We celebrated Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday in style with a screening of ‘Ocean’, the landmark documentary narrated by Sir David.
The film was introduced by our Head of Department, Professor Rebecca Kilner and Toby Nowlan, the film’s director/producer.
We’re proud of our connection to Sir David; he was an undergraduate student here in Zoology, and he is patron of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, our close neighbours and colleagues. He has been a frequent visitor, in particular to open the David Attenborough Building, where the CCI is based, and to reopen our refurbished Museum of Zoology in 2018.
Professor Kilner welcomed everyone to the screening and reflected on Sir David’s huge influence, ‘One way or another we are all here this evening because of something David Attenborough has done, some way in which he has communicated with us and made us think beyond ourselves and hope for a better future for our planet. What an inspiration to us all. Of course we should all be celebrating the centenary of a life so well-lived.’
Toby Nowlan introduced the film with a wonderfully hopeful and inspiring talk about the future of the world's oceans.
Described by Sir David as one of the most important films of his career, 'Ocean' explores the importance of the Earth's oceans and the threats they face. Since its release in May 2025, this feature-length documentary has raised global awareness of the urgent need to preserve our oceans.
The screening is part of a wider initiative within the School of Biological Sciences to our highlight research into aquatic life: Water and Life
Pictures: (top) Sir David Attenborough visiting us in 1984. (bottom) Toby Nowlan speaking to the audience at our screening.