Ten David Attenborough Documentaries Marking His 100th Birthday

Sir David Attenborough's natural history programmes have been broadcast for more than seven decades. A BBC News article published on his 100th birthday highlights ten of his programmes, spanning from early groundbreaking series to later works that addressed conservation and climate change.

Life on Earth, broadcast in 1979, told the story of life from the first primitive cells to present-day plants and animals.

The series was filmed with camera crews sent around the world and showed Attenborough speaking to camera on location rather than only in a studio. It reached an audience of up to 500 million people worldwide and included a widely remembered sequence in which Attenborough interacted with mountain gorillas. The Trials of Life, aired in 1990, focused on animal behaviour from birth to death.

The production worked with scientists to film events not previously shown on television, including chimpanzees using tools and hunting colobus monkeys. The Blue Planet, broadcast in 2001, examined the natural history of the world's oceans. It featured sequences such as killer whales hunting a grey whale calf and allowed viewers to see marine life in detail.

A sequel, Blue Planet II, aired in 2017 and drew attention to the effects of plastic pollution in the oceans. Planet Earth, first broadcast in 2006, was filmed over five years in 64 countries. The series presented wildlife in high definition, including a polar bear attempting to hunt a walrus.

Planet Earth II, released in 2016, included a sequence of snakes pursuing newly hatched iguanas and drew a large audience of younger viewers. Planet Earth III is also available on iPlayer. Frozen Planet, broadcast in 2011, focused on the Arctic and Antarctic.

The final episode featured Attenborough speaking directly about the impact of shrinking glaciers and rising temperatures on wildlife and people. A sequel, Frozen Planet II, used racer drones to film avalanches and presented further information on climate change effects. Our Planet, released on Netflix in 2019, was produced in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund.

The eight-part series addressed conservation and climate change while presenting high-quality imagery of natural environments. Netflix reported that 100 million households watched the series. Wild Isles, released in 2023, examined wildlife in the British Isles.

The programme was produced by Silverback Films for the BBC. The BBC has also released a documentary titled Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure to coincide with the anniversary. Most of the listed programmes can be watched on BBC iPlayer in the UK, while Our Planet is available on Netflix.

King and Queen lead tributes for David Attenborough's 100th birthday.