Sir David Attenborough is close to retiring from location filming, but not before using his long-awaited documentary The Wild Islands to passionately appeal to the world at large.
Insiders insist the 96-year-old host is not retiring, but it’s unlikely he’ll head out to film future outdoor shows.
Filmed over the course of three years, The Wild Islands promises to show that Britain’s wildlife can be as impressive as anywhere else in the world, but is getting ever more fragile.
The 96-year-old broadcasting legend climbed 67 steep steps to reach a rocky outcrop on Skomer Island off the west coast of Wales to film the closing speech for Wild Isles.
Sir David encourages viewers to do whatever they can to try and restore nature and make our “wild islands” even wilder in the face of environmental threats, the culmination of a five-episode series.
After famous encounters with mountain gorillas in Rwanda and the last giant tortoise from the Galapagos Islands, Sir David is finally retiring from international travel.
Sir David visits a number of the UK’s wild islands, including the Old Harry Rocks in Dorset, a chalk creek in Wiltshire and Richmond Park, not far from where he lives, to begin his exploration of the forest.
He was determined to reach the top of Skomer in Pembrokeshire, where puffins nest between 100-foot (30-meter) cliffs in summer, and the highest concentration of Manx petrels form the silhouette of the Wild Isles.
However, Sir David is not retiring and will return to screens in May with the second series of Prehistoric Planet, the award-winning Earth history show produced by the BBC Natural History Unit for Apple TV.
Producers at Silverback Films used the latest technology to film scenes in which killer whales hunt seals in British waters, golden eagles forage in the snow-capped Scottish mountains, sinister forest plants hold pollinating insects hostage, and puffins chased by greedy gulls kidnap those who do everything. possible. Job. catch won.
The series, produced jointly by RSPB and WWF, will show that “Britain, although rich in places, is in general one of the most disadvantaged countries in the world.”
The latest episode carries the theme from the environmental campaign messages in Sir David’s latest series and is titled “Saving Our Wild Islands”.
Sir David said the BBC made him wait 70 years to film his first series on the UK’s flora and fauna after telling him to explore Africa instead.
He told Chris Packham how, in a meeting after he joined the BBC in 1952, managers told him: “You know what, we do British natural history, you can do all this in Africa.” And I said, “This is perfect for me!”… so this big wish came true.”
Sir David said: “In my long life I have been fortunate enough to visit almost all corners of the world and witness the most beautiful and dramatic spectacles.”
“But I can assure you that if you know where to look, the wildlife on these islands can be as dramatic and impressive as anything I’ve seen anywhere else.”
“The British Isles are of global importance for nature. In this series, we show why and celebrate the wonders of these islands we call home.”