6<\/p>\n Sir David has been revealing the wonders of the natural world to TV audiences for more than 70 yearsCredit: Silverback Films 6<\/p>\n King Charles attended the London premiere of the star\u2019s latest film, Ocean, on TuesdayCredit: AP 6<\/p>\n Sir David laughing as endangered silverback gorillas got too close in 1978Credit: Naturepl<\/p>\n Meanwhile, US pop singer Billie Eilish<\/a> described the telly icon as a \u201cliving treasure\u201d.<\/p>\n One year shy of a century, Sir David<\/a>\u2019s mission to save the planet \u00adcontinues through his documentaries.<\/p>\n But he knows time is short. <\/p>\n In a moving speech at the end of Ocean<\/a>, released today, David says: \u201cThrough the course of my life, we have been on a voyage of ocean discovery. Now, as I approach the end of my life, it\u2019s my greatest hope we come to see the ocean as the lifeblood of our home.<\/p>\n READ MORE ON ATTENBOROUGH<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure nothing is more important. If we save the sea, we save our world.\u201d<\/p>\n Sir David has been revealing the wonders of the natural world to TV audiences for more than 70 years.<\/p>\n From a young lad collecting fossils in Leicester, he went on to study \u00adgeology and zoology at Cambridge University in 1945. <\/p>\n The rising star landed his first job in TV, as a trainee producer with the BBC<\/a>, in the early Fifties. And over the decades, he has become a broadcasting \u00adinstitution.<\/p>\n From laughing as endangered silverback gorillas got too close in 1978, to his excitement at seeing the fin of a blue whale rising from the depths in 2001, he has brought that heartfelt joy into our living rooms.<\/p>\n His documentaries, including Planet Earth and Blue Planet, have also made him a global figure.<\/p>\n Watch brilliant moment Wimbledon crowd rises and applauds TV legend Sir David Attenborough, 98, on centre court<\/p>\n Former US president Barack Obama<\/a> has said: \u201cI know from watching David\u2019s programmes that our eco-systems are all interconnected.\u201d<\/p>\n When Sir David has spoken at Parliament or at the United Nations<\/a>, politicians listened.<\/p>\n But at his age, it is no longer easy for him to travel abroad to film or campaign. He had a pacemaker fitted in 2013 and a double knee replacement two years later. <\/p>\n While his scaled-back schedule is understandable, colleague Colin Butfield, 52, believes it is a huge loss as Sir David is irreplaceable.<\/p>\n The Ocean co-director, who has known the broadcaster for 20 years, says: \u201cIt seems hard to imagine even Charles Darwin or anybody else has had the ability to travel for so long.<\/p>\n \u2018Passion is genuine\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cVery few people have ever seen as much of the world as he has, giving him the ability to talk with such authority. I don\u2019t know how anyone would ever replicate that.\u201d<\/p>\n Sir David had been pondering a film about how to save our under-threat oceans for a while \u2014 but had feared time would run out. Ocean charts the voyage of discovery that David and scientists have made about the waters that cover 70 per cent of Earth\u2019s surface, particularly since improvements in technology<\/a> led to better underwater exploration.<\/p>\n David recalls: \u201cThe first time I tried scuba diving, I was so taken aback I forgot momentarily to breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n Research has revealed the damage being done by \u201cbottom trawlers\u201d, the most common method of catching fish.<\/p>\n An area the size of the Amazon rainforest is being ploughed every year.<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Attenborough prepares for a dive while filming Life on Earth, 1979Credit: BBC 6<\/p>\n Ocean charts the voyage of discovery that David and scientists have made about the waters that cover 70 per cent of Earth\u2019s surface,Credit: Silverback Films 6<\/p>\n Ocean is not an anti-fishing movie \u2014 and he insists restoring the ocean is ‘for everyone on Earth’Credit: Silverback Films<\/p>\n Sir David is worried that they are now overfishing the krill in Antarctica, which are an essential source of food for other marine species.<\/p>\n But Ocean is not an anti-fishing movie \u2014 and he insists restoring the ocean is \u201cfor everyone on Earth\u201d.<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cAfter a lifetime recording the natural world, I can\u2019t recall a more exciting time.\u201d If Sir David retires from film-making, the question is: who will pick up the baton? Colin doesn\u2019t see an obvious heir, though he hails the King and Prince William<\/a> as \u00adpowerful voices for the environment.<\/p>\n Having worked with the younger royal on the Earthshot Prize, which helps funds projects aimed at saving the planet, he says: \u201cDavid was on the Earthshot Prize<\/a> council for the first few years. I\u2019m sure there must have been some inspiration coming to Prince William from David.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Sir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/NINTCHDBPICT000990787942_0c63bc.jpg\")
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Colin reveals: \u201cDavid said, \u2018If you\u2019re gonna do it, we should probably get on with it\u2019\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009So we did.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/NINTCHDBPICT000992805228.jpg\")
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