Charlotte Hadfield
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

Image source, BBC/Andy Paradise

It's hard to describe in just a few lines just how special it was here at the Royal Albert Hall tonight.

It started with a papier-mache zebra weaving through the audience, who were soon on their feet for one of many standing ovations for Sir David Attenborough this evening.

The word legend, national treasure and iconic storyteller have all been used to describe the veteran broadcaster.

And while we were spoilt for choice when it came to poignant tributes, actress Olivia Coleman perhaps put it best when she said "the world is a much better place with you in it".

The live orchestra deserves a special mention for bringing to life so many of Sir David's career highlights tonight. But the stand out moment was undoubtedly the surprise message from King Charles.

And what better way to end the evening than with the words of Attenborough himself, sharing the message: "What a wonderful world".

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Another moment we relived during tonight's special event was this sequence involving orcas and seals from 2022's Frozen Planet II.

The film sees a seal using an iceberg as a raft, taking refuge and protecting itself from the whales attempting to hunt it.

The BBC Concert Orchestra accompanied this sequence live in the Royal Albert Hall. They provided a dramatic score as the audience watched the various tactics the whales used to destabilise the iceberg, ultimately using their momentum to tip the seal into the water.

"Only about 100 killer whales in the world hunt using this technique," Sir David explained in a voiceover. "It's an ingenious solution to the problem of finding prey here in the most frozen habitat on Earth."

It's fascinating... but your heart really goes out to the poor, isolated seal.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Perhaps David Attenborough's most memorable and trailblazing series was Life on Earth, which proved to be a landmark moment for wildlife broadcasting.

Hamza Yassin, wildlife cinematographer and former Strictly winner, spoke at the event earlier and said: "That series was groundbreaking, he opens up the world of natural history to every single person."

First broadcast in 1979, the series is best remembered for Sir David's encounter with the gorillas - something which transformed the public perception, Kirsty Young noted, revealing them as gentle, intelligent creatures.

"With David, there is an empathy with nature, and creatures. There's a real connection between him and what he's looking at," Michael Palin said during the event.

Attenborough has previously recalled of the moment:

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Image source, WireImage

The evening is drawing to a close now, with perhaps the most fitting song to celebrate Sir David Attenborough's career.

As footage plays of various animals and habitats captured on film across a seven-decade career, Sir David narrates the lyrics to What A Wonderful World.

Recorded by countless artists since first released by Louis Armstrong in 1967, the song's lyrics have a certain poignancy tonight as the audience is reminded of the beauty, but also fragility, of the Earth.

As the film wraps up with images of deer, pandas, baby tigers and swimming dolphins, Sir David concludes:

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Just before Kirsty Young wraps up the night, there's just time to show the audience a clip of how David Attenborough spends an average working day, as a centenarian

Well, the clip was technically filmed a few days ago, when he was still 99, but it shows Sir David in a recording booth, laying down the voiceover for a new documentary.

The message is clear: Sir David is still hard at work, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Young then invites the audience to rise to their feet for a rendition of Happy Birthday. The crowd happily obliges, and even the Prince of Wales, sitting next to Sir David in the Royal Box, joins in.

Sir David looks touched and grateful as he waves to the crowd, drawing the night's festivities to a close.

Young tells him: "Thank you David, not just for joining us here tonight, but for sharing your knowledge and love of the planet. You've given nature a voice, and what a voice it is."

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

As the broadcast of tonight's concert draws to a close, the BBC has announced that Sir David Attenborough will narrate another new natural history series, Blue Planet III.

It comes 25 years after the original Blue Planet, and nearly a decade since its sequel prompted a global movement to crack down on single use plastic and clear up the planet's oceans.

Sir David will narrate the six new episodes of Blue Planet III for the BBC, with details of its broadcast to follow in due course.

Jack Bootle, the BBC's head of specialist factual commissioning, says he is "thrilled that David is taking the helm of Blue Planet once again".

"His extraordinary talent for storytelling has shaped the way generations of audiences understand and connect with the natural world, and his voice remains synonymous with the very best of the BBC's natural history output," Bootle adds.

He might now be a centenarian, but Sir David clearly has no plans to slow down.

Charlotte Hadfield
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

Prince William's message is met by a huge standing ovation as David Attenborough also gets to his feet.

Sir David looks overcome by the response as he bows repeatedly in appreciation.

The Prince of Wales's tribute is followed by more video messages from other famous faces.

Camila Cabello, Alan Titchmarsh, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Leonardo DiCaprio are among them.

