Immersive David Attenborough exhibition to be turned into free London show

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter

The UK's Natural History Museum’s immersive David Attenborough exhibition is to be transformed into a free five-minute show in central London to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Our Story With David Attenborough will be adapted to be shown at Outernet London in Tottenham Court Road from David’s birthday on May 8th, and will see the veteran BBC nature presenter take viewers through the history of people and the Earth, before presenting a vision of London’s future.

Attenborough said of the full production: “In this immersive experience, we explore two stories – the four-billion-year epic of the Earth, and our own, relatively brief chapter, the story of humankind.

“These two stories are not, at this moment, aligned – but they could be. My hope is that anyone visiting the Our Story experience will come to understand how important humanity is in writing the planet’s next chapter.”

The 50-minute immersive exhibition opened at the National History Museum in June last year.

Adam Farrar, director of commercial and visitor experience at the Natural History Museum, said: “Our Story with David Attenborough has been one of the Museum’s most successful experiences, having reached over 150,000 visitors from across the world already since it opened.

“The Museum’s mission is to create advocates for our planet and Open Planet Studios, and we are keen to take the experience to as many people as possible.

“This special adaptation with Outernet in the beating heart of London promises an inspiring exploration into how we can coexist with both our city and our planet, guided by Sir David’s signature powerful storytelling.”

The adaption of the exhibition will run at Outernet’s Now Building until May 31, while tickets are currently on sale for the full display at the National History Museum.

Attenborough was born on May 8th, 1926, in London, the son of an academic and principal of University College, Leicester.

Before joining the BBC in 1952 he studied geology at the University of Cambridge and served two years in the Royal Navy, before earning his reputation with the groundbreaking Zoo Quest series, which he hosted for 10 years on the BBC.

In 1965 he became controller of BBC Two, overseeing the advent of colour TV, and he later became BBC director of programming – but life as a broadcast executive did not appeal, and he returned to his passion of filming wildlife.

His recognisable whispering voice became a household sound in 1979 when he was seen mingling and bonding with a family of gorillas in Life On Earth and its sequel The Living Planet in 1984.

In recent years Sir David, who resides in Richmond, has presented shows including Dynasties, Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III.