There are many things we’re well aware of but don’t want to admit, and one of these is that Sir David Attenborough will not be narrating nature shows forever.
The broadcaster is approaching his 91st birthday, and is sadly not immune to the same things us mere mortals may face as we get older.
It seems he is coming to terms with the fact that his time at the helm of the Planet Earth and Blue Planet series is coming to an end, with memory issues meaning the process takes much longer from beginning to end.
Related: 21 little-known facts about the legendary Sir David Attenborough
“There were these searing yellow fields and I can’t think of the damn name,” Sir David told the Sunday Telegraph, while discussing how his failure to instantly recall “proper names” is leading to problems when scripting and narrating the show.
“I wanted to say something about it but I couldn’t and it wasn’t until we got quite close to Geneva that I thought, of course, oil seed rape."
It may be getting more difficult, but he has shown no signs of wanting to walk away from a job which gives him the privilege of being able to travel to some of the most beautiful parts of the world.
A sequel to Sir David’s 2001 series Blue Planet was commissioned earlier this year, and he will return as narrator and presenter.
It’s tough to picture the show without that distinctive voice, and there will certainly be a bedding-in period if and when a replacement is brought in.
(Images: Rex)
