To think David Attenborough

[Tevion1213]

Amazing just that really posting here for traffic. He's 97 and still going strong he's truly an inspiration.

I agree OP, he's very inspiring, there's not many people who are still working at what they're passionate at at 97, it's an amazing achievement.

I love him. I also adored his brother. Ignore the nitpickers, it is one of their few pleasures in life. I feel sorry for people who have such empty lives that they get their kicks from pissing all over others' joy.

To have reached 97... luck and to some degree, money.

To still be working, in a job that no matter how much money you throw at it, involves some discomfort and physical effort, a lot of long hours, waiting around etc...

To be so dedicated to what he does to have done it for so very long...

Yes, incredible, inspirational, a national treasure and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

My DC and I were lucky enough l bump into him in a museum a few years ago, just casually, and had a lovely ten minute conversation. DC was about 4 and a completely chatterbox… I cannot tell you how engaging and sweet sir David was when talking to my child. DC still remembers it vividly! 💙

Are you a it slow on the uptake? Or just trying to sound clever.

How many 97 year olds do you know who are are active and working.

Totally agree.

Very few people get to 97 without taking care of themselves.

And yes, taking care of oneself doesn't guarantee that one lives to a ripe old age, but it shortens the odds.

Making it to 97 is mostly down to a combination of luck and genes (I come from a notoriously long-lived family, the joke being that we have to be taken out the back and shot), BUT continuing to have such a meaningful impact and a career that spans almost 70 years is astonishing.

I agree with you, OP, RA is amazing. I hope there will be a national day of mourning when he does eventually shuffle off this mortal coil.

And yes I agree - to be so passionate about one thing in such a positive way is inspiring in itself. But to keep that spark for such a long time… incredible. Think of the many generations that have been inspired to love the planet by him. That’s special

I’m a big fan of his work.

I suspect keeping a very active mind is part of it too.

A friend has a very obscure, exotic, foreign name. He was able to pinpoint the foreign literature it was featured in when inscribing a dedication in a book.

Aren’t they just. Tell me OP what do you think is so exceptional about David Attenborough celebrating his 350th birthday and still working? I really don’t see why his age has got anything to do with it and it’s very patronising of you to think being 350 is something to write about.

Years ago now, Blue Planet I think, we watched a tv programme dedicated to his work, in which his wife was briefly interviewed, asked did she mind him being away for long periods of time, exploring filming, editing.
His wife said, much as she loved him, it was a relief really as when he was home, he would fling his arms around, lumbering about, breaking things. She didn’t need to say he was big and clumsy and better suited to the great outdoors.

Did you see him in BP gardens with HM ? they had such a rapport, it was really quite endearing, when they speculated on the possibility of sitting in a tree, or discovering a sundial fixed in a shady spot

Attenborough is a high achiever, a most extraordinary person, ninety seven and
still fascinating, in a ‘what will he show us next’ way and yes, ninety seven is an achievement, of course it is, one of his many, many, many.

You misunderstand my meaning.
He is still inspiring people with his continued work, programmes etc. on wildlife as he has done for decades. And that's something worth celebrating.

My daughter has been inspired by him. She read his Life on Earth book when she was 11 and went into a career in conservation. At one time she was working in The David Attenborough Building in Cambridge where quite a few conservation organisations have offices all in the same building. She was there when he officially opened it and when he came back and gave quite a few talks. He is an inspiration across the world.

they speculated on the possibility of sitting in a tree

Ooh-er, David’s a bit of a go-er.

I met DA once, he is as lovely as you would expect.

He had a very interesting career and he has had the privilege of a long life and good healthcare, but honestly I’ve never really got the obsession with him. I think the day he dies it’s going to be worse then when the Queen went. I predict full scale wailing in the streets lady Di style.

I was thinking exactly the same thing when I saw him on TV this evening.
Given his age and his passion for what he does, I'm not sure how he remains so committed to saving this planet when the majority couldn't care less.
He could have retired years ago but no he's kept going, still as passionate and amazed by this amazing planet called Earth.
Yep he's bloody amazing. Yanbu.

But of course his age comes into it! How many 97-year-olds are making TV programs about the environment? He's not amazing for his age, but he is amazing and he is very old.

Of course his great age 97 is entirely relevant. Most of us won’t life that long and definitely won’t be working that long.

He’s amazing and has become a bit of a conscience for the nation on ecological themes. I really worry who they will replace him with once he can’t continue to work. Attenborough has been a fantastic example in tv of his work driving up broadcaster standards and viewers’ expectations.

I agree. I suspect he represents grandfatherly comfort to a generation. I don’t think Millennials feel the same way about him.

But yes, I dislike pomp and performative grief and will likely tune out, but I wish him a long life and many more years.

I absolutely love the angle you’ve taken on this. Here’s a warning kids - if you don’t start paying in your pension you’ll be scrabbling around in the undergrowth when you’re 100, just like poor skint Dave

Anyone remember Zoo Quest when DA and a team travelled the world to capture wild animals to bring them back to the UK to put in zoos?

A voice that is world famous. You cannot think of a nature documentary without thinking of a whispering narrator, a concept that is his. He created a sound so synonymous with nature his impact on popular culture is immense.

Thinking about other classic looks or sounds in pop culture (one that springs to mind is the evil mastermind stroking his cat, a look initated by Blofeld in James Bond), well like Bond Attenborough has left a huge mark with a sound that will be imitated long after he's gone.

When your ‘conservation’ work means wearing Canada Goose coats, when they were still a company inflicting terrible cruelty to animals, I don’t find that inspiring.