Sir David Attenborough – Reading Comprehension Text

David Attenborough is a wildlife film- maker who is best known for introducing generations to the world’s furry and feathered friends. He has been making television programmes for over 60 years and is considered by many to be a national treasure.

Early Life

David Frederick Attenborough was born in London on the 8th of May 1926. Growing up, he lived with his parents (Mary and Frederick) and his two brothers (Richard and John) at the University College of Leicester as his father was a headteacher there. In 1939, the Attenborough family fostered two girls called Irene and Helga, who David bonded with very quickly.

As a child, David loved science and nature. He collected fossils, rocks and other specimens, such as bird eggs. After he had finished school, he went to Cambridge University to study natural sciences. Once he graduated in 1947, he spent two years serving in the Royal Navy.

Television

In 1952, David joined the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) as a producer. In 1954, he began working on a show called ‘Zoo Quest’. This was filmed around the globe and showed animals in their natural environment. The show was a huge success as no one had recorded anything like this before. He created a new style of wildlife programme – one which focused heavily on the animals, rather than the presenter. He would spend little time on screen and would instead narrate over the recordings.

David left the BBC in 1972 as he wanted to pursue his dream of writing and producing his own shows. In 1979, he started a series called ‘Life on Earth’. Due to its success, he continued adding to his ‘Life Collection’ for over 30 years. He completed his collection with ‘Life in Cold Blood’ – a series about reptiles – in 2008.

More recently, Attenborough’s ‘Planet Earth’ has become the most successful wildlife documentary ever made with over 12 million viewers tuning in every week since it began in 2006.

Achievements

Attenborough has earned many awards throughout his career. Not only did he receive a knighthood from the Queen in 1985, but he had several species of plants, insects and birds named after him as well. For example, a butterfly was named Euptychia Attenboroughi in honour of Sir David in 2015.

Sir David Attenborough has contributed greatly to our understanding of nature and the need to care for it. He is a leading individual in the fight against plastic pollution and other environmental issues that are damaging our planet.