At 98, environmental campaigner David Attenborough has no plans to retire
Veteran British naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough turns 98 tomorrow (May 8) but according to his longtime collaborator Mike Gunton, he has no plans of retiring.
Gunton, who is creative director of the Natural History Unit at the BBC, first met Attenborough in the 1980s while working on the animal behavior show, The Trials of Life.
The two have since made acclaimed programs such as the nature series Planet Earth, the wildlife show Life, and The Green Planet.
In an interview with Reuters, Gunton reflected on his relationship with Attenborough and the broadcaster’s work.
Below are excerpts edited for length and brevity:
Q: What has your working relationship with David meant to you?
Gunton: “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to make the programs that he’s been a key part of, which would never have been seen, and appreciated, and loved by so many people without him front and center.”
Q: What is it like working with David?
Gunton: “Every time you go on location with David, it’s fun. He’s got an amazing sense of humor. He’s a fantastic anecdote raconteur. He offers opportunities to go places and see things that you would never normally see with your eyes.”
Q: What is the key message at the heart of David’s work?
Gunton: “He has always had a curiosity about the natural world but always had concern for its vulnerability. He must be unique in that nobody is an eyewitness like he is of the change that has happened across the natural world, often because he’s been back to the same places. That’s why he’s such a powerful advocate – because you can’t argue. He’s seen it with his own eyes.”
Q: What is David most proud of?
Gunton: “He’s undoubtedly proud of the sheer scale of the body of work; that almost every aspect of the natural world, at some point, he has been able to tell a story about and engage millions upon millions of people around the world.”
Q: What has David’s role been in developing the way his nature documentaries resonate?
Gunton: “It’s a group effort but he is the best storyteller of all. He’s a genius when it comes to unfolding a story that is powerful, beautiful, and sometimes quite sobering in a way that audiences will accept and absorb. I think that’s going to be a very hard thing for anyone else to do.”
Q: Will retire?
David ever
Gunton: “Somebody did ask him this the other day, and he said, ‘Retirement, retirement? I don’t even know the word.’ It’s never going to happen.”