David Attenborough’s ‘shocking’ Extinction: The Facts documentary leaves viewers in tears

‘We can’t ignore it, it’s time to act,’ tweeted Carrie Symonds

David Attenborough’s new documentary, Extinction: The Facts, has been hailed as “incredibly moving” and “shocking” by viewers.

The BBC One programme, which aired last night (13 September), saw the naturalist examine biodiversity loss, which threatens food and water security, undermines humans' ability to control the climate, and places us at greater risk of pandemics.

Broadcaster John Simpson was one of many viewers to praise the show on Twitter, writing:  “David Attenborough’s brilliant, shocking Extinction: The Facts brought copious tears in my house. But, obsessed as we are with Covid & Brexit, will we actually stop consuming the products which are destroying natural habitats at this appalling rate? Or pressurise our leaders?”

“Incredibly moving to watch Sir David Attenborough at 94 years old and in the middle of a pandemic telling us that we have to act now to save our world from mass extinctions,” wrote another. “We have to listen to him. And act.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fiancée Carrie Symonds added: “Everyone should watch this. It’s massively difficult to watch - I cried - but it is vital. We can’t ignore it. It’s time to act.”

In a four-star review of the programme for The Independent, Sean O’Grady wrote: “As the impressive collection of environmental talking heads assembled for this latest message from Sir David Attenborough depressingly points out, even when the climate crisis and mass extinctions are a clear and present danger, and coronavirus is taking our loved ones, humanity is still incapable of changing its voracious ways.”