In 100 years on this planet, Sir David Attenborough has made an incomparable impact on the world that he loves to marvel at with wonder. The natural historian and broadcaster – who turns the big 100 today – has played a pivotal role in educating the masses about the animal and plant kingdoms, and is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most cherished stars.
However, according to Mike Gunton, who worked as an executive producer on the acclaimed Planet Earth III, there is one thing you should never call Sir David. And if there is anyone who should know what to call the legendary broadcaster, it is Mike. His collaborations with Sir David date all the way back to the late 1980s, when he came on board to help make the BBC documentary The Trials of Life: A Natural History of Behaviour. According to the producer, the programme was supposed to be Sir David’s last series… but of course, we know that prediction turned out to be absolutely, incredibly wrong.
The 'National Treasure' Label
Mike has since served as an executive producer on documentaries including The Green Planet, Dynasties, Planet Earth II and Africa, all of which featured Sir David’s calm and knowledgeable narration. While chatting to Metro in 2024 ahead of the Planet Earth III Live in Concert event, we spoke about their work together, and could not help but point out that the biologist is frequently recognised as a 'national treasure' in the UK. However, the creative director of BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit stressed that Sir David is not particularly fond of that label.
'He hates it, by the way,' Mike revealed. 'I say hates it… If anybody says he’s a national treasure, he sort of slightly raises his eyebrows and says, “Really?” That’s a generational thing.'
We then noted that Sir David’s work is of far greater importance than a title, to which Mike responded: 'You’ve hit the nail on the head.'
Where to Watch the Best of David Attenborough's Documentaries
- Available on BBC iPlayer: Planet Earth trilogy, Blue Planet I and II, Frozen Planet I and II, Africa, Asia, Life (of Birds, on Earth), Zoo Quest in Colour, Dynasties I and II, Secret Garden. The full collection can be found here.
- Available on Netflix: David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, Secret Lives of Orangutans, Life in Colour, Our Planet I and II.
- Available on Disney+: Ocean with David Attenborough, Secrets of Wild India.
- Available on Apple TV: Prehistoric Planet.
Behind the Scenes: A Lifetime of Collaboration
Over the years of working together, there are countless fond memories that could take up several hours of discussion. One of Mike’s highlights went back to their first collaboration on The Trials of Life, which came out in 1990 after taking more than three years to make.
'One of the reasons why I was hired was to go on location with him and come up with all these crazy things of getting him climbing termite mounds and all the rest of it,' he recollected. 'So lots of the things that I’ve done with him have been saying, “I’d like you to do this, David, I’d like to climb up the top of this tree.” On The Private Life of Plants, when he was 94, “I’d like you to row across this lake.” He’s always been completely up for that.'
The producer continued: 'The thing that he brings when he’s on camera, on-screen is – and it goes back to what you’re saying about the national treasure – he’s not interested in himself at all. He’s just interested in telling you, in the most interesting and joyful and intense way, what’s exciting and interesting about this piece of natural history. That’s unfakeable – that only comes from fantastic knowledge and fantastic passion.'
Mike hailed the 'unbridled curiosity' that Sir David exhibits, adding that 'at 98, he’s still absorbing science, absorbing knowledge'.
Pushing Boundaries in Planet Earth III
In Planet Earth III, which was released in 2023, the team behind the nature documentary pushed the boat out even further with the scale of the production and the technology they used. They filmed in 43 countries and achieved several world firsts, gathering rare footage of blue sharks and humpback whales.
