David Attenborough centenary: BBC to air three special programmes
David Attenborough will be celebrated with a dedicated week of programming when the broadcaster marks his 100th birthday on 8 May (ET), with three new special shows, archive highlights and a live concert event.
New shows featuring David Attenborough
The special programming lineup includes a behind-the-scenes film titled Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure, which revisits the production of the landmark 1979 series Life on Earth. The programme will feature fresh interviews with David Attenborough and members of the original production team as they reflect on the shoot and the significant challenges they encountered while making the series, including a coup in the Comoros, being shot at, and a notable encounter with gorillas in Rwanda.
Alongside that retrospective, David Attenborough will front a new series called Secret Garden that explores the hidden worlds found in Britain’s back gardens. Filmed across the UK, the five-episode run is billed as a close-up look at the rich diversity of life living in domestic green spaces and will consider practical ways the public can help protect struggling species.
Completing the trio of new offerings is David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth, a live event staged at the Royal Albert Hall that will feature the Concert Orchestra and a roster of special guests. The live celebration is presented as a centerpiece event for the commemorative week.
Archives, collections and how the week will be presented
The celebratory week will also revisit episodes from many of David Attenborough's most-loved series, with specially selected highlights drawn from his extensive television work. In addition to the new commissions, a dedicated collection of 40 of his most-loved programmes will be made available on iPlayer, allowing viewers to sample a broad span of his output during the centenary tribute.
The programming strategy combines new material that reflects on the making of landmark work with accessible, themed curation of past series, creating a mix of retrospective context and fresh encounters. The broadcaster has framed the week as a recognition of an "extraordinary milestone" and an opportunity to present both new perspectives on historic projects and celebratory live performance.
With the combination of a reflective documentary, a five-part natural-history series set in domestic gardens, and a high-profile live concert event, the centenary week aims to showcase different facets of David Attenborough's career while inviting audiences to revisit and engage with the programmes that have defined it.
