Sir David Attenborough, the “Voice of Nature” who has guided generations through the wild, celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday.
Described by Prince Harry in Time magazine as the U.K.’s “secular saint,” Attenborough has become a global treasure. Through his smooth narration and breathless enthusiasm, he has spent decades advocating for the protection of the planet’s most vulnerable habitats and species.
He didn’t just show the world nature; he invited everyone into it, capturing the attention and hearts of audiences of all ages.
The England native’s illustrious career began in 1949 at an educational publishing house following a two-year stint in the Royal Navy. By 1969, he was the director of television programming for the BBC, though that didn’t last too long, according to BBC. The call of the wild was too strong for Attenborough, and just a few years later, he went freelance to write and produce the award-winning “Life” series.
The “Life” series includes:
- “Life on Earth” (1979)
- “The Living Planet” (1984)
- “The Trials of Life” (1990)
- “Life in the Freezer” (1993)
- “The Private Life of Plants” (1995)
- “The Life of Birds” (1998)
- “The Life of Mammals” (2002-03)
- “Life in the Undergrowth” (2005)
- “Life in Cold Blood” (2008)
Attenborough’s work reached a fever pitch with 2006’s “Planet Earth,” and even in his 90s, momentum didn’t slow. In 2025, he became the oldest Daytime Emmy winner in history for “Secret Lives of Orangutans” and released his latest production, “Ocean with David Attenborough.”
A global birthday bash
The world is throwing quite the party for Attenborough. The BBC hosted a gala at the Royal Albert Hall, cinemas are screening his greatest hits and Lego even updated its boxes — adjusting the age limit to “4-100+” in his honor.
Despite the fanfare, Attenborough remains humble.
“He’s always been very clear to all of us that work with him: ‘Remember, the animals are the stars, I’m not,’” Alastair Fothergill, the producer of some of Attenborough’s documentaries and director of Silverback Films, told The Associated Press. “So, yes, surprisingly for one of the most famous men on the planet, he doesn’t like being famous at all.”
In an audio message released Thursday, the broadcaster said he was “completely overwhelmed” by the flood of birthday greetings.
“I simply can’t reply to each of you separately, but I’d like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages,” he said.
Bugs and tributes
It would be difficult to celebrate Attenborough’s birthday without naming a new species after the global icon. A new parasitic wasp has officially been named “Attenboroughnculus tau,” according to National Geographic.
The creature joins a list of more than 50 species named after Attenborough, according to National Geographic.
Gavin Broad, a principal curator at the London Natural History Museum, noted that Attenborough “sent a very nice handwritten note” saying “he’s very complimented.”
Social media reactions were mixed after learning of the new tribute to the Voice of Nature. While one user on X called it a “fitting tribute to a legend,” another was more skeptical: “Of all the creatures to have named after oneself, a parasitic wasp? Wow.”
From the royal family to the Earthshot Prize council — including Prince William and Robert Irwin — people around the globe are wishing a happy 100th to the man who taught the world to love their home.