National treasure Sir David Attenborough is 99 years young, and still remarkably productive for his age.
Just months after his latest documentary Ocean hit big screens up and down the country, he has returned to narrate Parenthood.
Filmed over three years across six continents and 23 countries, it is one of the most ambitious nature documentary series ever produced, and “showcases astonishing, never-before-seen animal behaviours in stunning 6K ultra high definition”, per the BBC.
But that doesn’t mean he is immune to bouts of realism as he approaches the end of his life.
David Attenborough will turn 100 next year (Credit: BBC)
Sir David Attenborough’s friends say he will ‘never retire’ but he is realistic
Nature expert and much beloved documentary presenter David Attenborough was born on May 8, 1926.
He turned 99 this year, which means he will join the exclusive ranks of centenarians actively working in broadcasting next spring.
Mike Gunton, with whom David has worked several times over the years, is adamant that he will never see his old friend retire.
“It’s never going to happen,” he insisted last year. Mike first worked with David in 1990, on The Trials of Life. He is a senior executive at the BBC Natural History Unit.
But David Attenborough is not naive to the fact that older people tend to experience certain forms of mental and physical slowing, such as Alzheimer’s disease or another neurodegenerative condition.
In 2021, American TV host Anderson Cooper asked him what he was most fearful of at the moment. Sir David replied: “Becoming helpless and gaga.”
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
