To celebrate naturalist and documentarian David Attenborough’s 90th birthday—and six-decade broadcasting career—the BBC is developing a new app that will make his work accessible to everyone, all the time. CNET reports that the free app, called The Story of Life, will allow users to view more than 1000 clips from Attenborough's legendary time in television.
The Story of Life, which will be released later this year, will showcase some of the best footage from Attenborough’s 1950s documentary series Zoo Quest, as well as clips from more recent works like Planet Earth (2006) and Frozen Planet (2011). Its purpose is twofold: To celebrate his work, and introduce a new generation to some of the most popular and compelling nature documentaries ever made.
Attenborough told The Guardian that he hopes the app helps more people connect to the natural world. “Knowing and understanding the natural world is one of the greatest gifts that humans can possess, if we lose our connection with nature then we lose ourselves,” he said. “I’ve had the great privilege of being allowed to travel and discover the infinite variety of life on our planet and to share these stories with audiences all over the world. To keep sharing those stories in a digital age means taking them online and I hope The Story of Life will reach and inspire a whole new generation.”