Natural history producer Alastair Fothergill, who has worked with Sir David Attenborough since 1988 has confessed his inital encounter with the legendary broadcaster, who turns 100 on May 8, didn't go well. The 66-year-old was employed as an Assistant Director on The Trials of Life, which aired in 1990 and was the third of David's trilogies after 1979's Life on Earth and 1984’s The Living Planet. However, the then 30-year-old wasn't impressed by the scripts written by David, who at that stage had been a natural history stalwart for 36 years since he stepped in to host the BBC series Zoo Quest, in 1954.
Feeling the scripts lacked, "a lot of new science...or new stories" the producer challenged David despite being nervous when he met him. "I said, 'Look David, this is great but what about this fantastic new story, and what about this?'
"But the one thing I learnt – and as a young whippersnapper, I didn’t really appreciate it at the time – is that David’s talent is to see the wood for the trees," he explained.
"The natural world is unbelievably diverse, so you have to choose the sequences that will best tell the story you’re trying to tell, and that’s quite a skill," he recalled in an interview with The Telegraph.
He also revealed that organising the complex shoots which are David's trademark was much trickier in the era before email.
It was only in 2001's Blue Planet David began narrating the programmes. Prior to this, he would travel to the locations and appear on camera.
Alastair also admitted they had to be very well co-ordinated in order to use their time with David efficiently as they had to shoot several sequences back to back. Despite the difficulties, Alastair described the moments as some of the best of his whole career.
During a subsequent appearance on BBC Breakfast Alastair opened up further about his friend. Revealing how he feels about his profile the producer intimated he was not a fan of "celebrity".
"He's realised he has to do it, he's realised how famous he is. But, if he could escape everything else about celebrity, he would be very pleased.
"David would like nothing to be happening around his 100th birthday, that would be his favourite choice. He'd like to be at home all day with a nice glass of wine in the evening."
