5 David Attenborough Documentaries To Change The World
As David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet arrives on Netflix, discover his 5 most powerful docs.
On 4 October, Sir David Attenborough’s latest documentary, David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, slammed onto Netflix with a message that will reverberate around the world. “We must save our planet to save ourselves.” It’s a message delayed, soberingly, by a global pandemic many believe to have been brought on by our own unhealthy relationship with the natural world. To quote another great Brit:
“We delve too greedily and too deep.”
- J. R. R. Tolkien
It’s no understatement, then, to say that A Life On Our Planet is set to be Attenborough’s most damning exploration of human behaviour to date; a film more befitting of the horror channel than natural history. One that should be mandatory viewing the world over.
That being said, following six decades of work in his field, such is the depth and power of this influential icon’s library, that the claim that one piece holds more authority than the rest warrants investigation. Thus, we’ve assembled five of his most powerful pieces, for your consideration, and put forward their case. It may be too late to appoint Sir David Supreme Leader Of The World, but it’s not too late to act… yet.
5. Africa (2013)
A surprise addition to this list, perhaps, but while Africa dazzled us with images of its arid deserts, lush jungles and seasonal savannahs, its final episode does just enough to beat off strong competition from Our Planet and secure this series’ position on the list. Episode 6, The Future, sees Sir David hone in on the environmental issues faced by Africa and its spectacular biodiversity.
We saw the effects of poaching, habitat loss, climate change and human population growth, but importantly, we were made privy to the conservation efforts being made to combat them. Projects designed to preserve threatened species, such as the Mountain Gorilla, and the Maasai tribe’s commitment to defusing human/lion conflict gave us hope that a healthy coexistence can be struck.
None, though, made an impact like the final ten minutes of this episode during which Sir David ‘conversed’ with an inquisitive, blind baby rhinoceros called Nicky. It was an exchange that simultaneously warmed hearts and, more pressingly, demonstrated the fragility of the natural world. That message remains to this day; hope is kindle but we must act to help those with even the toughest hides.