Sir David Attenborough
Doctor of Science (HonDSc)
Year conferred: 2003
Born in London in 1926, David Attenborough studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University. His distinguished career in broadcasting spans over 50 years and began in 1952 when he joined BBC television as a trainee.
Early work involved producing live studio programmes and by 1954, he launched the first of his famous Zoo Quest series, which took him to the wilder parts of the world over the course of a decade. In 1964, he started work on a postgraduate degree in Social Anthropology but returned to the BBC a year later as Controller of BBC2 to launch Europe's first colour television.
By 1969, he was Director of Programmes with responsibility for both BBC television networks, but in 1973, he opted to return to programme-making and began narrating Wildlife on One, a continuing series that has now broadcast over 150 editions.
Work on his first major series, the ambitious Life On Earth, which told the story of evolution of animal life, began in 1976. Universally acclaimed, it was shown around the world. Its sequel, The Living Planet, followed in 1984 and the Life trilogy was completed in 1990 with The Trials of Life.
In the late 1990s, Life In The Freezer, and in 2000, The State of the Planet, have also been successes. A major series examining the lives of plants. birds and mammals followed - Life in the Undergrowth, dealing with insects and other invertebrates. The Life of Mammals followed soon after in 2002.
In 2006, to much acclaim, The Blue Planet and Planet Earth were broadcast. With entirely new footage and filming techniques, they showed things that had never been seen before, alongside the damage being done to our planet by the human race.
In 2007, David launched a campaign on BBC1, along with other famous faces to raise awareness about the issue of global warming and the impact that it is having on species around the globe - the Saving Planet Earth series.
The recipient of many awards and distinctions, Sir David Attenborough received a Knighthood for services to broadcasting in 1985, and was made a Companion of Honour in 1996.