Sir David Attenborough turns 100 today!

Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough turns 100 today.  Celebrations , including a live special TV show “David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth”, are marking his contributions to natural history, broadcasting and conservation, including in the realm of the Southern Ocean.  His documentaries on sub-Antarctic islands and their albatrosses have surely done more in the cause of their conservation than any other person has ever managed to achieve.

To mark his birthday, ACAP has found four short video clips of Sir David with three albatross species, Antipodean, Black-browed and Wandering, for followers of ACAP Latest News to enjoy.

“Male albatrosses pair for life”, from Frozen Planet II

“Nature of Wandering Albatross”, from Saving Planet Earth

“World's Largest Albatross Colony”, |from Blue Planet

“Endangered Wandering Albatross”, from Saving Planet Earth

Sir David Attenborough and a Laysan Albatross

“On the day of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, this unmissable event honours one of the most influential figures in broadcasting and natural history storytelling.  Broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall in London, this 90-minute special celebrates Sir David’s groundbreaking career, taking audiences on an extraordinary journey through a century of exploration and discovery in the natural world, seen through the prism of Sir David’s remarkable life and work.  The programme combines some of the most memorable wildlife moments from the BBC’s natural history archive with live music drawn from Sir David’s most iconic television series, alongside reflections from public figures and leading voices in conservation and wildlife film-making.

Accompanied throughout by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the programme features iconic music associated with some of television’s most unforgettable sequences from landmark series including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet. And we hear from those who have worked with and been inspired by Sir David over the years.”

Sir David Attenborough with a Grey-headed Albatross, while filming in 1992 for Life in the Freezer, photograph by Ben Osborne

You can sign his online birthcard here.  The day before his birthday 139 170 had already done so. Hint: use a UK postcode.

The Albatross and Petrel Agreement extends its very best wishes to Sir David on attaining his century.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 08 May 2026