David Attenborough at 90: Nine facts about the broadcaster and naturalist

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Sir David Attenborough’s 90th birthday might be days away but the godfather of natural history remains as indefatigable as ever. While other people's lives narrow as they grow older, he continues to tirelessly travel the biosphere in search of living organisms.

Sir David might not like the term “national treasure” but there are few better ways to sum him up. From serving as the controller of BBC Two to being director of programming for BBC television in the 60s and 70s to presenting nine Life series, his lifetime has been punctuated by a seemingly unending series of achievements.

After all, he is the only person to have won a BAFTA for programmes in both black and white, colour, HD and finally 3D.

Of course, there is more to the Hounslow-born broadcaster and naturalist than at first meets the eye. As he enters his tenth decade, here is a selection of lesser known things about him.

While most of us would regard Sir David as the very definition of an animal lover, this is by no means a term he would use to describe himself. In fact, it is one he actively rejects. So although he has an intensive interest in nature, you’d be unlikely to find him gushing over a pedigree pup.

“I'm not an animal lover," he told The Guardian back in 2006. "Animal lover means sentiment; a cloying, anthropomorphising sentiment. I don't love earth worms or spiders. They're rivetingly interesting and they give me huge intellectual pleasure. And aesthetic pleasure, I suppose. But that's a different thing altogether.“

Sir David’s myriad claims to fame transcend the kingdom of nature. Believe it or not, he was responsible for introducing the coverage of snooker when the BBC moved into colour in the early 70s. Prior to this nobody had considered broadcasting a sport which had previously been relegated to smoke-shrouded working men’s clubs. It is thought Sir David could have been director general of the Beeb if he had so wished.

As an enduringly proud proponent of the theory of evolution, Sir David is not someone who you would associate with agnosticism. Nevertheless, he is not opposed to the idea that there is some higher being out there.

“I don't think an understanding and an acceptance of the 4 billion-year-long history of life is any way inconsistent with a belief in a supreme being,” he told Radio Four listeners back in 2012. “And I am not so confident as to say that I am an atheist.”

Smartly turned out in his safari-ready black suit, a young Sir David was as aesthetically pleasing as some of the rare species of animals he described. All the same, the BBC didn’t always think this was the case - at one point his teeth stopped him from appearing on TV.

After replacing an interviewer before his traineeship had begun, he wasn’t asked again. Working as a BBC controller a good deal later, he found an enlightening memo. It read: “Attenborough is an intelligent young man and I’m delighted to have him as a trainee producer but he should not be used as an interviewer again because his teeth are too big."

In January 2013, Sir David had accumulated 32 honorary degrees from British universities – more than any other person. He has also received the title Honourary Fellow title from Clare College in Cambridge, the Zoological Society of London, the Linnean Society, the Institute of Biology and the Society of Antiquaries.

During an interview on BBC Radio One, Sir David was asked to narrate the video for Adele’s new song. He obliged, giving it the trademark Attenborough voice-over once-over. “Like all pop stars, she needs to hunt to survive,” he begins. “The lesser spotted Adele is about to be everywhere again.”

In a 2005 interview with BBC Wildlife Magazine, Attenborough declared he thought George W. Bush was the era’s greatest “environmental villain”. He added, “American presidents have got a great tradition of this. Was it Ronald Reagan who said, ‘If you’ve seen one redwood tree, you’ve seen them all’?”

Sir David apparently ensured he flew economy class while on work trips, with reports saying he declined upgrades unless his camera crew were also upgraded. But when he turned 75, the BBC reportedly told him he should fly in business class.