A star-studded live event is being planned to celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, featuring broadcasters including Sir Michael Palin, Steve Backshall and Chris Packham.
Hosted by Kirsty Young, the evening will take place at London’s Royal Albert Hall and include performances from musicians featured in his BBC Planet Earth TV series.
Dan Smith, the frontman of Brit Award-winning Bastille, will join the BBC Concert Orchestra to perform “Pompeii”, which appeared in Planet Earth III.
Icelandic band Sigur Rós is also set to play “Hoppípolla”, famously used in promotions for Planet Earth and Planet Earth II.
The event will also combine memorable wildlife moments from the BBC’s natural history archive.
Those who have worked alongside Sir David – including Backshall, Packham, and Sir Michael – will reflect on his immense impact and lasting legacy.
Young said: “Sir David’s gift to the world has been a life spent exquisitely revealing Earth’s wonders to us all.
“The very least he deserves is a big 100th birthday bash at the Royal Albert Hall.
“I’m very happy indeed, as the host, to be able to invite everyone to the party.”
The BBC Concert Orchestra will perform the scores associated with some of the most unforgettable moments from Sir David’s programmes, including the dramatic snakes and iguanas chase from Planet Earth II, and the powerful wave-washing orcas sequence from Frozen Planet II.
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There will also be music from the British singer Sienna Spiro and Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesias, who will play the traditional Pajaro Campana – a piece that featured in Zoo Quest, Sir David’s first wildlife programme.
The 90-minute programme will be jointly staged and produced by BBC Studios Music Productions and Natural History Unit in partnership with The Open University.
David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth will air on his birthday, 8 May, at 8.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
The BBC will also air two other shows to mark the broadcaster’s centenary.
Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure will delve behind the scenes of the seminal 1979 BBC One series.
This programme will feature fresh interviews with Sir David and the original production team, reflecting on the challenges faced during its creation, including a coup in the Comoros, being shot at, and his iconic encounter with gorillas in Rwanda.
Sir David will also front Secret Garden, a new series exploring the hidden worlds within Britain’s gardens.
In five episodes filmed throughout the UK, the programme will showcase the rich diversity of life in British back gardens and offer insights into how the public can contribute to saving struggling species.