"Thank you for reminding us over and over again what a beautiful world we live in," says Waller-Bridge.

DiCaprio also echoes this thanks as he says "thank you truly for everything you've done and continue to do for our very precious planet and all of its inhabitants".

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

King Charles isn't the only member of the Royal Family involved in proceedings tonight - the Prince of Wales is now delivering a special birthday message to Sir David Attenborough.

He says "It is a rare privilege to celebrate a century of life. But it is rarer still when that person has transformed the way we see the only home that we have - Planet Earth".

Addressing Sir David directly, he continues: "For decades, your voice has been a constant in our lives, guiding us through rainforests and oceans, over mountains and into the very fabric of life.

"Through your boundless curiosity, gentle wisdom, and unwavering dedication, you have opened our eyes to the beauty of our planet, and to its fragility, reminding us of our collective responsibility to protect it," he adds.

"And for me personally, your friendship has been profound," he adds.

Speaking on behalf of the audience and viewers at home, Prince William concludes: "Sir David, thank you for your wisdom, your kindness, your dedication, and for reminding us, always, of the wonder of the world we call home. A very happy 100th birthday."

Charlotte Hadfield
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

The Prince of Wales is greeted by a round of applause as he takes to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall.

"The standing ovations are for David tonight," he says, which is met by chuckles from members of the audience.

Looking back at the clips shown this evening, Prince William says he "hadn't appreciated how many times David likes to take his shirt off when filming", as he jokes he won't be joining him in doing the same tonight.

Charlotte Hadfield
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

Away from wildlife broadcasting, we turn to the many different roles David Attenborough has had during his career.

"There really is a lot to this multifaceted man," says Kirsty Young.

We're shown various heartwarming clips of Sir David dancing, talking to Queen Elizabeth II and appearing on various chat shows.

It's a clip of the veteran broadcaster narrating Adele's music video Hello that shows his sense of humour the most.

"She hasn't upgraded her handset since 1999," he says as the video shows Adele speaking into a flip phone.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Natural history presenters Liz Bonnin and Steve Backshall have just joined Kirsty Young on stage, to discuss the impact of 2017's Blue Planet II.

Young notes that things which seem everyday to us now - the drastic reduction in plastic straws, a fee on plastic bags in supermarkets - were largely prompted by the public response to the series.

"It built tremendous momentum in so many ways," says Bonnin. "Blue Planet II was stunningly crafted."

She adds "but then you have the image of a sperm whale mistaking a plastic bag for food, or an albatross with a plastic bag in its stomach."

Backshall reflects that "the audience cared, and wanted to do something about it... and Sir David said he was astonished by the reaction".

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Time now to relive perhaps the single most extraordinary moment from any of Sir David's programmes this century.

The snakes and iguanas chase from 2016's Planet Earth was, frankly, better than any sequence from James Bond or Mission: Impossible.

Viewers watched as baby iguanas hatched, began exploring their surroundings, and then almost immediately had to run for their lives as they were pursued by some hungry snakes.

The chase kept the nation gripped and prompted some extraordinary reactions in homes (and on Gogglebox), as viewers cheered on one particular iguana who had a near-miraculous escape and was able to join its family on the safety of the rocks.

The original footage has been stripped of music so it can be soundtracked live tonight by the BBC concert orchestra - who breathe extraordinary new life into it, making the sequence even more evocative and tense.

Kirsty Young jokes that viewers "who don't like snakes or are of a nervous disposition are encouraged to look away now!"

Charlotte Hadfield
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

Image source, PA Media

We've seen it all so far tonight - from papier-mache zebras to a paraguayan harp and a letter from King Charles III himself.

Kirsty Young just turned to some of the special messages people from around the world have left to Sir David.

There are some big names among them, from Dame Judi Dench, to Olivia Colman, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis and actress Kate Winslet.

Meanwhile, Olivia Colman thanks Sir David for all "you've given us throughout the years", adding that "the world is a much better place with you in it".

Singer Raye takes a moment to pay tribute to Sir David's storytelling as she says "your voice is a gift to this earth, you are a national treasure".

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

You might not recognise the song title Hoppípolla by Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós - but you will almost certainly know the music.

The emotive piece has soundtracked countless memorable moments of wildlife programmes and far beyond. You might have heard it being used in film trailers or sport tournament finals.

Tonight's concert here at the Royal Albert Hall marks a special moment, as Sigur Rós perform the piece of music live, alongside a compilation of wildlife footage from Sir David's best-known programmes.

