David Attenborough: Legendary naturalist's 98th birthday extends his double world record-holding streak

TV legend and one of the nature’s most passionate and influential advocates, Sir David Attenborough, has celebrated another birthday - and continued his double world-record-holding streak.

Thursday (8 May) marked the famed naturalist and presenter’s 98th birthday. But far from letting age slow him down, Sir David’s career is still going strong, with the final episode of his latest series ‘Mammals’ - a fresh look at his 2002 series The Life of Mammals - airing earlier this week.

His latest birthday has also seen him extend his status as the world record holder for the longest career as a TV presenter, and as a TV naturalist. Guinness World Records says that as of his birthday, Attenborough had held the titles for a whopping 70 years and 246 days.

Sir David made his presenting debut on 2 September, 1953, on a BBC Children's Television show called Animal Disguises - a spin-off of a series he had produced and directed earlier in the same year, Animal Patterns. His TV credits span eight decades, Guinness continues, and he remains the only person to have won BAFTA awards for series in black and white, colour, HD, and 3D formats. He’s also earned himself two knighthoods, and more than 30 honorary degrees.

The TV legend also broke the record for the fastest time to reach one million Instagram followers in 2020, it added. Taking just 4 hr 44 min, he beat Friends star Jennifer Aniston’s record by 32 minutes. The title has since been claimed by Harry Potter star Rupert Grint just two months later, and is now help by K-pop star Kim Taehyung - also known as “V” - from BTS.

Born in Isleworth, London, in 1926, and growing up in Leicester, Attenborough joined the BBC as a trainee in 1952. He’s been involved in more than 100 documentaries, with some of his more recent projects including Wild Isles - focusing on the closer-to-home wildlife of the British Isles; Planet Earth III - which just released a special episode with a slightly different presenter; and the Secret World of Sound.

In recent years, Sir David and the series he’s involved in have increasingly turned his focus to the threats the natural world and wildlife face, including climate change and habitat destruction. In 2023, he fronted the RSPB and WWF’s Save Our Wild Isles campaign where he warned that “nature is in crisis”, but said he was still “hopeful” for the future.

“The truth is, every one of us, no matter who we are, or where we live, can and must play a part in restoring nature. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or powerless by the scale of the issues facing our planet, but we have the solutions,” he continued.

“I am hopeful for the future, because although nature is in crisis, now is the time for action, and together we can save it.”