Sir David Attenborough said he has been ‘completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings’ as he thanked well-wishers ‘most sincerely’ ahead of his 100th birthday tomorrow.
The beloved naturalist said he had hoped to celebrate his centenary ‘quietly’, while conceding that the Great British public had had ‘other ideas’.
Instead, the milestone will be marked with a live event at the Royal Albert Hall featuring music from his programmes, as well as stories and reflections from public figures and leading advocates for the natural world.
In a recorded audio message shared the night before his birthday, he said: ‘I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas.
‘I’ve been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings from pre-school groups to care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages.
‘I simply can’t reply to each of you all separately, but I would like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages.
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‘I wish those of you who have planned your own local events tomorrow a very happy day.’
The Royal Albert Hall celebration, which will be broadcast on BBC One, is just one of many events to mark his birthday – and special television programming.
The Natural History Museum’s immersive exhibition presented by Sir David will be transformed into a free five-minute show in central London to celebrate the landmark.
Our Story With David Attenborough will be adapted to be shown at Outernet London on Tottenham Court Road from Sir David’s birthday on May 8, and will see the veteran BBC nature presenter take viewers through the history of people and the Earth, before presenting a vision of London’s future.
The broadcaster has been inundated with messages and well-wishes from environmental and animal charities and has also had a ‘wise’ bull named after him by animal charity Peta to celebrate his birthday.
The bull, named Sir Attenbullock, was among the first rescued through Peta India’s Delhi mechanisation project.
A new species of wasp has also been named after Sir David to mark his centenary, joining other types of living – or lived – things to have the same honour including a wildflower, butterfly, grasshopper, dinosaur and ghost shrimp.
The insect native to the Patagonian lakes of Chile has been called ‘Attenboroughnculus tau’ by the National History Museum (NHM) in tribute to the veteran broadcaster.
The specimen, which was collected in 1984 in the Valdivia province of Chile, may be the only record of the entire species’ existence, according to the NHM, and was found by chance four decades later after someone peeked into a drawer.
The museum said the naming is in recognition of the ‘incredible work that Attenborough has done to show us the wonder and beauty of nature, but also to inspire generations of scientists to pursue careers in natural history’.
He’s also inspired countless filmmakers too, including director Gareth Edwards in his approach to blockbuster Jurassic World Rebirth last year.
‘Being from the UK, I grew up with David Attenborough documentaries, and on a Sunday night on the BBC or wherever, one of the great things is sitting and watching a natural history show, [where] there’s beautiful majesty and awe-inspiring nature,’ he recalled to Metro. ‘And I was like, to get through a Jurassic and not have this awe and wonder moment somewhere…’
Wasps are considered a keystone species in terms of balancing the ecosystem, and one of the most crucial creatures on Earth, which seems a fitting tribute to a national treasure of Sir David’s status.
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