08-05-2025
Sir David Attenborough's longtime friend Sir Michael Palin urges him to 'give up and retire' as broadcast legend turns 99
Sir David Attenborough's longtime friend Sir Michael Palin made an off-the-cuff remark about the British broadcaster's legacy as he entered his 100th year.
On Wednesday, the legendary BBC presenter celebrated his 99th birthday with the premiere of his awe-inspiring new documentary Ocean.
Ocean showcases breathtaking visuals of the depths of the planet's body of water and features the return of Attenborough's infamous hearty voice.
The planet's undersea habitats are emphasised through the ocean's vital importance as a source of food, life, and biodiversity.
However, beneath the murky depths is something more sinister, as scenes of the mysterious deep blue shift to expose its ruined coral and debris.
Sir Michael Palin, who profiled Attenborough for his documentary Life on Air: David Attenborough's 50 Years in Television in 2002, poked fun at his longtime friend at the world premiere of Ocean in London on Tuesday.
Palin joked he wished Attenborough would "give up and retire" after the 99-year-old added Ocean to his trove of more than 100 documentaries.
The tongue-in-cheek quip came as he said the broadcaster's success prevented octogenarians like himself from seeming accomplished.
"I've ceased to be surprised by anything David does," Palin told 9Honey on the blue carpet.
"The fact that he got to 80 years old - or 82, which I am now - he was still making programs, and I've been waiting for him to give up and retire so we can all have a nice, quiet life, and don't have to have him setting the torch out there ever further."
Palin championed Attenborough's "enthusiasm", warmth and "great sense of humour".
"His interests are really wide-ranging, which I think really is part of why he is so good at what he's doing, because he has a good worldview," he said.
Attenborough was born in 1926 in Isleworth, Middlesex to University College principal Frederik and his wife Mary.
He first applied to join the BBC in 1950 as a radio producer, but his application was rejected and he was offered a TV job instead.
The world-famous veteran naturalist has since roamed the globe and shared the planet's most fascinating insights through his famous nature documentaries Life on Earth and The Blue Planet.
With an eight-year career, Attenborough has become synonymous with natural history broadcasting and public trust regarding environmental and natural history issues.
The eight-time BAFTA award winner was voted the most trusted figure, on average, for climate change information in Britain, alongside climate scientists and charities, according to a Climate Outreach study in 2021.
In Ocean, Attenborough expressed sadness at the current state of the world's ecosystems as he approached "the end" of his life.
"When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity," he said.
"Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true.
"After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.'
He said the ocean is "in such poor health," but hoped it could "bounce back to life".
"I would find it hard not to lose hope were it not for the most remarkable discovery of all," he said.
'If we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I'm sure nothing is more important.'
In the wake of his 99th birthday, Attenborough's comments about his dietary changes to stay healthy and extend his life resurfaced.
'I have certainly changed my diet. Not in a great sort of dramatic way," he said in 2017.
"But I don't think I've eaten red meat for months. I do eat cheese, I have to say, and I eat fish.
"But by and large, I've become much more vegetarian over the past few years than I thought I would ever be."
