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Chapter 1: What inspired the guest to become a zookeeper?
or 51551 as well the number if you want to get in touch you'd want to be living under a rock and actually he'd have interest in you if you were living under a rock not to have noticed that it is David Attenborough's 100th birthday today and Brendan Walsh is on the line Brendan what's your job?
Hiya Ciarán I'm a senior zookeeper in Dublin Zoo
Would you be a senior zookeeper if it were not for David Attenborough?
Definitely less likely. I definitely think I inherited the gene for loving animals from my dad and all that. However, watching Attenborough from the age of, I think, five or six in the early 80s definitely inspired me and pushed me on to really follow and try and follow what he did achieve in his life, that's for sure.
What was it about him that you found so engaging?
I guess just the fact the accessibility and just how he uses just the right amount of words and how he's so passionate about what he does but just doesn't force the message across too strongly he's never preachy and I just think you know he just the way he always was able to communicate so
Clearly he was so fantastic and obviously at the start of his career back in the 50s, he started with BBC and doing TV before TV had been invented. He literally started different from the very start.
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Chapter 2: How did David Attenborough impact wildlife conservation?
So he was promoting discovery and seeing how amazing the world was and now 75 years on he's trying to protect that planet and for the last 30 years he's really trying to push on the message of you know, science-backed evidence about where the planet is going. But again, trying to give a message of hope with that and just not making it too sad, I suppose.
But yeah, there's so many amazing shows over the years that I just think have certainly inspired me to try and conserve animals in my job in Dublin Zoo and obviously lots of our visitors and our fellow colleagues in the zoo as well, that's for sure.
Those early shows in the 50s, you know, I don't remember those and you wouldn't either, but they... You know, by all accounts, what brought him to acclaim on the back of them was that it was so unique what he was doing, you know, going off to these places and filming, you know, Komodo dragons kind of in their native habitat and standing beside them.
But that doesn't really explain his lasting appeal, doesn't it? It's hard to put your finger on it, isn't it? Like, what is it that after that initial acclaim, you could see that fade away? Lots of people are pioneers at different things and then you forget about them.
Chapter 3: What unique qualities make David Attenborough a beloved figure?
But... 50, 60 years later, people adore David Attenborough.
Oh, absolutely. Like, I mean, I say in the 80s, I really got hooked on him. And then at that stage, he thought he was going to retire. He was hitting 65 in the early 90s, if my maths are correct. And The Trials of Life, I don't know if you remember that one, it was about behaviour. And that's when I really got sucked into it.
And I just think even people that wouldn't describe themselves as being big nature lovers, I think if they watch it, they often get engrossed pretty quickly. And I think obviously the credit is to all the people that he works with as regards to getting amazing footage and amazing sound.
Chapter 4: What memorable experiences did the guest have working with Attenborough?
But with that, you know, he generally, as my understanding, he does write the scripts himself. And I've met some of the people that he's worked with and they would say he can do it in like a quarter of the time that other people half his age would. He can sit down, he'll get it done and he's famously known for having his cheese sandwich at the end of it.
You know, so he's, yeah, but again, his information's always science-backed, but he gives the message in a normal way that everyone can understand. But he won't say something unless he knows something about science.
I asked him about, I did a sleep study on elephants, and I asked him what his opinion was, and he was very confidently and calmly told me, well, I don't know anything about elephant sleep. I met him back in, what, 2017, and we had a quick chat, and it was amazing.
What was he like?
He was at a dinner. It was amazing.
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Chapter 5: What are some of the most impactful shows created by Attenborough?
It was a dinner in London. So it was a nice relaxed atmosphere and he was as amazing as you would hope he to be.
Really? Because you know sometimes, this is slightly sacrilegious, I'm going to say it. You know, he has a reputation for being maybe slightly curmudgeonly.
Well, I certainly didn't see that. I mean, I found him to be totally genuine. And, you know, not to sound too cheesy, but I never met either my granddad. They both died before I was born. And I genuinely grew up, like, wishing and hoping he was my granddad.
