In almost 100 years on this planet, Sir David Attenborough has made an incomparable impact on the world that he loves to marvel at with wonder.
The natural historian and broadcaster – who’s now 98 years old – has played a pivotal role in educating the masses about the animal and plant kingdoms and is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most cherished stars.
However, according to Mike Gunton, who recently worked as an executive producer on the acclaimed Planet Earth III, there’s one title that you should never bestow on Sir David.
Metro.co.uk had the chance to speak to Mike ahead of the upcoming Planet Earth III Live in Concert event, which he will host when the spectacle comes to London and Manchester.
Sir David’s Legacy and Lasting Impact
Mike’s collaborations with Sir David date all the way back to the late 1980s when he came on board to help create the BBC documentary The Trials of Life: A Natural History of Behaviour.
According to the producer, the programme was supposed to be Sir David’s last series… but of course, we know that prediction turned out to be absolutely, incredibly wrong.
He’s since been an executive producer on documentaries including The Green Planet, Dynasties, Planet Earth II, and Africa, all of which featured Sir David’s calm and knowledgeable narration.
The National Treasure Debate
While chatting about their collaborations, we couldn’t help but point out that the biologist is frequently recognised as a ‘national treasure’ in the UK.
However, the creative director of BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit stressed that label is one that Sir David is not particularly fond of himself.
‘He hates it, by the way,’ Mike revealed. ‘I say hates it… If anybody says he’s a national treasure, he sort of slightly raises his eyebrows and says, “Really?” That’s a generational thing.’
We then noted that Sir David’s work is of far greater importance than a title, to which Mike responded: ‘You’ve hit the nail on the head.’
Unforgettable Memories and Moments
Over the years of working together – including on Planet Earth III, which came out last year – there are countless fond memories that could take up several hours of discussion.
One of Mike’s highlights went back to their first collaboration on The Trials of Life, which came out in 1990 after taking more than three years to make.
‘One of the reasons why I was hired was to go on location with him and come up with all these crazy things of getting him climbing termite mounds and all the rest of it,’ he recollected.
‘So lots of the things that I’ve done with him have been saying, “I’d like you to do this, David I’d like to climb up the top of this tree.” On The Private Life of Plants when he was 94, “I’d like you to row across this lake.” He’s always been completely up for that.’
The Essence of Sir David’s Work
The producer continued: ‘The thing that he brings when he’s on camera, on-screen is – and it goes back to what you’re saying about the national treasure – he’s not interested in himself at all.
‘He’s just interested in telling you, in the most interesting and joyful and intense way, what’s exciting and interesting about this piece of natural history. That’s unfakeable – that only comes from fantastic knowledge and fantastic passion.’
Mike hailed the ‘unbridled curiosity’ that Sir David exhibits, adding that ‘at 98, he’s still absorbing science, absorbing knowledge’.
The Future of Planet Earth
In Planet Earth III, the team behind the nature documentary pushed the boat out even more with the scale of the production and the technology they used, filming in 43 countries and achieving world firsts, including rare footage of blue sharks and humpback whales.
Set to the stunning score by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the concert taking place this year will transport audiences back into the wild world depicted in the series, from watching wolves in the Canadian Arctic to hornbills in the forests of Borneo.
Mike emphasized what sits at the core of Planet Earth’s DNA – ‘embracing the animals, the planet, the environments, the ecosystems, and trying to do things that nobody else attempts or has done before’ – and how that will translate to the concert stage.
In a final tease, he added: ‘I think in terms of the production, it’s going to be like when we make Planet Earth – we try and raise the bar each time we do a new one and bring a slightly different feel to it, [while] keeping the DNA the same.
‘In terms of a production, the spectacle is up, it’s going to be amazing.’
