David Attenborough
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| - | :''[[David Attenborough]]'' | + | '''Sir David Frederick Attenborough''' (pronounced Atten-burruh) [[Order of Merit|OM]], [[Order of the Companions of Honour|CH]], [[Royal Victorian Order|CVO]], [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]] (born [[8 May]] [[1926]] in [[London]], [[England]]) is a [[broadcasting|broadcaster]] and [[naturalist]]. His career as the respected face and voice of British [[natural history]] programmes has endured for more than 50 years. He is best known for writing and presenting the nine [[The Life Collection|"Life" series]], in conjunction with the [[BBC Natural History Unit]], which collectively form a comprehensive survey of all terrestrial life. He is also a former senior manager at the [[BBC]], having served as controller of [[BBC Two]] and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s. |
| - | A '''nature documentary''' is a [[documentary film]] about [[animal]]s, [[plant]]s, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat. Such programmes are most frequently made for [[television]], particularly for [[public broadcasting]] channels, but some are also made for the [[Movie theater|cinema]]. | + | |
| - | ==History== | + | He is the younger brother of director and actor [[Richard Attenborough]]. |
| - | Television documentaries started on [[BBC]] television, with the long-running series ''Look'', a studio-based magazine progamme with filmed inserts, hosted by [[Peter Scott|Sir Peter Scott]]. The first 50-minute weekly documentary series was ''The World About Us'', which began with a colour installment from the French film-maker Haroun Tazieff, called "Volcano". Around 1982, the series changed its title to ''[[The Natural World]]'' and is still in production today at the [[BBC Natural History Unit]] in [[Bristol]]. During the late 1970s and early 1980s several other television companies round the world set up their own specialised natural history departments, including [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] in [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]] and [[Television New Zealand|TVNZ]]'s unit in [[Dunedin]], [[New Zealand]] — both still in existence, the latter having changed its name to [[NHNZ]]. [[ITV]]'s contribution to the genre was ''Survival'', a prolific series of single films. It was eventually axed when the network introduced a controversial new schedule which many commentators have criticised as '[[dumbing down]]'. | + | == Parodies and artistic portrayals == |
| - | Wildlife and natural history films have boomed in popularity and have become one of modern society's most important sources of information about the natural world. Yet they have been largely ignored by film and television critics and scholars. | + | Attenborough's [[Received Pronunciation|accent]] and hushed, excited delivery have been the subject of frequent [[parody|parodies]] by [[comedian]]s, most notably [[Spike Milligan]], [[Marty Feldman]], ''[[The Goodies]]'' and ''[[South Park]]''. Especially apt for spoofing is Attenborough's pronunciation of the word "here" when using it to introduce a sentence, as in, "[[triphthong|He-eah]], in the rain forest of the Amazon Basin..." |
| - | ==Content== | + | Attenborough is portrayed by [[Michael Palin]] in the final episode of [[Monty Python's Flying Circus]], where he searches the African jungle for the legendary Walking Tree of Dahomey (''Quercus Nicholas Parsonus''), sweating excessively and accompanied by native guides wearing [[saxophone]]s. |
| - | Most programmes or series focus on a particular [[species]], [[ecosystem]] or [[science|scientific]] idea (such as [[evolution]]). Although most take a scientific and [[education]]al approach, some [[anthropomorphism|anthropomorphise]] their subjects or present animals purely for the viewer's pleasure. | + | |
| - | Although almost all have a human presenter, the role varies widely, ranging from explanatory [[voiceover]]s to extensive interaction or even confrontation with animals. | + | In an episode of [[Are You Being Served?]], "Anything You Can Do!", Mrs. Slocombe refers him by name, by mistake, she says Richard Attenborough. |
| - | Well-known nature documentary makers and presenters include Oscar-winning [[Bernhard Grzimek]], [[David Attenborough]], [[Richard Brock]], [[Jacques Cousteau]], [[Marlin Perkins]], [[Heinz Sielmann]], [[Hugo van Lawick]], [[Jeff Corwin]], [[Mark Strickson]], Neil Harraway and [[Steve Irwin]]. | + | Attenborough also appears as a character in [[David Ives]]' play ''Time Flies'', a comedy focusing on a romance between two [[mayfly|mayflies]]. |
