An event celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday is set to take place at the Royal Albert Hall next month, featuring special performances from Sigur Rós and Bastille. The live event, organized by the BBC, will honor the life and career of the iconic British broadcaster, natural historian, and writer.
Hosted at the historic London venue, the evening will be broadcast live and presented by Kirsty Young. The program will feature guest speakers including Sir Michael Palin, Steve Backshall, and Chris Packham, alongside musical performances from artists whose work has been synonymous with the acclaimed Planet Earth television series.
Bastille frontman Dan Smith is scheduled to perform a classical arrangement of the band’s hit track ‘Pompeii’ accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra, following the song's inclusion in Planet Earth III. Meanwhile, Icelandic post-rock legends Sigur Rós will perform their classic anthem ‘Hoppípolla’. Originally released on their 2005 breakthrough album Takk, the track gained global recognition after being featured in the trailer for the first season of Planet Earth in 2006, and later in a specially created version for Planet Earth II in 2016.
The BBC Concert Orchestra will also perform scores from some of the most memorable moments in Sir David’s career, including the iconic iguana and snake chase from Planet Earth II. Additionally, Sienna Spiro will join forces with Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesias to perform ‘Pajaro Campana’, a piece that famously featured in Attenborough’s first wildlife program, Zoo Quest.
“Sir David’s gift to the world has been a life spent exquisitely revealing Earth’s wonders to us all,” Kirsty Young told the BBC. “The very least he deserves is a big 100th birthday bash at the Royal Albert Hall. I’m very happy indeed, as the host, to be able to invite everyone to the party.”
The event, produced by BBC Studios Music Productions and the Natural History Unit in partnership with The Open University, will take place on May 8 at the Royal Albert Hall. It will be broadcast starting at 8:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer. In addition to the main event, the BBC will air two supplementary programs: Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure, featuring new interviews with Sir David, and Secret Garden, a five-episode series exploring the hidden ecosystems within British gardens.