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Sir David Attenborough
brings us face to face with
the world around us
By Richard Deitsch
PERHAPS NO PERSON on the planet has
brought viewers closer to the world we
inhabit than Sir David Attenborough, 81,
the iconic British broadcaster. In 1979 an
estimated 500 million people worldwide
watched his landmark 13-part series, Life
on Earth. That was followed five years
later by a sequel, The Living Planet, and
in 1990 came the final part of the trilogy,
The Trials of Life. His latest project was
narrating the DVD version of the hugely
popular BBC series Planet Earth, seen
on the Discovery Channel. The Costco
Connection recently caught up with the
broadcaster at his home in the UK.
Costco Connection: Why are people fascinated
by the natural world?
Attenborough: Because we are part of it. And I
think every child as soon as it can crawl is fascinated
by this remarkable thing called life. You see toddlers
or children turning over stones and looking with
astonishment and wonder at a snail putting out its
tentacles. That is a very understandable thing. After
all, we are part of the natural world, and when we
grow up and get a little more sophisticated we realize
that we actually depend upon the natural world for
everything we eat, and, indeed, what we breathe.
Apart from that, the natural world is beautiful,
unpredictable, astonishing.
© 2002 NEIL LUCAS
CC: You serve as the narrator for Planet Earth. Is it
as impressive to you as it is to the audience?