| - | The Panda Awards for nature documentaries are given every two years, by the [http://wildscreen.org.uk Wildscreen Trust], in Bristol, [[United Kingdom|UK]]. | + | In the documentary ''In the Wild: Lemurs with John Cleese'', while trekking through the forest in [[Madagascar]], [[John Cleese|Cleese]] points as if to have seen an exotic creature and exclaims, "It's David Attenborough!" |
| - | Most documentaries are for television and are usually of 45–50 minutes duration, but some are made as full-length cinematic presentations. | + | On an episode of ''[[The Ricky Gervais Show]]'', [[Karl Pilkington]] speculates that David Attenborough is likely careful not to kill any insect pests, imitating Attenborough's inevitable recognition that "that's where I make me money." |
| - | Such films include: | + | In the late 1980s, an Australian weekly programme called ''[[The Comedy Company]]'' featured a segment with "David Rabbitborough" played by [[Ian McFadyen]]. He got around in a safari suit touring the Melbourne suburbs in the same format as Attenborough, but his specimens were human beings and garden objects, like gnomes, garden hoses and water caps. |
| - | * ''[[Animals Are Beautiful People]]'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[Serengeti Shall Not Die]]'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Last Paradises: On the Track of Rare Animals]]'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Living Desert]]'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[March of the Penguins]]'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Leopard Son]]'' | + | |
| - | In addition, the BBC's ''[[The Blue Planet]]'' and ''[[Planet Earth (TV series)|Planet Earth]]'' series have both been adapted for theatrical release. | + | In the 1980s, a TV advertisement for [[Guinness]] featured an Attenborough impersonator investigating the odd "species" of humans who prefer bland lager to flavoursome stout. |
| - | ===Staged content=== | + | In a [[Finland|Finnish]] TV commercial, Attenborough is impersonated, looking at [[firefly|fireflies]] - until the lights are turned on by a studio employee going to a soft drink vending machine. |
| - | Some nature documentaries, particularly those involving animals, have included footage of staged events that appeared to be "natural" but were contrived by the filmmakers or happened in captivity. The most famous example is Walt Disney's ''[[White Wilderness]]'', but there are examples in modern nature documentaries, such as ''[[The Blue Planet]]''. | + | |
| - | ===David Attenborough=== | + | [[Portugal|Portuguese]] comedian [[Herman José]] played a caricature of Attenborough (David Vaitenborough, roughly translated as David Go-away) in the "Herman Geographycal Society" sketches in his TV Show ''Herman Enciclopédia'' (1997). |
| - | Some documentaries are also presented as television [[miniseries]]. The most notable of these are the BBC's 'Life' series, written and presented by Sir David Attenborough, whose contribution to conservation is widely regarded, and whose programmes have been seen by millions of people throughout the world. The series comprises: | + | |
| - | *''[[Life on Earth (documentary)|Life on Earth]]'' (1979), 13 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[The Living Planet]]'' (1984), 12 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[The Trials of Life]]'' (1990), 12 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[Life in the Freezer]]'' (1993), 6 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[The Private Life of Plants]]'' (1995), 6 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[The Life of Birds]]'' (1998), 10 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[The Life of Mammals]]'' (2002), 10 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[Life in the Undergrowth]]'' (2005), 5 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[Life in Cold Blood]]'' (2008), 5 episodes | + | |
| - | ===Steve Irwin=== | + | Another group of TV advertisements produced in 2008, this time for [[GEICO]] automobile insurance, has an Attenborough impersonator observing the [[Geico gecko]] making his sales pitch in various settings. |
| - | These documentaries are aired on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet. It is based on wildlife conservation and environmentalism. The series comprises: | + | |
| - | *''[[The Crocodile Hunter]]'' (1992–2004), 74 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course]] (2002), Movie | + | |
| - | *''[[Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files]]'' (1999), 52 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[Ten Deadliest Snakes In The World]]'' (2001) | + | |
| - | *''[[The Crocodile Hunter Diaries]]'' ([[2001–2003]]), 30 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[New Breed Vets]]'' (2005), 6 episodes | + | |
| - | *''[[Ocean's Deadliest]]'' (2006) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Bindi Irwin=== | + | |
