David Attenborough at 97: ‘He still works harder than most of us – seven days a week’

Published

1 year ago

February 25, 2024

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At 97, Sir David Attenborough is a man still happy to crawl on his belly through wet grass to get his shot.

For his latest Sky Nature project, Secret World Of Sound, the world-renowned naturalist and broadcaster explores the ways that animals hear and produce sound, using cutting-edge technology to record noises from nature – with some captured on film for the first time.

Attenborough’s long-time collaborator, and the show’s series producer, Sharmila Choudhury tells The Climate Show: “David keeps us on our toes. He sets the bar very high. And that’s a good thing.

“I think he work still works harder than most of us, usually seven days a week… When he commits himself to something, he gives it 100%.”

Joining the team for filming in the Wye Valley in Monmouth to capture the song of a wild dipper, Attenborough found himself lying on the damp ground hoping that the small bird would show up.

Truly at one with nature, he didn’t have long to wait.

Choudhury explains: “He crawled through the grass to get into the best position, and was all up for it… We didn’t want to leave him lying in the wet grass for hours.

“Miraculously, and this often happens when David arrives on location, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds.

“The dipper flew in. David smiled and delivered his lines of what he wanted to say, you know, smoothly in one go. It’s amazing.”

‘It hits you in the core’

For the same episode, Attenborough explains how bees are struggling with modern fertilisers and climate change.

Choudhury says: “Him looking straight to camera and delivering a message like that is so powerful. It literally hits you in the core.”

Calling him an “inspiration,” and praising his “unrivalled” breadth of knowledge, she adds: “And he obviously has a fabulous voice and style of delivery, which is the cherry on the cake of any natural history program.”

A three-part series, the documentary studies animal behaviour, breaking the sounds they make down into four functions – finding a mate, looking after young, hunting for food or avoiding becoming prey.

Technology worthy of 007

Some of the technology used in the series was borrowed from other walks of life, while other bits of kit were of true James Bond status.

Choudhury says: “We used everything from the tiniest microphone the size of your fingernail, that you could put inside a bird nest or a beehive, to super sensitive hydrophones that you can put underwater to record, the faintest communications between fish.

“There were also a couple of, gadgets that were actually developed for other industries – the gas industry, or for espionage purposes, that we thought might help us to listen in on sounds that we don’t normally get to hear.”

One of those gadgets was the laser vibrometer – a machine which shoots out a laser beam to detect any vibrations caused by noise and amplifies them, so they are audible to the human ear.

It was used to capture the love song of a pair of amorous treehoppers in Costa Rica.

While sound was the focus of the documentary, another theme became impossible to ignore while filming.

‘Every single shoot was impacted by climate change’

Choudhury says: “The biggest challenge, without any doubt, was climate change. It’s something that we’ve seen creep in on us over the years.

“I’ve been making wildlife films for over 30 years. And in the last decade or so, more and more shoots have been impacted by climate change.

“That means animals that would have been predictable in their movements, say, their migrations or where they would be, or the time of year they’d be breeding, are not doing the usual things anymore.

“It started off with one or two parts of the world, or one or two shoots being affected by this. But on this particular series, every single shoot was impacted by climate change.

“That made filming very difficult, and it was very distressing to see the animals suffering in this new world.”

‘The elephants were so stressed’

One example was the team’s trip to Amboseli National Park in Kenya to film elephants.

The plan had been to shoot a story about how mothers and babies communicate with each other – but when they arrived following Kenya’s worst drought in 40 years, they found the elephants in an awful plight.

“The elephants were behaving very differently to before. They had split up into tiny herds and every night they would go out of the park to surrounding fields to try and find some food.

“Every morning they would walk back into the waterhole in the middle of the park, and they would walk single file heads down, absolutely dejected. They didn’t make a single sound.

“The animals were so stressed, they had no energy left to talk to each other effectively.

“After we left, Kenya and Amboseli experienced the worst deaths of wildlife, including elephants, recorded history and that was clearly a result of climate change.”

‘Buy the coral reefs a little time’

But there was some hope amid the devastation being caused to the natural world by the climate crisis – and this was very much set in the world of sound.

During filming, the team discovered an Australian scientist whose research had found that by playing the sound of a healthy coral reef at the site of a dying reef it could help regenerate it and bring back some of the fish.

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Choudhury explains: “They are hopeful that they might be able to buy coral reefs a little bit of time whilst we tackle climate change.

“It won’t be a solution in the long run because the reef will continue to die off if the oceans continue to warm. But it’s a little ray of hope, at a time when we so badly needed.”

Watch the full interview with Sharmila Choudhury on The Climate Show with Tom Heap, Saturday and Sunday at 3.30 and 7.30pm on Sky News.

Secret World Of Sound With David Attenborough is streaming on Sky Nature and NOW.

UK

Minister defends proposals to ban over 70s from driving if they fail new compulsory eye tests

Published

1 hour ago

August 11, 2025

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Minister defends proposals to ban over 70s from driving if they fail new compulsory eye tests

Wes Streeting has defended plans to make over 70s take compulsory eye tests every three years – which could see them banned from driving if they fail, it is understood.

Ministers are considering “tougher” measures to tackle road deaths and injuries in England and Wales, which they believe have “remained stubbornly high under successive Conservative governments”.

