David Attenborough turns 98 this Wednesday, but he doesn’t know the word retirement | Interview

Veteran British naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough turns 98 on May 8, but according to his longtime collaborator Mike Gunton, he has no plans to retire.

Gunton, who is creative director of the BBC’s Natural History Unit, met David Attenborough in the 1980s, working on the animal behavior programThe Trials of Life. Since then, the two have directed acclaimed programs such as the nature series Planet Earththe wildlife program Life It is The Green Planetabout plants.

In an interview with Reuters, Gunton reflected on his relationship with Attenborough and the radio host’s work. The following are excerpts edited for length and brevity.

What did your working relationship with David mean to you?
I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to deliver the programs he has been a key part of, which would never have been seen, appreciated and loved by so many people without him front and center.

What is it like working with David?
Every time we go filming with David it’s fun. He has a fantastic sense of humor. He is a fantastic joke teller. It offers opportunities to go places and see things that we would never normally see with our eyes.

What is the main message at the center of David’s work?
He has always been curious about the natural world, but has always worried about its vulnerability. He must be unique, in the sense that no one is an eyewitness, like him, of the changes that have occurred in the natural world, often because he returned to the same places. That’s why he’s such a powerful advocate, because you can’t argue. He saw it with his own eyes.

What is David most proud of?
He is undoubtedly proud of the sheer scale of his work, as almost every aspect of the natural world, at some point, he has been able to tell a story and involve millions and millions of people around the world.

What was David’s role in developing the way your nature documentaries resonate?
It’s a group effort, but he’s the best storyteller of them all. He is a genius when it comes to unfolding a story that is simultaneously powerful, beautiful and, at times, quite sobering, in a way that the audience accepts and absorbs. I think that will be a very difficult thing to do for anyone else.

Will David retire?
Someone asked him that the other day, and he said, “Reform, reform? I don’t even know the word.” This is never going to happen.