Netflix quietly drops ‘unmissable’ Sir David Attenborough documentary ahead of his 100th birthday

Nearly 50 years ago Sir David Attenborough was making what would become his breakthrough TV series Life on Earth when he met a gorilla called Pablo.

By 1978 the broadcaster and natural historian had already presented a range of programmes, however the series Life on Earth would establish him as the foremost TV naturalist and kickstart his profile as a national treasure.

Released in 1979, the series had taken three years to film and had cost over £1million.  Shot in 100 locations around the world, one of those was in the Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga mountains of Rwanda.

When he was aged three, Pablo came across David filming his TV show, deciding the presenter would make for the perfect place to soak up the sun and used him as a personal lounger in scenes that are still remembered by many today.

As Sir David said at the time: ‘There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than with any other animal I know.’

‘It seems very unfair that man should have chosen the gorilla as a symbol of all that is violent and fearsome, when in fact, it is a peaceable and gentle creature.’

Decades later, and not long before his 100^th birthday, Sir David has reflected on his relationship with Pablo and the long-lasting effect their encounter had on him.

These are detailed in the new Netflix documentary A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough, which has been billed as an ‘intimate documentary’ on the ‘remarkable story of his first encounter with the baby gorilla Pablo, how that gorilla grew up to be a top Silverback and how Pablo’s direct descendants are doing today’.

Directed by James Reed (who won an Oscar for My Octopus Teacher) and with Leonardo DiCaprio as an executive producer, it’s also been teased of the release that it is: ‘Packed with extraordinary gorilla behaviour never filmed before, this is a story of hope and joy.’

Since quietly being released in the past few days, the documentary has soared up the Netflix charts and is now one of the most-watched films in the UK.

Reviews have already called it ‘unmissable’ and told viewers they will be ‘overcome with awe’.

‘The actual plot of the film – and though I know it’s not a scripted drama, it almost feels like it – is so utterly engrossing…there are staggering character arcs and scenes that are both heart-warmingly tender and gut-wrenchingly tragic, including one of the most devastating betrayals you’ll see,’ Esquire wrote in its review, adding that it ‘packs an almighty punch’.

‘Attenborough’s tone is more upbeat than in some of his documentaries because the gorillas’ population has more than doubled in recent decades after poachers demolished their numbers. It is a conservation success story and a love letter to the gorilla, told beautifully by the undisputed silverback of natural history broadcasting,’ The Times declared.

‘Clearly Attenborough has no truck with nostalgia. This is the second new project he’s released in the space of a fortnight, which hints at a preference for forward momentum. But for those of us who grew up with him – which is to say all of us – this feels like one of the last chances we’ll get to sit at the feet of an adored relative,’ The Guardian added.

Meanwhile fans of Sir David shared their excitement ahead of tuning in.

‘This is going to be the best documentary of 2026,’ charleswingfield380 posted on YouTube.

‘David Attenborough is a legend. And his non-ceasing love and advocacy for our natural world should serve as an example for action and change,’ LadyDi_ATX shared.

‘I just finished watching Gorilla Story on Netflix and it is an outstanding documentary I highly recommend it. I love those powerful majestic creatures and the family dynamics they portray. Very well done David Attenborough!’ moester75 added.

In an interview with CN Traveler ahead of the documentary’s release, executive producer Alastair Fothergill reflected on how the scenes of Sir David with Pablo in Life on Earth, which he said was ‘arguably the most famous sequence in wildlife filmmaking’.

‘David believes it’s the most important sequence he has ever done. Pablo grew up to be the most successful gorilla ever in Rwanda. He died about 10 years ago, but the group that we went to film for this documentary were all his direct descendants. Once we were there, we knew we’d filmed some pretty amazing behaviour – we’ve essentially found the parallel story of the original Pablo, told by David Attenborough, nearly 50 years later,’ he shared.

When asked what he hoped viewers would take away from the film, he replied: ‘I want them to take away a real respect for an animal that most people don’t really know. And I want them to recognise that there are positive conservation stories.

‘We’re living in a world where the news is not good, particularly for the environment and the natural world. And what’s happened in Rwanda is this amazing collaboration between scientists and the government. If you’re looking at a good example of ecotourism that really has helped the animals, but also really helps the people, it’s a perfect example.’

At the time that Sir David first visited Rwanda in the 1970s, gorillas were being poached to the point of extinction, but the population has now almost fully recovered.

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough is streaming on Netflix.

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