When is David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet on Netflix?

The wait is over. Postponed by the pandemic, this film celebrating the life and work of David Attenborough is now being released. “This film is my witness statement, and my vision for the future.”

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Published: October 1, 2020 at 4:00 pm

When is David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet on Netflix?

Following a one-night only showing in cinemas, David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet will be available to stream on Netflix from Sunday 4 October 2020. We named it one of Dvid Attenborough's best documentaries

What is David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet about?

Produced by Silverback Films and WWF for Netflix, it charts the devastating changes that the broadcaster and conservationist has witnessed during his lifetime. His career has seen him visit every continent, and share much of the world’s natural wonders with millions of people around the globe.

“At 94 years old, his knowledge and insight of the natural world remains as relevant and cherished today as it was the first time he introduced the British public to pangolins and sloths on television,” says Keith Scholey, executive producer at Silverback Films. “This new film will bring together those historic moments with his views on the current problems our natural world faces and how we can solve them.”

Sir David Attenborough pictured in Chernobyl, Ukraine, while filming David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. © Joe Fereday/Silverback Films

Starting in Chernobyl in Ukraine, a city once home to 50,000 people, Attenborough draws a comparison between the bad planning and human error that led to the 1986 nuclear disaster, and the impact that humanity continues to have on the environment.

“Chernobyl was a single event,” he says. “The true tragedy of our times is still unfolding, across the globe, barely noticeable from day to day. I’m talking about the loss of our planet’s wild places, its biodiversity.”

There’s plenty of nostalgia, with visits to a former quarry in Tilton that Attenborough visited as a child, to search for fossils, and clips from a variety of his previous programmes – such as sitting among mountain gorillas, watching albatrosses, and saying “boo” to a sloth.

But there’s also time spent looking ahead. “This film is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. The story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake, and how, if we act now, we can yet make it right.”

Sir David Attenborough pictured in the Maasai Mara in Kenya while filming David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. © Silverback Films

Watch the trailer for David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet

Main image: Sir David Attenborough pictured in the Maasai Mara in Kenya while filming David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. © Keith Scholey/Silverback Films

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