While introducing the band, Kirsty Young explained that the song's title Hoppípolla means "hopping in puddles" in Icelandic.

The band took to the stage for a rendition of the song alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra, which sounded more rousing, more evocative than ever.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Sir Michael Palin just joined Kirsty Young on stage to recount the story we mentioned earlier about how Sir David launched the comedy sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus when he was controller of BBC Two.

The pair became friends, and Sir Michael reflects that Sir David's success is partly down to the fact that he always "just looks as though he's happy to be there".

"He wants to meet these people and see these animals," Sir Michael continues. "It's not something he's been asked to do; it's something that fulfils you.

"I feel the same with my programmes; it's not about you, it's about the world as you see it."

But, he recalls, he also shared a friendly travel rivalry with Sir David. "At one point it got quite competitive," he recalls, telling the audience that the pair would always discuss "who had been to more places".

As Sir Michael wraps up, Young jokes that the audience is lucky to have been joined by a Python - but unusually for Sir David, not a real one.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

David Attenborough's big break as a TV presenter came in 1954 - by accident - when the BBC launched its groundbreaking Zoo Quest series.

The show followed expeditions around the world to film and collect animals for London Zoo's collection - a concept that sounds antiquated and even cruel now, but was commonplace in the 1950s for scientific study.

Sir David was a producer on the series rather than a presenter. But, when the original presenter became ill ahead of broadcast, he was asked to step in.

"My boss said, 'well Attenborough, you're the only other person who was there, you'll go and do it," Sir David recalls. "So quite unintentionally, I appeared on television."

Showbiz is littered with stories like this - many of today's best known TV presenters got their big break thanks to a chance opportunity. Graham Norton, for example, became a chat show host after standing in for another presenter on Channel 5 in the 1990s.

But Sir David is perhaps the most notable example, with his turn on Zoo Quest leading to a seven-decade career. As broadcaster Liz Bonnin has just said "Just imagine, if that presenter hadn't been ill, we may never have had David - the broadcaster."

Here's the moment we've been talking about, where King Charles III sends a very special birthday message to Sir David Attenborough in the Royal Albert Hall.

Charlotte Hadfield
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

Image source, BBC Studios NHU/Buckingham Palace

What an incredible moment as King Charles III delivered his special message to Sir David Attenborough.

The King's words, so carefully chosen, encapsulate what Sir David means to different generations, and how important his mission to "protect and preserve this precious planet of ours" really is.

As the letter lands on a hedgehog's back, before being carried in the mouth of a squirrel, an otter and a swan to name but a few, the footage cleverly shows how nature connects us all - no matter where we live.

Sir David grinned as he held up the letter from his seat, before getting to his feet.

Members of the audience were gazing up at him, visibly touched by what they just witnessed.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Image source, Getty Images

After the handwritten message from King Charles III was delivered to Sir David here at the Royal Albert Hall, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson released a statement with more detail on how it came about.

"His Majesty was delighted to feature in this special tribute to a man who has shared his lifetime commitment to the natural world, and has followed each stage of the filming process with great interest," the spokesman said.

"He was only sorry not to meet Lily the magical barn owl in person. Her Majesty was particularly touched that her mischievous Moley was invited to make a cameo appearance and was on hand with a ready selection of dog treats to help coax a willing performance on the day."

Buckingham Palace adds: "The King and Queen send their warmest wishes to Sir David on his special night and hope he enjoys the resulting film as much as they enjoyed making it."

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Kirsty Young has just been joined on stage by tonight's first special guest - wildlife presenter Chris Packham.

He notes that, when Zoo Quest aired in 1954, "only 2% of the British public ever left the UK", so at that time Sir David was considered "an adventurer or explorer".

He then shows Young some of the original sound equipment and cameras that were used to capture footage of animals for Zoo Quest - technology that wouldn't be out of place on the Antiques Road Show, he jokes.

In contrast, wildlife cinematographer Anna Dimitriadis then shows Young some of the more modern technology used to shoot today's natural history programmes.

She demonstrates a special camera which recognises heat as light (the whiter something appears, the hotter it is), and turns the camera on the audience to demonstrate.

She even picks out a special guest sitting in the crowd - actor Benedict Cumberbatch. "You look quite hot!" she tells them - meaning it literally.

Young then introduces Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesia to perform a beautiful piece of music, Pajaro Campana - which translates as Bell Bird, the national bird of Paraguay.