTV on 7 May. Each is given with its series and advocate:

1. Attenborough watching a lyrebird mimicking various noises (The Life of Birds, selected by Bill Oddie)
2. Mountain gorillas (Life on Earth, Sanjeev Bhaskar)
3. Blue whale encounter (The Life of Mammals, Alan Titchmarsh)
4. His description of the demise of Easter Island's native society (State of the Planet, Charlotte Uhlenbroek)
5. Chimpanzees using tools to crack nuts (The Life of Mammals, Charlotte Uhlenbroek)
6. A grizzly bear fishing (The Life of Mammals, Steve Leonard)
7. Imitating a woodpecker to lure in a real one (The Life of Birds, Ray Mears)
8. The presenter being attacked by a displaying male capercaillie (The Life of Birds, Bill Oddie)
9. Chimps wading through water on two feet (The Life of Mammals, Gavin Thurston)
10. Observing a male bowerbird's display (The Life of Birds, Joanna Lumley)
11. Watching elephants in a salt cave (The Life of Mammals, Joanna Lumley)
12. Wild chimps hunting monkeys (The Trials of Life, Alastair Fothergill)
13. Freetail bats leaving a cave and Attenborough holding one of their young (The Trials of Life, Rory McGrath)
14. Being threatened by a bull elephant seal (Life in the Freezer, Björk)
15. A wandering albatross chick and its parent (Life in the Freezer, Ellen MacArthur)
16. Spawning Christmas Island red crabs (The Trials of Life, Simon King)
17. In a tree with gibbons (The Life of Mammals, Steve Leonard)
18. Burrowing under a termite mound to demonstrate its cooling system (The Trials of Life, Björk)
19. Observing a titan arum (The Private Life of Plants, Alan Titchmarsh)
20. Timelapse footage of a bramble growing (The Private Life of Plants, Rory McGrath)

Some of his most celebrated series include.....

• Life on Earth (1979)
• The Living Planet (1984)
• The Trials of Life (1990)
• Life in the Freezer (1993)
• The Private Life of Plants (1995)
• The Life of Birds (1998)
• The Life of Mammals (2002)
• Life in the Undergrowth (2005)
• Life in Cold Blood (2008)

His voice is also synonymous with wildlife documentaries for British audiences, and the principal series with which his narration is associated include:

• Wildlife on One (1977–2005)
• BBC Wildlife Specials (1995–2008)
• The Blue Planet (2001)
• Planet Earth (British version) (2006)
• Nature's Great Events (2009)

Sir David is also one of the most parodied individuals in the world. Attenborough's accent and hushed, excited delivery have been the subject of frequent parodies by comedians, most notably Spike Milligan, Marty Feldman and The Goodies. Attenborough is portrayed by Michael Palin in the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, where he searches the African jungle for the legendary Walking Tree of Dahomey (Quercus Nicholas Parsonus), sweating excessively and accompanied by native guides wearing saxophones. Sir David himself considers it a badge of honour that so many great comedians have portrayed and parodied him. "If a comedian of this stature takes the time to practice my walk, my stance and my voice, then one truly has made an impact and for that one is truly grateful."

Below are some of my own favourite Attenborough moments.

Sir David and the Giant Australian Gippsland Earthworm



Sir David and an Elephant take a swim together - so cute.



Sir David and the Pika - these things are SO damn cute :)



Sir David and the Blue Whale