The Attenborough Effect: 97-Year-Old Presenter Has Already Begun Filming Planet Earth Series 3

Caroline Frost
·2 min read
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At the age of 97, David Attenborough could be forgiven for wanting to put his feet up in front of the fire. Instead, the 97-year-old revered presenter has signed up to present the third series of Planet Earth.

The Guardian newspaper reports that Attenborough has already begun filming the new series of the BBC’s award-winning natural history programme, expected to air later this year on BBC One.

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The show’s executive producer, Mike Gunton, told The Guardian: “Planet Earth wouldn’t be Planet Earth without David, so I’m delighted he is presenting the third series. As ever, he has brought his huge enthusiasm and wisdom, has been encouraging about our new perspective and has, I know, really enjoyed seeing the extraordinary new wonders brought to the screen.”

And Gunton revealed that the first shots of the new series will show Attenborough following in the footsteps of one of his heroes, Charles Darwin – who pioneered ideas on evolution.

“It seemed the perfect place for David to introduce Planet Earth III and remind us of the wonders and the fragility of our planet.”

In his extraordinary eight-decade career, Attenborough has filmed all over the world, and he still likes to get about, although these days, his team keep a careful eye on him. When he filmed the BBC series Wild Isles, which aired earlier this year, he was accompanied by a doctor carrying a defribrillator when he climbed a steep concrete set of steps at Skomer Island off the coast of Wales.

The Guardian describes Planet Earth as one of the BBC’s most popular natural history franchises, winning a string of awards on previous outings. The new series will comprise eight hour-long episodes.

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