Happy 100th birthday, Sir David. I forgive you!
Tomorrow, Sir David Attenborough turns 100 years old.
As conservationists, it’s hard to imagine anyone who has done more to reveal the beauty, wonder, fragility, and importance of the natural world to humanity than Sir David.
For generations of us, his voice has become intertwined with our connection to nature itself. He didn’t just document wildlife — he helped people feel something for it. He brought distant species, ecosystems, and environmental challenges into our homes and hearts with a unique blend of humility, curiosity, warmth, and awe.
One moment that has always stayed with me comes from The Life of Birds, during a sequence filmed in Australia featuring the remarkable Lyrebird. Watching this bird mimic the sounds of the forest was astonishing enough — camera shutters, car alarms, chainsaws — reproduced with unbelievable accuracy.
But what made the scene so powerful was the deeper message beneath it.
Here was a bird so attuned to its environment that it had begun mimicking the sounds of human presence and destruction itself. The wonder of nature and the tragedy of environmental loss are captured together in one unforgettable moment.
It was Sir David at his absolute best — helping us marvel at the natural world while quietly confronting us with our impact upon it.
That moment became even more meaningful to me years later while walking alone through an Australian forest. After hours without seeing another person, I suddenly heard a dog barking in the distance. I assumed I must be nearing a car park or settlement. But as I got closer, I realised it wasn’t a dog at all. It was a Lyrebird…
Immediately, I thought of that Attenborough episode and just how extraordinary the natural world really is.
What has always struck me most about Sir David is not just his knowledge, but his humanity.
When I first launched Conservation Careers 12 years ago, I wrote to invite him for an interview. I never expected a response. But a few weeks later, I received a handwritten letter from Sir David personally saying.
“Dear Nick Askew, Thank you for your letter. I hope you will forgive me if I do not offer to give you an interview for your network. Yours sincerely, David Attenborough“.
That simple act of kindness and humility meant the world to me.
I also remember hearing him interviewed on Desert Island Discs, where the host remarked that he had likely travelled more of the planet than any human being in history.
Only last week, I was teaching in the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge — home to the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.
Standing there, surrounded by conservation organisations from across the world working together under one roof to protect nature, I was reminded again of the extraordinary scale of Sir David’s influence and legacy.
His words in the foyer state simply: “There are few things more important in the world today than what you are doing here.”
What a life that represents. A century of exploration. A century of storytelling. A century of inspiring generations to care.
And what an extraordinary legacy.
So today, we celebrate Sir David Attenborough — not only for the films, books, and broadcasts, but for the countless lives and careers he has inspired along the way.
Many conservationists working today began their journey because of him.
I know I certainly did.
Thank you, Sir David.
And happy 100th birthday!