Demand to see Sir David’s new series outstrips Glastonbury
HE IS already a national treasure and, at 93, the posterboy for a climate-conscious generation.
Now Sir David Attenborough has officially reached global rock star status, after demand for tickets to his latest television show outstripped that for Glastonbury.
Sir David’s new BBC series, Seven Worlds, One Planet, will be screened to a select audience of 300 later this month, and viewers were invited to apply for tickets.
Some 80,000 people have already applied from as far afield as Australia, meaning they each have a one in 258 chance of being successful.
The extraordinary demand suggests Sir David is a greater lure than some of the country’s most popular events of recent years, including Wimbledon and the 2012 Olympics.
This year, 2.4million people applied for Glastonbury’s 135,000 tickets, giving each a one in 17 chance of securing one. Those keen on Wimbledon have around a one in three chance of success, with a reported 1.5million people entering the ballot, while the London 2012 Olympics had a similar ratio of 20million applications from 1.8million hopefuls for 6.6 million tickets.
Sir David does face competition from at least one rival though: Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion concert for charity at the O2 for which promoters claimed 20million applications – probably including multiple attempts from the same people – for its 18,000 seats.
The TV screening of Sir David’s Seven Worlds, One Planet will take place at a smaller venue in Bristol.
Within 24 hours of the announcement, more than 25,000 people had signed up. Applications closed at 10pm on Thursday, by which time 77,527 enthusiasts had put in a bid for a place.
The winners, allocated on a lottery basis, will watch the first episode of the new BBC series on Oct 23.
Sir David will take part in a Q&A with Jonny Keeling, the executive producer, Scott Alexander, the series producer, and other members of the team.
Julian Hector, the head of BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, said: “We are overwhelmed with the support from our home town of Bristol and further afield. The programme will look spectacular on the big screen and our team are so excited to be sharing their stories with the crowd.”
Seven Worlds, One Planet, which involved 1,749 days of filming in 41 countries, will start on the BBC on Oct 27.
‘The programme will look spectacular on the big screen and our team are so excited to be sharing their stories’