In April 2005, Sir David was awarded the Order of Merit by the Queen which recognises exceptional distinction in the arts, sciences and other areas.

His 50-year career in broadcasting was celebrated in Life on Air.

Pioneering programmes
Sir David Attenborough's distinguished career in broadcasting now spans more than 50 years. It began in 1952 when he joined BBC Television Talks Department at Alexandra Palace. In 1954 he launched the first of his famous Zoo Quest series which, over the next 10 years, took him to the wilder parts of the world. In between times, his programmes included political broadcasts, archaeological quizzes, short stories, gardening and religious programmes.

Seeing in colour
In 1965, Sir David became Controller of BBC2 and was responsible for the introduction of colour television into Britain. In January 1969, he was appointed Director of Programmes with editorial responsibility for both of the BBC's television networks. Then, in 1973, he resigned to return to programme-making, claiming "I haven't even seen the Galapagos Islands". First came Eastwards with Attenborough, a natural history series set in South East Asia, then The Tribal Eye, examining tribal art.

Landmark TV
An estimated 500 million people worldwide watched the 13-part series Life on Earth, written and presented by Sir David. At the time it was the most ambitious series ever produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Its sequel, The Living Planet, came five years later in 1984 and in 1990 the final part of the trilogy, The Trials of Life was broadcast. He also wrote and presented two shorter series, The First Eden, on the long history of mankind's relationship with the natural world in the lands around the Mediterranean, and Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives, about fossils.

In 1993, Sir David presented the spectacular Life in the Freezer, a celebration of Antarctica and in 1995, he wrote and presented the epic The Private Life of Plants. In 1996, Attenborough in Paradise fulfilled a lifelong ambition to make a special film about the elusive but beautiful birds of paradise. In 1997, he narrated the award-winning Wildlife Specials, marking 40 years of the BBC Natural History Unit. In 1998, he completed an epic 10-part series for the BBC, The Life of Birds. In Autumn 2000 he presented State of the Planet and in Autumn 2001 he narrated The Blue Planet. In 2002 he worked on the innovative new BBC1 series, The Life of Mammals and in 2005 he fronted Life In The Undergrowth.

Recognition
In 1985, Sir David was knighted, he was given the Order of Merit in 2005. Over the years he has received honorary degrees and a number of prestigious awards including Fellowship of The Royal Society. He is a Trustee of the British Museum, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and President of the Royal Society for Nature Conservation.

Television 1954-64 Zoo Quest 1975 The Explorers 1976 The Tribal Eye 1977 Wildlife on One 1979 Life on Earth 1984 The Living Planet 1987 The First Eden 1989 Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives 1990 The Trials of Life 1993 Wildlife 10 1993 Life in the Freezer 1995 The Private Life of Plants 1996 Attenborough in Paradise 1997 The Wildlife Specials 1998 The Life of Birds 2000 State of the Planet 2001 The Blue Planet 2002 The Life of Mammals 2005 Life In The Undergrowth 2006 Planet Earth 2008 Life In Cold Blood

Publications 1956 Zoo Quest to Guyana 1957 Zoo Quest for a Dragon 1959 Zoo Quest in Paraguay 1960 Quest in Paradise 1961 Zoo Quest to Madagascar 1963 Quest Under Capricorn 1976 The Tribal Eye 1979 Life on Earth 1984 The Living Planet 1987 The First Eden 1990 The Trials of Life 1994 The Private Life of Plants 1998 The Life of Birds 2002 The Life of Mammals 2002 Life on Air 2005 Life In The Undergrowth