WILD LIFE

AS SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH TURNS 100, MARION MCMULLEN LOOKS AT HIS JOURNEY FROM TV EXEC TO NATIONAL TREASURE

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HE has had a butterfly named after him, a prehistoric marine reptile and even a Peruvian frog.

Sir David Attenborough is marking his 100th birthday and his legacy to the natural world is reflected in the numerous creatures that now bear his moniker.

His long career has seen him interviewed by Barack Obama at the White House, appear at Glastonbury, take part in BBC children’s show Hey Duggee and, of course, famously aping around with gorillas.

Sir David also brought colour television to Britain when he was controller of BBC2 in the 1960s and his groundbreaking nature programmes have been watched by millions all over the world.

Sir David was born David Frederick Attenborough on May 8 1926, in London. His father was principal of University College Leicester, while his mother was an activist and campaigner.

Before joining the BBC in 1952, he studied geology at the University of Cambridge and served two years in the Royal Navy. He made his reputation with the groundbreaking Zoo Quest series, which he hosted for 10 years on the BBC.

It was first broadcast in December 1954 and became one of the most popular television series of its time.

Zoo Quest completely changed how viewers saw the world - revealing wildlife and tribal communities that had never been seen or filmed before.