David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough is a UK naturalist and broadcaster who was born in 1926. His older brother is Lord Richard Attenborough the film director and actor. He is the middle son of a family of five siblings, including two adopted daughters who were refugees from Nazi Germany. Their father was Frederick Levi Attenborough (1887–1973), a teacher who later took his BA in 1918 with a first in Medieval and Modern Languages at Emmanuel College Cambridge. While a College Junior Fellow, his research dissertation 'The Laws of the Earliest English Kings' was published in 1922 (it has recently been reprinted in 2006). Frederick went on to become Principal of Borough Road Training College, Isleworth (1924–32) and of University College, Leicester (1932–51) where David grew up on the campus.

David was a keen collector of natural history specimens from his childhood.

Controller of BBC2

The UK national broadcaster's second TV channel began transmitting in 1964. David became the second BBC2 controller in 1965 after Michael Peacock. Under his watch the channel was responsible for commissioning two major series, 'Civilization' presented by the art historian Lord Clark, and later 'The Ascent of Man' looking at civilization from a scientific perspective. In 1969 he became BBC director of television.

Natural History on UK TV

David's first major TV series on nature was 'Zoo Quest,' which was broadcast for 10 years up to 1963 and made in cooperation with London Zoo. The programs narrated the search for new specimens for the Zoo's collection.