Under the new proposals, first reported by The Times, the drink-drive limit would be lowered to match the current rules in Scotland.

Currently, the drink-drive limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath in England and Wales, or 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

But this is expected to be lowered to 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath or 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, to match the stricter levels already enforced in Scotland.

Those caught not wearing a seatbelt could also receive penalty points for the first time, while drivers found on the road without insurance could also face more severe consequences.

As well as this, plans are currently being drawn up to make those aged 70 or over take a compulsory eye test every three years when they renew their driving licence.

Those who fail this would lose their right to drive under the proposals. It’s understood that tests for other conditions, such as dementia, are also being considered.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Streeting said the transport secretary is consulting and “considering a whole range of proposals”, which will be unveiled in the “not too distant future”.

It is understood that Heidi Alexander will unveil the measures in a new road safety strategy in the autumn.

The health secretary also defended the plans around elderly drivers.

He told broadcasters: “It cannot be right that we’ve ended up in a situation where the NHS is hit with a £2 billion a year bill because we are not taking road safety seriously enough – particularly as we get older and the quality of our eye health deteriorates, that we’re not keeping a regular check.”

A Labour source said: “At the end of the last Labour government, the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads was at a record low, but numbers have remained stubbornly high under successive Conservative governments.

“In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying, with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2bn per year.

“This Labour government will deliver the first Road Safety Strategy in a decade, imposing tougher penalties on those breaking the law, protecting road users and restoring order to our roads.”

It comes after 1,633 people died in road traffic accidents in 2024, with nearly 28,000 victims seriously injured.

UK

UK weather: Amber heat health alert issued for large parts of England

Published

4 hours ago

August 11, 2025

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UK weather: Amber heat health alert issued for large parts of England

An amber heat health alert has been issued for large parts of England.

The amber alert – described as an “enhanced hot weather response” – covers East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, and the South East.

The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), is due to be in place from 9am on Tuesday, until 6pm on Wednesday.

Explainer: What is a heat-health alert?

The UKHSA, a government agency for England, warned “significant impacts are likely” across health and social care services due to the high temperatures.

Parts of the country are facing a fourth heatwave of the summer, where highs pass a threshold on three consecutive days.

A yellow alert, also between 9am on Tuesday until 6pm on Wednesday, covers the North East, North West, Yorkshire, The Humber, and the South West.

Check the weather forecast where you are

Dr Paul Coleman, consultant in public health at UKHSA, said temperatures are forecast to rise above 30C (86F) across some areas which “can result in serious health outcomes” particularly for the elderly or those with serious health conditions.

“If you have friends, family or neighbours who are vulnerable, it is important to ensure they are aware of the forecasts and are following the necessary advice.

“Check in on them if you can to make sure they know that hot weather is on the way and how to keep themselves safe,” Dr Coleman said.

Sky News meteorologist Christopher England said the high pressure that brought the warmth of the last few days via the “heat dome” effect is moving east, as low pressure moves in towards the west.

“On Tuesday, southern Britain can expect temperatures widely into the low 30s… perhaps exceeding 35C (95F) in places,” he said.

On 1 July, the UK recorded its hottest day of the year so far with a temperature of 34.7C (94.4F) recorded at St James’s Park in central London.

The Met Office’s criteria for a heatwave are met when temperatures are above a certain level for three consecutive days. This threshold varies from 25C to 28C (77F to 82F) depending on the location.

Mr England added: “There’s around a 10% chance Wales may exceed its August peak temperature of 35.2C (95.3F) recorded at Hawarden on 2 August 1990.

“Expect some tropical nights too, with temperatures holding above 20C (68F).”

In July, the Met Office warned Britain’s climate is changing rapidly, with records regularly being smashed and extremes of heat and rainfall becoming the norm.

The UKHSA has issued advice for keeping cool:
• close windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun
• seek shade and cover up outside
• use sunscreen, wear a hat and sunglasses
• keep out of the sun at the hottest times, between 11am and 3pm
• restrict physical activity to the cooler mornings or evenings
• know how to respond to heat exhaustion and heatstroke

UK

Dozens evacuated after burst water main floods streets in north London

Published

4 hours ago

August 11, 2025

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Dozens evacuated after burst water main floods streets in north London

Around 30 residents have been evacuated from their homes in north London after a water main burst, leaving roads under 44cm (17in) of water.

Seventy firefighters were dispatched by London Fire Brigade to the area around Canonbury Street in Islington just after 10pm on Sunday.

People have been urged to avoid the area including Essex Road, Elmore Street, Halliford Street and Ecclesbourne Road – and warned against driving through floodwater.

Fire crews used flood barriers and sandbags to divert floodwater away from homes as they warned disruption was likely to continue into Monday afternoon.

Islington council also warned at 9am on Monday that Canonbury Street was closed from Essex Road up to Arran Walk.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We have now managed to stop the flow of water and ensure that the site is safe. We have also been able to move parked cars which were over another critical water main.

“We have a specialist team on site for those impacted by the incident, at Cedar Place on Essex Road, and are supporting customers who have been affected.

“To keep the public and our team safe, we’ve arranged equipment to help manage the traffic while we work in the road. We are sorry for the impact this may have on traffic in the area.”