The BBC Is Airing A Film About David Attenborough's Early Work This Weekend

Across the decades, Sir David Attenborough has opened our eyes to the breathtaking beauty of this planet and its wildlife.

In recent times, his documentaries have utilised incredible technology to show us natural phenomena that we would have no chance of seeing otherwise. But if you fancy looking back at some of Attenborough's early work from the 50s and 60s - when is hair was brown but you wouldn't know 'cause colour TV hadn't been invented - then the BBC are airing a one-off special this Sunday.

BBC

David Attenborough's Zoo Quest in Colour is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin - archive footage from his old Zoo Quest documentaries, but in colour, interspersed with behind-the-scenes stories from Sir David Himself. There are also clips of a 30-year-old Attenborough topless on a boat, if that's what you're into.

A full synopsis of the show reads: "Thanks to a remarkable discovery in the BBC's film vaults, the best of David Attenborough's early Zoo Quest adventures can now be seen as never before, in colour, and with it the remarkable story of how this pioneering television series was made.

"First broadcast in December 1954, Zoo Quest was one of the most popular television series of its time and launched the career of the young David Attenborough as a wildlife presenter. It completely changed how viewers saw the world, revealing wildlife and tribal communities that had never been filmed or even seen before.

"Broadcast ten years before colour television was seen in the UK, Zoo Quest was thought to have been filmed in black and white, until now. Using this extraordinary new-found colour film, together with new behind-the-scenes stories from David Attenborough and cameraman Charles Lagus, this special showcases the very best of Zoo Quest to West Africa, Zoo Quest to Guiana and Zoo Quest for a Dragon in stunning HD colour for the very first time."

PA

Since those early days, the 93-year-old has gone on to make a shed-load of TV, raising awareness of the impact of climate change in the process.

Indeed, his full title these days is Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS FLS FZS FSA FRSGS. Now, obviously we don't have time to go through what all of those mean, but they basically all signify the same thing - he is a top banana.

You can catch David Attenborough's Zoo Quest in Colour at 7.30pm this Sunday on BBC Four.

Topics: TV and Film, BBC, david attenborough, UK Entertainment, Nature

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey