Sir David Attenborough said on Thursday he had been completely overwhelmed by the flood of birthday messages sent ahead of his 100th birthday on Friday, as the prepares a special concert in his honour at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
In an audio message released Thursday, Attenborough said he had thought he would mark the milestone quietly, but messages had arrived from pre-school groups, care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages. He said he could not reply to each one separately and thanked people for their kind words, adding his best wishes to those planning local events.
The 90-minute concert, hosted by Kirsty Young, will air on One and iPlayer from 20:30 BST on Friday and will bring together Sir Michael Palin, Steve Backshall, Liz Bonnin and Chris Packham. The event will revisit memorable wildlife moments from Attenborough’s career and draw on the ’s natural history archive, with the Concert Orchestra performing music associated with Planet Earth II and Frozen Planet II. Dan Smith will join the orchestra for Pompeii, used in Planet Earth III, while Sigur Rós will perform Hoppípolla, heard in the promotion of Planet Earth and Planet Earth II.
Born in 1926 and having joined the in 1952, Attenborough has become one of the broadcaster’s defining figures, with work spanning Life on Earth and the recent Secret Garden series. The has marked his centenary with a week of special programming, including a documentary last weekend in which Attenborough and members of his former production team reflected on the making of Life on Earth.
The scale of the celebration matches the size of the career. Kirsty Young called his life one that has “exquisitely” revealed Earth’s wonders, while director of unscripted Kate Philips described him as extraordinary and a truly remarkable individual. Friday’s concert is the climax of the ’s centenary tribute, and Attenborough’s message made clear he will not be spending the day in private after all.