Add to FavouritesAbout this Broadcast
Among David Attenborough's life-long passions are birds of paradise, which he has tracked all over the jungles of New Guinea to film their beautiful and often bizarre displays. In this documentary, he examines how and why these creatures have captivated explorers, naturalists, artists, film-makers and even royalty, investigating the myths surrounding their discovery 500 years ago, the latest extraordinary behaviour captured on camera and the science behind their beauty. He also travels to a state-of-the art facility in Qatar that houses the largest breeding group of these birds in the world
HD
subtitles
16x9
Education/Science/Factual Topics
Wildlife
More Information
Did You Know..
David Attenborough
(Presenter)
Born:
May 08, 1926
in
London
Best Known For:
His more than 50 years of broadcasting.
Early-life:
Born David Frederick Attenborough on May 8, 1926, in London, son of an academic and principal of Leicester University College. He had two brothers - Johnny, who had a car dealership, and film director and actor Richard. During World War Two, his parents also adopted two German Jewish girls, who arrived in Britain as part of the Kindertransport. Attenborough went to Leicester's Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys before studying geology at Cambridge. He served two years in the Royal Navy.
Career:
Attenborough joined the BBC in 1952, making his reputation with the groundbreaking Zoo Quest series, which he hosted for 10 years. He became controller of BBC2 in 1965, overseeing the advent of colour TV, and in 1969 was made BBC director of programming. In 1973, he returned to presenting with the series Eastwards With Attenborough and The Tribal Eye. In 1979, he wrote and presented Life On Earth and its sequel The Living Planet in 1984. The following year, he was knighted. He has since made several more programmes, such as Life in the Freezer (about Antarctica; 1993), The Private Life of Plants (1995), The Life of Birds (1998), The Life of Mammals (2002), Life in the Undergrowth (2005) and Life in Cold Blood (2008), First Life (2010), Frozen Planet (2011) and Life Story (2014). He continues to narrate and present documentaries.
Quote:
"I'm not sure there's any need for a new Attenborough. The more you go on, the less you need people standing between you and the animal and the camera waving their arms about."
Trivia:
In addition to his knighthood, Attenborough has also been awarded more than 30 honorary degrees and has several species and fossils named after him.
Miles Barton
(Producer)
Mike Gunton
(Executive producer)
