Royal honours, thousands of animals and a Glastonbury appearance – Attenborough’s timelinepublished at 19:08 BST
19:08 BST
Image source, PA Media
8 May 1926: David Attenborough is born to parents Frederick and Mary in Isleworth, Middlesex. He grew up on a campus of University College, Leicester, where his father was principal, alongside his two brothers
1945: After attending Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester, he won a scholarship to study geology and zoology at the University of Cambridge
1952: Attenborough joins the BBC as a trainee producer
1954: He presents hit series Zoo Quest, which combines live studio segments with footage of rare animals – chimpanzees, pythons, birds of paradise – shot on location for the first time
Image caption,
In pursuit of a giant anteater in the Rupununi savannah, British Guiana, 1955
1965: Attenborough becomes controller of BBC Two and oversees the first ever colour broadcasts in Europe
1969: He commissions cult comedy sketch show Monty Python’s Flying Circus for the BBC
1970s: Attenborough returns to presenting and travels around the globe to deliver iconic natural history show Life on Earth
1985: He is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
2001: Sir David narrates classic nature series The Blue Planet, which introduces viewers to the deep sea and is the first time some species, including the hairy anglerfish fish and the “Dumbo” octopus, are captured on film
2015: He dives 1,000ft in a submersible off the Australian coast to film previously unseen parts of the Great Barrier Reef, and collaborates with the Natural History Museum on virtual reality projects Planet Earth II and Wild Isles
Image caption,
An appearance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2019
2019: The presenter appears on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury – shortly before Kylie Minogue’s set – to preview some of his new work and thanks festival-goers for cutting their plastic use
2022: Sir David receives a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael And St George, for services to TV, broadcasting and conservation, in a ceremony carried out by then-Prince Charles, now King Charles III
8 May 2026: He celebrates 100th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall