David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth to air on Friday 8 May on iPlayer and BBC One

To mark Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, Kirsty Young presents a ninety minute special event honouring one of the most influential figures in broadcasting and natural history storytelling.

Broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall in London, jointly staged and produced by BBC Studios Music Productions and Natural History Unit, and in partnership with The Open University, airs on his birthday, Friday 8 May at 8.30pm, on BBC One and iPlayer.

Kirsty Young said: “Sir David’s gift to the world has been a life spent exquisitely revealing Earth’s wonders to us all. The very least he deserves is a big 100th birthday bash at the Royal Albert Hall! I’m very happy indeed, as the host, to be able to invite everyone to the party.”

As it brings the nation together to celebrate and honour David’s groundbreaking career, David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth will take audiences on an extraordinary journey through a century of exploration and discovery in the natural world, seen through the prism of David’s remarkable life and work.

The evening combines some of the most memorable wildlife moments from the BBC’s natural history archive, with live music drawn from David’s most iconic television series, alongside reflections from public figures and leading voices in conservation and wildlife filmmaking.

As the celebrations unfold, Kirsty will be joined on stage by those who have worked with David and been inspired by his work over the years, including broadcasters Liz Bonnin, Steve Backshall, Chris Packham, and Michael Palin, who will reflect on the impact of David’s work, the legacy he continues to shape and his unique ability to bring the wonders of the natural world into people’s homes.

Accompanied throughout by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the programme will feature iconic music from landmark series including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet. The orchestra will perform scores associated with some of television’s most unforgettable sequences, including the dramatic snakes and iguanas chase from Planet Earth II and the powerful wave-washing orcas sequence from Frozen Planet II.

The evening will also feature special performances from music artists who have collaborated on these series. Dan Smith, frontman of Brit Award winning band Bastille, will join the BBC Concert Orchestra to perform the band’s famous track Pompeii, featured in Planet Earth III, while Icelandic band Sigur Rós will perform Hoppípolla. The track was used in the promotion of Planet Earth and Planet Earth II.

Other musical highlights include Sienna Spiro, one of the most exciting new voices in British music, and Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesia, who will play the traditional Pajaro Campana, a piece that featured in Zoo Quest.

Bringing together breathtaking wildlife imagery, live orchestral and contemporary music, and contributions from those who have worked alongside David throughout his career and those who feel passionately about the natural world, the programme celebrates not only a broadcasting legend, but a century long relationship between audiences and nature.

FS

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