Instantly recognisable both in appearance and voice, David Attenborough has made an unprecedented impact on natural history programming.
And while most people know that he worked as an BBC executive, did you know that he helped launch a cult British sketch show – and has an important connection to Wimbledon?
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David Attenborough facts
1. He’s allergic to one animal: specifically, the dust from donkey fur. He only realised this when filming with them in the Grand Canyon for Life on Earth. The film crew had to abandon the planned close-up in favour of a wider shot, as his eyes had almost closed due to swelling.
2. He never passed his driving test, so doesn’t own a car.
3. He was born in the same year as Queen Elizabeth II, just weeks apart. She would later honour him with a knighthood in 1985.
4. Between 1986-1991, David Attenborough produced Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas Day address on the BBC.
5. He grew up on the campus of the University of Leicester, where his dad was principal, and would often wander the grounds.
6. David Attenborough applied for a job at BBC Radio but was rejected. However, he later received a letter asking if he would be interested in working in a new BBC service: television.
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7. He spent two years in the Royal Navy as part of mandatory national service, between 1947-49. He was based in North Wales and the Firth of Forth.
8. In 1936, a young David Attenborough and his brother Richard attended a lecture by Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney) at De Montfort Hall in Leicester.
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9. He’s not keen on rats after several encounters with them on filming trips – one of which involved a rat climbing out of a toilet while he was using it.
10. As television was becoming more popular out at the time, David Attenborough had only watched one television programme when he joined the BBC as a trainee.
11. In his role of BBC Director of Programmes, he commissioned the sketch show Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It would make stars of Michael Palin and John Cleese, and inspire generations of comedians.
12. When he was working at the BBC, David Attenborough helped to change the colour of tennis balls. Before the 1970s, tennis balls were traditionally white. But as colour television was being introduced, he noticed that they were often difficult to see on screen against Wimbledon’s grass courts. He suggested that a different colour was needed. The International Tennis Federation carried out research and settled on the fluorescent yellow shade that we commonly see today.
13. David Attenborough’s first appearance in front of the camera was in 1954’s Zoo Quest – but his boss initially believed that he should never be seen on screen because his “teeth are too big.”
14. In his later programmes, he’s usually seen on camera wearing a pale blue shirt and cream or khaki trousers. He’s explained that he often wears this outfit for continuity purposes, as well as to avoid distracting viewers with constant changes of clothes.
15. When asked what animal he’d most like to be for a day in a BBC News interview, he said a sloth.
Top image : Sir David Attenborough opens the Turner and the Thames in Twickenham on 10th January 2020 in London, England. Credit: Tim P. Whitby/Stringer/Getty Images
