David Attenborough was celebrated last week as the nation's beloved natural history broadcaster celebrated his 100th birthday. His was the voice and sometimes face of the BBC’s indubitably world-class nature productions – epics, most of which are technical masterpieces, worthy of celebration. And Attenborough’s peerless narrative explained the workings of the world’s flora and fauna to generations of children. But then it all went wrong.
There is no doubting Attenborough’s talents. As a grammar school boy deeply committed to his subject, he won a scholarship to study natural sciences at Cambridge shortly after the end of WWII. And as a handsome man with archetypal Received Pronunciation and a cool, calm and gentle demeanour, he was a perfect fit for the postwar BBC in its glory days. Over the next decades, Attenborough shone, not just in front of the camera, but also far behind it. In 1965, he became the controller of BBC 2, which had been created the year before. From there, Attenborough commissioned Sir Kenneth Clark’s 1969 series Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man, which was broadcast in 1973. Thus Attenborough can rightfully be credited for epics not just about the natural world but also the human world.
This much has been stated by those who have nothing but praise for the man. And if you want more of it, I recommend Allison Pearson’s biography of the "national treasure" in the Telegraph. And this is where I part company with those who, like Pearson, let the man
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This is an excellent article, elegantly written, but far too kind and indulgent towards Attenborough. Attenborough is a monumental, pompous bore, and a liar. When he voice-overed the deliberate plunge of a herd of walruses over an ice cliff, he described them as committing suicide in walrus-despair because of the disappearing ice. He knew when he said this that a pack of polar beats was coming up behind them to eat them. As I say, a liar, like all climate alarmists.
“Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us,….”
I have yet to hear Attenburgh or any of his Establishment colleagues express the slightest concern about the out of control population growth via mass immigration to these islands?
Does he and his environmental zealots express concern about despoiling our countryside with wind farms and solar farms not to mention building on flood plains and prime agricultural land to accommodate the Establishment’s increased population agenda?
Brilliantly written article, Ben. Interesting that the top climate activists are a senile old man (playing God) and a semi-autistic teenager (playing Joan of Arc). Makes sense though, as the “End of the world is nigh” scare is sheer religious mania. .
I was amazed that Allison Person’s recent deification-piece about Attenborough in the DT ignored the net-zero nonsense that he has helped bring about with his propaganda.
The walruses tumbled for fear of the polar bears above them who were deliberately kept out of the camera frame. See “Fallen Icon” by Susan J Crockford.
My point is rather different. Attenborough dominated nature reporting on the BBC allowing no other voices, no space for them. And yet, despite his message, actually nothing has changed. People have watched, felt bad, and done nothing. The same lifestyle, driving cars everywhere, eating factory farmed chicken, going on overseas holidays, more and more, at the same time lecturing others about the destruction of the planet. So his broadcasts have not achieved their aim. I personally never watched them because they were always about one animal eating another.
Great article, Ben.
The gushing praise heaped on him over the last week or so has been nauseating. This included, amazingly, a “Planet Normal” podcast almost totally dedicated to him. The normally reliable Pearson and Halligan totally lost it.
Can’t stand him. Part of the BBC clique, pushing the climate agenda while flying everywhere, even if by proxy cameramen. He has done very well out of the taxpayer and should have made way for younger presenters 35 years ago. Hypocrite
A useful idiot for the BBC
So pleased someone else calling this charlatan out, basically posh rich boy done good and we the peasants should be grateful for him being the font of wisdom, even if its untruths.
And now I’ve read the rest, and it’s been very much worth reading. Sadly, not many people will see it. Even fewer will understand it.
I was a colossal Attenborough fan in my childhood in the 60s and 70s. I have his response – framed and hanging on my wall – to a letter I wrote him as a directionless recent graduate, asking him if I could ‘do anything’ for him (in a paid capacity) to further his natural history researches. I’m not ashamed of how I felt back then, but it’s true that I was being drawn in by that exquisite Attenborough voiceover, and would no doubt have been radicalised, if people with more savvy than me hadn’t emerged to take him on. I was red-pilled sometime in the 90s – a process that began with Christopher Booker’s Saturday Telegraph anti-EU column and culminated in addiction to the Daily Sceptic during Covid. I feel very sad when I see or hear anything about Sir David these days – but I’m thoroughly sickened by the saccharine adulation being poured all over the man at the current time.
