Wild at heart

Sir David Attenborough shows there's nature right on your doorstep in this new documentary about London wildlife

- WORDS: NICOLA METHVEN

A gull that drowns pigeons, foxes stashing chicken bones in car bonnets, herds of deer running through suburbia and birds travelling on the Tube.

These are just some of the extraordinary tales in Sir David Attenborough’s one-off special Wild London, which is all about the wildlife that thrive within England’s capital city.

Along the way, viewers will also be treated to the sight of Sir David getting up close to many creatures, from a peregrine falcon to a tiny harvest mouse.

Sir David, who turns 100 in May, has spent his life travelling the globe but in this one-hour special he’s transfixed by the wildlife that is right on his doorstep. As a Londoner of 75 years, he says, "A wilder city is a healthier city. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."

Director Joe Loncraine says they were spoilt for choice when it came to the stories - and that Sir David was keen to be involved from the moment they pitched him the idea.