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David Attenborough says his days of travelling overseas to film documentaries may be over

Documentary filmmaker says he now gets a feeling of dread whenever he boards a plane

Roisin O'Connor
Sunday 27 December 2020 16:40 GMT
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David Attenborough visits last surviving northern white rhinos

Sir David Attenborough has said he believes his days of travelling around the world to film his nature documentaries may be over.  

The beloved filmmaker, 94, told Radio Times that he found his heart was “sinking deeper and deeper” each time he boarded a plane.  

“It's probably a fact of age, but I was finding my heart was sinking deeper and deeper into my boots every time I walked up into an aircraft and looked down that long line and thought, 'I'm going to be here for another 24 hours,” he said.

“It didn't make my heart lift with pleasure.”

In the same interview, Attenborough said he welcomed Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election, and was keen to see America return to the fight against climate change.  

Biden has pledged to rejoin the Paris climate agreement on the first day of his presidency, after Trump controversially pulled out of it.

“How could I deny that?” Attenborough said when asked about whether he believed Biden’s victory would be good for the world.

“It's of the greatest possible importance,” he said of the US returning to the climate crisis battle. “The major power in the world and the major economic power in the world?

“Of course, it's absolutely crucial that it is party to all these things and if we are to find a solution with international agreements the presence of America is beyond measure.”

The full interview is available to read in the latest issue of Radio Times.  

Attenborough’s latest documentary, A Life on Our Planet, is available to watch now on Netflix.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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