This  level-4 vital article is rated GA-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

Biography: Arts and Entertainment This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography This article is supported by the arts and entertainment work group (assessed as Top-importance). BBC High‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject BBC, an attempt to better organise information in articles related to the BBC. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page where you can join us as a member. You can also visit the BBC Portal.BBCWikipedia:WikiProject BBCTemplate:WikiProject BBCBBC High This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale. Tasks for WikiProject BBC: Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Article requests : Improve BBC, BBC News (British TV channel) and BBC News to Good Article status following previous reviews, create BBC Computer Literacy ProjectBBC Computer Literacy Project (in light of forthcoming 30th anniversary) Cleanup : Chucklevision - references and general clean-up, Pebble Mill Studios - over-detailed and long, BBC World Service Television - unreferenced and confusing Copyedit : BBC News, Broadcasting House Expand : Top 20 start-class BBC articles with most importance: BBC Japan, BBC World Service Television, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Two Northern Ireland NPOV : Criticism of the BBC (See comments) Stubs : Stub-Class BBC articles Other : *Restructure the category Add infoboxes to the BBC articles without infoboxes Add free-use images to biographical articles where possible Add references to Goa Mix (see assessment) and Coat of arms of the BBC Return Dad's Army to a Good article. (See comments) Reassess BBC following improvements to article. Underwater diving Low‑importance This article is part of WikiProject Underwater diving, an effort to create, expand, organize, and improve Underwater diving-related articles to a feature-quality standard, and to comprehensively cover the topic with quality encyclopedic articles.Underwater divingWikipedia:WikiProject Underwater divingTemplate:WikiProject Underwater divingUnderwater diving Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale. Climate change High‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject Climate change, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Climate change on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Climate changeWikipedia:WikiProject Climate changeTemplate:WikiProject Climate changeClimate change High This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale. If you are looking for ways to improve this article, we recommend checking out our recommended sources and our style guide Environment High‑importance This environment-related article is part of the WikiProject Environment to improve Wikipedia's coverage of the environment. The aim is to write neutral and well-referenced articles on environment-related topics, as well as to ensure that environment articles are properly categorized. Read Wikipedia:Contributing FAQ and leave any messages at the project talk page.EnvironmentWikipedia:WikiProject EnvironmentTemplate:WikiProject EnvironmentEnvironment High This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.

As controller of BBC 2 in the mid to late 1960s, David Attenborough showed an instinctive understanding of what made good television - Match of the Day, Monty Python and The Old Grey Whistle Test among the many ground-breaking shows he commissioned.

More - www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/mar/03/davidattenboroughafinespec — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.16.72.221 (talk) 17:05, 2 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

On what basis is he described as a biologist? Does he any relevant qualifications? Published any peer reviewed research? The entire careers section seems strong on his presenting history and I can't see anything which qualifies him to be referred to as a biologist or natural historiak come to that. 82.9.56.21 (talk) 23:12, 18 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

from the Wikipedia article on biologist: a biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology.

What research has he conducted? If none, this title needs to be remlved 82.9.56.21 (talk) 23:15, 18 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Anybody? Im not registered to edit but it needs fixing 82.9.56.21 (talk) 18:38, 17 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@82.9.56.21 Sources relating Attenborough to biology and being a biologist:

• https://www.britannica.com/video/Biography-Sir-David-Attenborough/-298552
• https://www.wearesa.au/news/sir-david-attenborough-donates-to-the-warlpiri-project
• https://boingboing.net/2024/11/19/sir-david-attenborough-displeased-by-ai-clones-of-his-voice.html/amp
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9clK9k2ynM

Strugglehouse (talk) 23:28, 5 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Whatever being "related to biology" is supposed to mean, it does not mean that he is a biologist. 2601:642:4F84:1590:DDA6:FEA5:D834:38CE (talk) 19:01, 16 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done:

I tried all of the links you provided (thank you), but like the original commenter here was unable to find anything from an accredited source stating that he has graduated from their program after so many years focusing on anything in the sciences. Really I'd like to focus in on the following text from the article,

"and obtained a degree in natural sciences.[18]"

I followed that source which leads to a publication for the alumni of Clare College. They publish an short piece on his work with the BBC as a broadcaster and programmer, but that source actually not once stated that he was a graduate at all. It is only implied that he did intend because in the interview Attenborough does speak as if he has attended, which isn't really in dispute at this point. I will dispute that he has a degree in "natural sciences," and I would be far more willing to wager that he shifted his focus towards some sort of communication, publishing, etc. and that would be what his earned degree would be focused on. There is no doubt he has countless honorary ones. It would be quite dubious to refer to someone with an honorific because of an honorary degree presented only for display purposes.

I have come to the conclusion that I too have failed to find any evidence demonstrating that Sir Attenborough is different than a world renowned presenter and broadcaster for the BBC. Using the cited reference material, I found nothing in the publication that mentioned him being presented with an honorary degree, or that he received a scholarship to attend. The following is a quotation taken from Attenborough in the interview conducted in the alumni paper,

"“Learning about the natural sciences,

which I studied while at Cambridge,

was a great excitement that has never

abated,” he says."

That as well, does not even make the claim that he had graduated with a focus on any sciences but that he simply learned about the natural sciences, which still encompasses a large field of study and could very well mean anthropology or even astronomy.

Any references to an accredited degree I think ought be removed because the sources referencing the proof of it do not contain such evidence and an honorary degree as proof is dubious (at best) to the reader. Gomerkyle (talk) 19:49, 8 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Remove identification as a "biologist" from the lead, infobox and categories, because no foundation for it has been provided aside from sources asserting it in passing. 2601:642:4F84:1590:1C29:86FB:EFD6:7D16 (talk) 04:56, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done: Per this source [1] Valorrr (talk) 18:53, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

So... another source that merely asserts it in passing? WHAT BIOLOGY HAS HE DONE? 2601:642:4F84:1590:342C:71CE:B84A:752C (talk) 06:08, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@2601:642:4F84:1590:342C:71CE:B84A:752C It's really not difficult to understand. If sources say he's a biologist, he's a biologist. Wikipedia goes by sources, not personal opinion. Strugglehouse (talk) 07:53, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The notion that words might have meanings, rather than being magic spells, is apparently quite difficult for you to understand.

A video file needs to be replaced, it is a download from TikTok at low quality and does not provide the main part of his speech. A new video is to be uploaded at the approval of this edit request. LavaPulse (talk) 00:31, 29 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Question: What video file are you referring to? You don't need to make an edit request in order to upload a video. Day Creature (talk) 05:05, 29 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. SI09 (talk) 10:30, 28 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It seems odd all his family members are described as English in their respective articles yet David is described as British in his. ~2025-39495-38 (talk) 21:56, 8 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Per MOS:CONTEXTBIO: "The opening paragraph should usually provide context for that which made the person notable. In most modern-day cases, this will be the country, region, or territory where the person is currently a national or permanent resident; or, if the person is notable mainly for past events, where the person was such when they became notable."

He is most notable as a "broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer" across the UK (not just working in England), and most particularly for his involvement in the BBC (which isn't specific to England).

Also, his mother, Mary Attenborough, is introduced as British [2], not English. Though that's not really relevant since each subject is treated independently regarding their notability. MossOnALog^Talk 18:24, 29 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]