Haven’t read beyond the first sentence yet – but I never miss a Ben Pile article (because they’re always so good) and will certainly finish this one.
Just to say, pedantically of course, that it’s a poor opening sentence. Can I suggest instead something like:
‘David Attenborough, the nation’s most celebrated natural history broadcaster, celebrated his 100th birthday last week.’
And now I’ve read the rest, and it’s been very much worth reading. Sadly, not many people will see it. Even fewer will understand it.
I was a colossal Attenborough fan in my childhood in the 60s and 70s. I have his response – framed and hanging on my wall – to a letter I wrote him as a directionless recent graduate, asking him if I could ‘do anything’ for him (in a paid capacity) to further his natural history researches. I’m not ashamed of how I felt back then, but it’s true that I was being drawn in by that exquisite Attenborough voiceover, and would no doubt have been radicalised, if people with more savvy than me hadn’t emerged to take him on. I was red-pilled sometime in the 90s – a process that began with Christopher Booker’s Saturday Telegraph anti-EU column and culminated in addiction to the Daily Sceptic during Covid. I feel very sad when I see or hear anything about Sir David these days – but I’m thoroughly sickened by the saccharine adulation being poured all over the man at the current time.
Attenbore makes my flesh creep, he’s truly a Big Brother broadcasting to the force-fed masses, 1984 style.
It says a lot about rather too many people in the UK that they worship their ‘National Treasure’.
Thought for the Day: one of the above key culprits should ring 10 Downing St at 0800 on Wednesday and tell them that “in the circumstances I don’t believe I can give my Speech at 1115, please get back to me when there is a plan for governing the UK and not just a plan for squabbling with each other”
Cat, pigeons. …..
At last, a balanced view about Attenborough, a man who made good documentaries but talked an ever-increasing load of BS
I used to like his programmes. Now I can’t bear to hear his voice and avoid them.
“We are a plague on the Earth,” he told the Radio Times
But – like all such Malthusian fanatics – he never thinks of himself as part of the “plague”. No – that’s just the rest of us; he can hang around until he’s 100 and that’s absolutely fine.
It just makes you miss his talented and likeable brother even more. What is it with brothers? With the Labour chaos today somebody has mentioned the a certain Mikliband might have been a solution. That is David of course and not the foaming at the mouth Ed.
For 35 years Attenborough has been the main UN agent for its globalist propaganda and the decline in mental health of the under 30s. This group are currently unable to distinguish fact from fiction and are voting for politicians who will destroy the country if they succeed.
On the other hand I agree with him about the human population explosion. But Europe and East Asia have reduced population. It is the Sub Saharan African and Middle Eastern regions which are breeding exponentially while unable to govern successfully and with the help of the UN Migration agenda are overrunning Europe. But he wouldn’t say that would he.
Revolting man. His brother was much better. He’s always struck me as a bit of a spoilt brat who is used to being indulged in all his obsessions
I can’t stand him and haven’t been able to for the last 15yrs. Back in the 70s and 80s his programmes were good. But he’s fixated on lecturing us about curbing our CO2 emissions to cancel out his millions of air miles. ‘OK for me, but not for thee’
He’s the classic case of someone climbing to the top and cutting the rope behind him.
A good summary of his career. It might be worth noting that it has been built on modern photographic technology, and all the practitioners of it.
Good point – whatever we think of the guy now / in the past, the films he helped make look absolutely stunning due to the entire production teams skills. Based in Bristol iirc…
One of the BBCs false apostles for promoting its globalist agenda.
Attenborough pushes the climate myth.
Brian Cox pushes his humanist, anti-Christian opinion as fact.
Alternative views are treated as heresy by the Church of the BBC.
No mention of polar bears and climate is complete without mention of Susan Crockford whose web site polarbearscience.com is the goto for facts about the plight of polar bears and they way they are thriving.
PS She is also responsible for the book “Fallen Icon: Sir David Attenborough and the Walrus Deception
When Crockford exposed the crock of poo falling walruses story (with reference to local Russian newspapers on polar bear incursions, old papers on similar events, etc), I mentioned it as a cautionary tale about popular science documentaries on a science website. I was immediately branded as a climate denier, having not mentioned the climate at all, and challenged on whether I even accepted that CO2 levels have risen.
