David Attenborough centenary marked with three special programmes and weeklong celebration

David Attenborough will reach his 100th birthday milestone on 8 May and will be celebrated with a dedicated week of programming featuring three new projects alongside classic episodes drawn from his long career. The announced lineup pairs fresh material with curated returns of well‑known series, framing the centenary as both a retrospective and an opportunity to spotlight nature on screen.

David Attenborough: the new programmes and the schedule

The centenary week will include three newly produced items. One special, Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure, is presented as a behind‑the‑scenes look at the original Life on Earth series. Life on Earth first reached audiences in 1979 and followed the presenter as he travelled to 40 countries to film 600 species; the new programme brings together fresh interviews with the presenter and members of the original production team and revisits some of the hazards encountered during production, including a coup in the Comoros, instances of being shot at, and an early field encounter with gorillas in Rwanda.

Another offering is a multi‑episode garden series titled Secret Garden (noted elsewhere as Secret Gardens), filmed across the United Kingdom in five episodes. That series is described as revealing hidden worlds within British gardens and intends to showcase the variety of life found in everyday back gardens while reflecting on ways the public can help struggling species.

The third new item is presented as a live centenary event at the Royal Albert Hall, billed as David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth and featuring a concert orchestra and special guests. In addition to the three new projects, the week will revisit selections from the presenter’s best‑known series, drawing from his extensive archive for repeat broadcasts during the celebration week.

Production perspective, legacy and the messaging around the centenary

The making‑of special foregrounds production challenges from earlier decades and highlights the international scope of the presenter's career. The behind‑the‑scenes approach frames the new special as a look at how landmark series were assembled and the obstacles faced in the field. The garden series shifts focus from expeditionary storytelling to the biodiversity found close to home and explicitly connects viewing with public action by reflecting on how people can "do their bit" to support vulnerable species in domestic settings.

The announced programming is being positioned as a celebration of an "extraordinary milestone" and of a body of work that has shaped natural history broadcasting and public perceptions of the natural world. Senior commissioning leadership described the week as a moment to express thanks for a lifetime spent bringing nature into viewers’ homes, underscoring the dual aims of honoring past work and encouraging ongoing public engagement with conservation themes.

Unknowns, likely next steps and why this matters

Several specific operational details have not been spelled out in the announcement: the precise broadcast schedule across the celebration week, full guest lists for the live centenary event, and how the archive selections will be organized for viewers. The announcement also shows minor inconsistencies in the exact title of the garden series between briefing lines.

• Missing details: exact airing times during the week of 8 May (timing not confirmed beyond the date), full episode guides, and confirmed participant lists for the live event.
• Distribution note: a collection of beloved programmes will be made available on the broadcaster’s on‑demand service as part of the centenary—but platform naming and access details were not specified in the central announcement.

Realistic near‑term scenarios to watch:

• The announced programmes air as scheduled beginning 8 May, anchored by the live event at the Royal Albert Hall; trigger: confirmed broadcast schedule release.
• Additional archival compilations or themed strands are published on the on‑demand service to accompany the week; trigger: a curated collection or playlist announcement.
• Further public engagement initiatives tied to the garden series are launched to encourage conservation actions at the local level; trigger: companion guidance or community‑focused promotions.

Why this matters: marking the 100th birthday with a concentrated week of programming brings renewed attention to a single broadcaster’s decades‑long presentation of natural history and offers an opportunity to connect high‑profile media moments with everyday conservation actions. For audiences, the mix of retrospection and new work aims to celebrate a career while encouraging continued interest in the natural world.