David Attenborough has revealed that his plan to celebrate his 100th birthday quietly has been thoroughly thwarted by a planet that apparently adores him. In a recorded audio message, the naturalist admitted he was "completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings," ranging from preschool groups to care home residents, proving that his soothing voice unites humanity across all ages.
Instead of a quiet affair, the milestone will be marked with a live event at the Royal Albert Hall broadcast on BBC One, featuring music from his programmes plus stories from public figures and leading advocates for the natural world. The Natural History Museum has also gotten in on the act, naming a newly discovered species of parasitic wasp - *Attenboroughnculus tau* - after him. Because nothing says "happy 100th" like a parasitic insect.
Tributes poured in from science, politics, and popular culture. Naturalist Chris Packham called Attenborough "the greatest ambassador for life on Earth the planet has and will ever see," adding that he's also "a nice bloke." Actor Ian McKellen said Attenborough sums up "the best about the BBC," making serious programmes for a popular audience. Alastair Fothergill of Silverback Films noted that before Attenborough, wildlife television was seen as niche or educational; he brought wonder into living rooms and made audiences feel responsible for the planet.
Attenborough was born in Isleworth, west London, in 1926 and grew up near Leicester, where he cycled for miles to find fossils. After stints in the navy and publishing, he joined the BBC in 1950, rising to controller of BBC2 in 1965, where he commissioned shows like *The Old Grey Whistle Test* and *Civilisation*. But his true passion was wildlife, culminating in 1979's *Life on Earth* - including that famous uncannily calm encounter with a gorilla in Rwanda.
Not everyone has been uniformly adoring. Writer George Monbiot expressed astonishment at Attenborough's "consistent failure to mount a coherent, truthful and effective defence of the living world." Attenborough countered that too many dire warnings can be a "turn-off," though in recent years he has ramped up the alarm, addressing UN climate talks in 2018 and Cop26 in 2021. At Cop26, he told younger generations: "In my lifetime I have witnessed a terrible decline. In yours, you could and should witness a wonderful recovery."
So happy 100th to the man who made us all care about the planet, even if he had to name a parasitic wasp after himself to get the job done.