Hence, even to science-minded people, compliance with the current narrative trumps facts – and Attenborough is narrative-compliant par excellence.
One might argue that he is the genesis of the hysteria that has led the gullible to embrace the dystopian Greens.
“We are a plague on the Earth,” he told the Radio Times – formally the BBC’s magazine – in 2013. “It’s not just climate change; it’s sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde,” he warned. “Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now.”
Except it isn’t. Human population still increasing though more slowly I think, will probably plateau at some point reasonably soon.
We recently passed an inflection point. The number of humans added to world population peaked at 103,000,000 in a single year. It’s since fallen , year on year and is around 90,000,000 p.a. and falling. NB the UK is around 1% of world population. 1% of population growth correlates with our rates of immigration. i.e. The ONS prediction of 750,000 immigrants each year, every year, for the next 10 years is ”our fair share”. ! Think on that.
Indeed wether we like it or not – nature has a series of checks and balances… they may seem somewhat indirect, but in the end, they have an effect…
One of nature’s checks and balances is humankind’s propensity for war.
We are being replaced rather than replicated.
There is no growth in the indigenous population of the UK right now, in fact it is in decline.
This is the actual problem, we’re being replaced. Dreadful!
David Bellamy was bang on declaring climate alarmism as ‘Poppycock.’ The Beeb fired him for having the temerity to tell the truth.
A broadcaster whose enthusiasm for his subject made him a pleasure to watch, compared to the frankly boring, formulaic style of Dickie’s brother.
Wrong place! Sorry
Do you remember when one of the Attenborough’s was on a TV news or politics programme during which he tried to made a point out of William Rees-Mogg being an Etonian. To which quick as a flash JRM retorted ‘Yes, I was in the same house as your son!’
..excquisite…
David Bellamy. There was a man who understood.
I really miss David Bellamy; he was a far better scientist and person than Attenborough will ever be. As you said, fired for telling the truth!
Like many others, it seems, I stopped watching and listening 20 years ago.
Not just to his programmes but to most of the other natural history stuff and to Country File.
I can’t abide the Green preaching.
I won’t put them on for my grandchildren to watch either.
A high ranking officer of Blair’s army. He’s the Propaganda King at the root of more division, destruction, collapse, harm and murder, than most give him credit for. This is the soldier that arms the children. A national treasure? No, a state treasure.
I am with you, he was a great programme maker in the 60s and 70s but he lost me when he started the brainwashing scare behaviour, it was akin to being in front of one of those American ministers who tell their audience the devil is gonna get yer, unless you do as he says.
An overeducated, over privileged, over respected, prat.
I hate his patronising tones, and his inability to suspect he may be wrong, wrong, wrong and for his softly spoken terrorising of children and adults alike.
And the worst of it? He still doesn’t realise what an enormous project of corruption, grift and actual environmental damage he has supported.
A total thicko.
He didn’t start that way, sure, but then it never starts with concentration camps, does it.
I don’t enjoy writing unkind words, but some deserve it, and (like Attenborough) I believe I write the truth, and that it needs to be written.
FWIW Darwin debunked Malthus in On the Origin of Species:
It is the doctrine of Malthus applied with manifold force to the whole animal and vegetable kingdoms; for in this case there can be no artificial increase of food, and no prudential restraint from marriage. Although some species may be now increasing, more or less rapidly, in numbers, all cannot do so, for the world would not hold them.
There is no exception to the rule that every organic being naturally increases at so high a rate, that if not destroyed, the earth would soon be covered by the progeny of a single pair. Even slow-breeding man has doubled in twenty-five years, and at this rate, in a few thousand years, there would literally not be standing room for his progeny. Linnæus has calculated that if an annual plant produced only two seeds—and there is no plant so unproductive as this—and their seedlings next year produced two, and so on, then in twenty years there would be a million plants. The elephant is reckoned to be the slowest breeder of all known animals, and I have taken some pains to estimate its probable minimum rate of natural increase: it will be… Read more »
Before the environmental kick (but after the Zoo Quest era) Attenborough’s series perpetuated an almost Lamarckian ultra-adaptationist version of evolutionary theory: “If fish were going to take to the land, they needed to develop [this, that and the other].” Like the walruses with heat-stroke, this pseudoscience was present as fact, and formed the assumptions of whole generations.