Chapter 6: How does Attenborough communicate complex scientific ideas?
And, of course, since then I've realised many people think the same way. But I found him to be, you know, very genuine and very, you know, just... I felt very warm. My friends like me for being able to talk to a brick wall. I enjoy talking. But when I met David Attenborough, I would have been, what was I, in my late 30s? No, early 40s I would have been.
And it was the first time in my life I genuinely can remember where I couldn't speak. I was speechless. But very quickly, I offered him a book and I barely could speak to ask him to sign it.
Chapter 7: What personal interactions did callers have with David Attenborough?
And I probably came across as a bit blunt. And very quickly, I managed to get myself speaking and we talked about Ireland and obviously we talked about nature. And funny enough, I did ask him, would you ever consider doing a series about Britain and Ireland, which he hadn't done up to that stage. And he said, oh no, there's lots of great people in this country that are doing that already.
I work on the stuff that's further afield.
but what was and you know fast forward a few years and he created the Wild Isles series which is funny enough because I certainly don't think I planted a seed in his head maybe COVID had more to do with the fact but I don't mind that claim credit claim credit I'll take I'll take I'll take 1% of the credit but I do do absolutely listen of all of the stuff you know be it the Wild Isles you know Life in the Freezer Blueprint anything it doesn't matter what it is what stands out for you
Well, I think the most, the one I love the most, my gorillas are my favourite species of animal. And so his footage from the early 80s with the gorillas, that was just visually, I can remember that as if it was yesterday. And that stuck with me and I did my thesis in college on gorillas and I look after them on many of my days in the zoo now.
And I'm just ridiculously fortunate to be able to do that.
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Chapter 8: What lasting influence has David Attenborough had on future generations?
But also on a very different note, there was one episode, I think it was Planet Earth series, where it was an episode on caves. And that hadn't really been done before. And that kind of surprised myself that I was so into it, because generally rainforests would be one of my favourites, habitats just to see. However, the cave zone I just thought was fascinating, you know, the depth they got in.
That was back in, I think, the 90s, like about 20 years ago, I think that series first came out. And he's done, what, about 100 shows. And I'd love to... I don't think I've seen every single one, but I've certainly made efforts to see every single episode he's ever done. But obviously stuff back in the... to 50s, 60s, 70s. I certainly haven't seen all them, but a lot of them have been remade.
And also, actually, obviously, people listen to your show will obviously enjoy the spoken word. I'd highly recommend they listen to his audiobooks.
because they're off the scale you know what I mean so you haven't got time to sit down and read a book you know stick it on and just listen to his voice doesn't matter if he was talking about the most mundane thing in the world you're going to like it but you know obviously his books are one of them is about his autobiography and then the rest are obviously about nature you know they're good messages
As long as people don't listen to them between 1.45 and 3 Monday to Friday, I'm happy to second that recommendation. Brendan, thanks a million. Let's stick with this, but we'll take a short break. Talking about David Attenborough and actually Derek Mooney got to sit down and interview David Attenborough a few years ago.
And the interview in its entirety is going to be broadcast tonight at 10 o'clock here on RTE Radio 1. So that is well worth keeping an ear out for. But Brian Murphy is on the line. And Brian, I understand that you worked with the great man. Is that right?
Hi, good afternoon. Yes, indeed. Yeah, I had the wonderful and lovely privilege of working with David Attenborough up in Scotland. And on the off chance that he happens to be listening to RT today, I'd like to wish him a happy 100th birthday. But yeah, it was a wonderful opportunity and it was a wonderful experience to get to work with David Attenborough and the BBC Wildlife team.
What did you do? What was the show? How did you work with them? Tell me all.
So what happened was I'm involved in the diving business here in Ireland, Ocean Divers Limited, and we would do a lot of marine support services for the film industry and anybody basically who wants kind of boats and diving support services.
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