| - | These documentaries are aired on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet. It is based on wildlife and | + | |
| - | Bindi took over her Father's responsibilities when her Father [[Steve Irwin]] died. | + | |
| - | *''[[Bindi the Jungle Girl]]'' | + | |
| - | *''[[My Daddy the Crocodile Hunter]] (Tribute to her Father) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ==Current production== | + | |
| - | In recent years most traditional style 'blue chip' programming has become prohibitively expensive and are funded by a set of co-producers, usually a broadcaster (such as [[Animal Planet]], [[National Geographic]] or [[NHK]], [[Japan]]) from one or several countries, a production company and sometimes a distributor which then has the rights to sell the show into more territories than the original broadcaster. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Two recent examples of co-productions that were filmed by the BBC are ''[[The Blue Planet]]'' and ''[[Planet Earth (TV series)|Planet Earth]]'', the latter being the first series of its kind to be made entirely in [[high-definition television|high-definition format]]. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Production companies are increasingly exploiting the filmed material, by making DVDs for home viewing or educational purposes, or selling library footage to advertisers, museum exhibitors and other documentary producers. | + | |
| + | Attenborough's voice-over is included in the Japanese band [[Coaltar of the Deepers]]' song "Cell". | ||
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Revision as of 21:58, 24 November 2008
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Sir David Frederick Attenborough (pronounced Atten-burruh) OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS (born 8 May 1926 in London, England) is a broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the respected face and voice of British natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years. He is best known for writing and presenting the nine "Life" series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, which collectively form a comprehensive survey of all terrestrial life. He is also a former senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s.
He is the younger brother of director and actor Richard Attenborough.
Parodies and artistic portrayals
Attenborough's accent and hushed, excited delivery have been the subject of frequent parodies by comedians, most notably Spike Milligan, Marty Feldman, The Goodies and South Park. Especially apt for spoofing is Attenborough's pronunciation of the word "here" when using it to introduce a sentence, as in, "He-eah, in the rain forest of the Amazon Basin..."
Attenborough is portrayed by Michael Palin in the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, where he searches the African jungle for the legendary Walking Tree of Dahomey (Quercus Nicholas Parsonus), sweating excessively and accompanied by native guides wearing saxophones.
In an episode of Are You Being Served?, "Anything You Can Do!", Mrs. Slocombe refers him by name, by mistake, she says Richard Attenborough.
Attenborough also appears as a character in David Ives' play Time Flies, a comedy focusing on a romance between two mayflies.
In the documentary In the Wild: Lemurs with John Cleese, while trekking through the forest in Madagascar, Cleese points as if to have seen an exotic creature and exclaims, "It's David Attenborough!"
On an episode of The Ricky Gervais Show, Karl Pilkington speculates that David Attenborough is likely careful not to kill any insect pests, imitating Attenborough's inevitable recognition that "that's where I make me money."
In the late 1980s, an Australian weekly programme called The Comedy Company featured a segment with "David Rabbitborough" played by Ian McFadyen. He got around in a safari suit touring the Melbourne suburbs in the same format as Attenborough, but his specimens were human beings and garden objects, like gnomes, garden hoses and water caps.
In the 1980s, a TV advertisement for Guinness featured an Attenborough impersonator investigating the odd "species" of humans who prefer bland lager to flavoursome stout.
In a Finnish TV commercial, Attenborough is impersonated, looking at fireflies - until the lights are turned on by a studio employee going to a soft drink vending machine.
Portuguese comedian Herman José played a caricature of Attenborough (David Vaitenborough, roughly translated as David Go-away) in the "Herman Geographycal Society" sketches in his TV Show Herman Enciclopédia (1997).
Another group of TV advertisements produced in 2008, this time for GEICO automobile insurance, has an Attenborough impersonator observing the Geico gecko making his sales pitch in various settings.
Attenborough's voice-over is included in the Japanese band Coaltar of the Deepers' song "Cell".
