Sir David Attenborough has said one of his only regrets is spending so much time working on overseas natural history programmes rather than focusing on British wildlife. The 96-year-old broadcaster and naturalist recently revealed it was due to “internal BBC politics” when he joined the corporation in 1952 which led him to focus on documenting nature abroad rather than closer to home during his career.
He is now presenting a five-part series called Wild Isles which aims to shine a light on the variety and challenges affecting nature within the British Isles. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph magazine about the series, Sir David recalled how early on in his career he made an agreement with the BBC to focus on global wildlife while the corporation’s Natural History Unit, founded in Bristol in 1957, would produce stories on Britain.
He said: “There was a chap trying to establish Bristol then as a centre of natural history. He knew which strings to pull and I could see things coming to a head. Eventually we had a meeting and it was agreed I wouldn’t look at British natural history at all.
