David Attenborough's 100th Birthday
David Attenborough turns 100 on 8 May 2026, drawing tributes from King Charles III, Hans Zimmer, and a BBC Royal Albert Hall concert broadcast live on BBC One.
What Matters
- Born west London, 8 May 1926; joined BBC in 1952, spanning over seven decades of natural history broadcasting.
- A 1958 photo shows Attenborough introducing young Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Cocky the cockatoo during BBC Zoo Quest.
- Hans Zimmer called working for Attenborough more important than any Oscar-winning film score, citing planetary stakes.
- Natural History Museum named a parasitic wasp, Attenboroughnculus tau, after him; species joins a wildflower, butterfly, grasshopper, dinosaur, and ghost shrimp.
- Friday’s 90-minute Royal Albert Hall concert features Sigur Rós performing Hoppípolla and Bastille’s Dan Smith with BBC Concert Orchestra.
- [HN: @deferredgrant] Raises the unmeasured effect: how many scientists and engineers trace their career origin to an Attenborough documentary.
- [HN: @vr46] Richmond Hill bookshop The Open Book stocks signed copies of all his books; signatures moved to bookplates as he aged into his late 90s.