Sir David Attenborough is Britain's best-known natural history film-maker. His
career as a naturalist and broadcaster has spanned nearly six decades, and in
this volume of memoirs Sir David tells stories of the people and animals he has
met and the places he has visited. His first job - after Cambridge University and two years in the Royal Navy - was
at a London publishing house. Then in 1952 he joined the BBC as a trainee
producer, and it was while working on the Zoo Quest series (1954-64) that he had
his first opportunity to undertake expeditions to remote parts of the globe, to
capture intimate footage of rare wildlife in its natural habitat. He was
Controller of BBC2 (1965-68), during which time he introduced colour television
to Britain, then Director of Programmes for the BBC (1969-1972). However, in
1973 he abandoned administration altogether to return to documentary-making and
writing, and has established himself as the world's leading Natural History
programme maker with several landmark BBC series, including Life on Earth
(1979), The Living Planet (1984), The Trials of Life (1990), The Private Life of
Plants (1995), Life of Birds (1998), The Blue Planet (2001), Life of Mammals
(2002), Planet Earth (2006) and Life in Cold Blood (2008). Sir David is an Honorary Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, a Fellow of the
Royal Society and was knighted in 1985. He is also Britain's most respected,
trusted and lauded natural history broadcaster and writer, championing
conservation and standing at the forefront of issues concerning the planet's
declining species. A lot has changed since his first television documentary, and
in this updated edition of Life on Air Sir David tells us of his experiences of
filming in the 21st century.
