British environmentalist David Attenborough, who has for decades been the world's most authoritative voice on the natural world, is celebrating his 100th birthday.
After more than 70 years of film-making, Mr Attenborough's instantly recognisable voice is synonymous with the story of nature.
He is still at the vanguard of efforts to protect the environment and has produced some of his most impactful work in recent years.
His films have communicated the wonder and also the tragedies of the natural world to viewers across the globe.
Standout scenes include his encounter with two playful young mountain gorillas who clambered onto him during his landmark 1979 series Life on Earth.
He also made his audience marvel at the teamwork of a pod of orcas hunting a seal by creating waves to break up ice, and his telling in 2012 of the story of 'Lonesome George', the last surviving Pinta Island tortoise, moved people to tears.
"He's about 80 years old, and getting a bit creaky in his joints - as indeed am I," Mr Attenborough, then 86, said.
George's death, two weeks after he was filmed, marked the extinction of his species.
"He's focused the attention of the world on the fragility of our environment," Mr Attenborough said at the time.
As climate change has accelerated and the threat to much of the world has become more urgent, Mr Attenborough devoted much of his 90s to raising public awareness.
His 2017 blockbuster "Blue Planet 2", which highlighted the scourge of plastic in the ocean, achieved some of the highest viewing figures on British television before being sold to broadcasters around the world.
Albatrosses unwittingly feeding their chicks plastic fished from the ocean jolted public opinion and led the British government and major retailers to announce measures to reduce the use of plastics.
In Britain, Mr Attenborough's centenary is being marked with a week of special broadcasts on the BBC, a live concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, events at museums, nature walks and tree planting.
The broadcasts include his new series 'Secret Garden'. At 100, he remains heavily involved in programme-making, say BBC colleagues, driven by his enduring curiosity and joy of storytelling.
"That's typical David. He makes everything really enjoyable," said Mike Salisbury, who has worked as a producer on several Attenborough documentaries.
Despite his fame, the broadcaster - whose brother was the late actor and film director Richard Attenborough - has always refused to be seen as a celebrity.
Born on 8 May 1926, Mr Attenborough spent his childhood collecting fossils, insects and dried seahorses.
His BBC career took off in 1954 when he presented 'Zoo Quest', which involved him travelling to far-flung parts of the world and bringing animals back to London Zoo.
By the 1970s he had risen to be programme controller at the broadcaster but decided he wanted to return to making nature documentaries.
Screened in 1979 when he was 52, 'Life on Earth' made him a household name. He wrote the entire 13-hour script and travelled the world for three years to tell the story of evolution from simple organisms to humans.
Dozens of documentaries followed, including "Blue Planet," "Frozen Planet" and "Dynasties". As the decades passed, his sense of the need to act only increased.
"How could I look my grandchildren in the eye and say I knew what was happening to the world and did nothing?" Mr Attenborough said.
'Completely overwhelmed'
In the week leading up to the milestone, Mr Attenborough said he was "completely overwhelmed" by the birthday messages pouring in, and thanked his well-wishers "most sincerely".
In a recorded audio message shared last night, he said: "I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas.
"I've been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings from pre-school groups to care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages.
"I simply can't reply to each of you all separately but I would like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages.
"I wish those of you who have planned your own local events tomorrow a very happy day."
RTÉ Archives: David Attenborough on the Late Late Show in 1980
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those paying tribute to Mr Attenborough.
He said: "I would like to send my warmest wishes to Sir David Attenborough on his 100th birthday.
"Like millions of people across the country and around the world, I grew up watching Sir David's programmes. For decades, the nation has been captivated by his passion for nature and his remarkable contribution to public broadcasting.
"He is a true national treasure and a pioneer in his field - may his work continue to inspire people of all ages for years to come."
The Royal Albert Hall celebration will be hosted by Kirsty Young and include performances from musicians who have featured on his BBC Planet Earth TV series.
Bastille frontman Dan Smith will join the BBC Concert Orchestra to perform their track Pompeii, which was featured in Planet Earth III, while Icelandic band Sigur Ros will play Hoppipolla, which was used in the promotion of Planet Earth and Planet Earth II.
The BBC Concert Orchestra will perform the scores associated with some of the most unforgettable moments from Mr Attenborough's programmes, including the dramatic snakes and iguanas chase from Planet Earth II, and the powerful wave-washing orcas sequence from Frozen Planet II.
There will also be music from British singer Sienna Spiro and Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesias, who will play the traditional Pajaro Campana - a piece that featured in Zoo Quest, Mr Attenborough's first wildlife programme.
It is just one of many events to mark his birthday.
Britain's Natural History Museum's immersive exhibition presented by Mr Attenborough will be transformed into a free five-minute show in central London to celebrate.
Our Story With David Attenborough will be adapted to be shown at Outernet London in Tottenham Court Road from Mr Attenborough's birthday today, and the veteran BBC nature presenter will take viewers through the history of people and the Earth, before presenting a vision of London's future.
He has been inundated with messages and well-wishes from environmental and animal charities and has also had a "wise" bull named after him by animal charity PETA.
The bull, named Sir Attenbullock, was among the first rescued through PETA India's Delhi mechanisation project.
At 100, Mr Attenborough no longer wanders the world's jungles and deserts.
But he has continued to tell the story of the planet closer to home.
In "Wild London", broadcast in early 2026, he marvels at the wildlife of the British capital, his birthplace, from foxes and beavers to hedgehogs and harvest mice.
After all his travels, he has confided that his favourite place remains Richmond, an affluent and leafy suburb in southwest London.
He has lived in the riverside town for many years, and still resides in the family home he shared with his late wife Jane and their two children.
Mooney Goes Wild will mark David Attenborough's 100th birthday with a special programme on RTÉ Radio 1 at 10pm tonight
Additional reporting AFP, Reuters
