The BBC is celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday on Friday with a live event at the Royal Albert Hall – however, his colleague and friend has revealed that the TV presenter would rather be anywhere else.
Attenborough worked with documentary producer Alastair Fothergill on a number of nature documentaries, including 2001’s The Blue Planet, 2006’s Planet Earth and more recently, David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.
Speaking about Sir David ahead of him turning 100, Fothergill told BBC Breakfast that the presenter “hates celebrity” – and would prefer to spend his birthday at home.
“He hates celebrity. He doesn’t like that at all and he’s realised that the has to do it, he’s realised how famous he is but if we could escape everything else about publicity, he would be very pleased,” he said on Thursday (7 May).
When asked what Sir David thinks about celebrating his birthday with a party at the Royal Albert Hall, Fothergill continued: “David would love nothing to be happening around his 100th birthday. That would be his favourite choice.”
He added: “He would like to be at home all day, nice glass of wine in the evening. However, he recognises that the British public want to say happy birthday to him and I think he’ll go home happy.”
The almost-centenarian’s life and career will be celebrated on Friday (8 March) with a special 90-minute live event hosted by Kirsty Young.
Sir Michael Palin, Steve Backshall and Chris Packham are among those who’ll be wishing Sir David a happy birthday during the broadcast, which also features performances from musicians featured on his Planet Earth series.
Dan Smith of Brit Award-winning Bastille will be performing his hit “Pompeii” with the BBC Concert Orchestra, while Icelandic band Sigur Rós will play “Hoppípolla”, which was famously used in Planet Earth and Planet Earth II.
It is currently unknown whether Sir David will be attending the event in person.
On Thursday, the Natural History Museum announced that it had named a new species of Chilean wasp in Sir David’s honour. The wasps will be known as Attenboroughnculus tau after being discovered by scientists at the museum within its collections.
Earlier in the week, Chris Packham – who will be speaking at Sir David’s birthday event – criticised world leaders for ignoring the presenter’s climate change warnings. Speaking to the Big Issue, Packham said that Sir David felt everyone “woke up the following morning and forgot”.
“There’s a real sense of sadness and injustice,” he added. “Because when the world’s leading science communicator is given a platform like that and they tell the truth, it shows incredible stupidity and ignorance for world leaders to ignore him. It is a total failure in their duty.”
David Attenborough’s best TV moments of all time ahead of 100th birthday celebration
Sir David Attenborough at 100: 15 photos you may have never seen before
From dinosaurs to butterflies: The many species named after Sir David Attenborough
Savannah Guthrie returns to Today show with no explanation for mid-broadcast exit
SNL UK future confirmed by Sky after weeks of uncertainty
Jeremy Vine shares penny-farthing bike crash uncovered heart issue
