Image source, Jason Roberts

Gavin Thurston has worked as a wildlife cameraman with Sir David Attenborough for nearly 40 years.

He filmed him on major BBC films including The Life of Mammals, which was broadcast in 2002, and Wild London, which came out earlier this year. He’s also filmed with Sir David in the North Pole.

Gavin says:

He also describes Attenborough as "a team player" and says "from the very start, when the baggage comes out on the carousel at the airport he would go and grab the two heaviest cases".

Gavin goes on to say that "even into his eighties he would grab things and we would have to strategically grab the heavy ones before he did and leave some lighter ones so he could feel part of the team”.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter at the Royal Albert Hall

Image source, Getty Images

Sir Michael Palin is good friends with Sir David Attenborough, and will be popping up frequently during tonight's concert.

"In both cases we love what we do, and David has been quite remarkable for the time he has been making programmes, and the consistency of those programmes," Sir Michael told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday.

But that's not the only reason they're friends. It was Sir David who originally commissioned Monty Python's Flying Circus, which made Sir Michael Palin and John Cleese famous, when he was controller of BBC Two in 1969.

"When Monty Python first began, we got a bit grumpy that we were put on late at night, and in opt-out slots, and people couldn't see the programme very easily," Sir Michael told presenter Justin Webb.

"The only person at the BBC who defended that at all was David Attenborough. He said, 'I've heard you're a bit fed up', and I said 'yes I suppose we do feel that we've been put to one side'.

"And he said 'well, that's the way you become a cult'. And that shut us up! But he was spot on. We were expecting him to say 'I'm terribly sorry', but no, he was saying that's the way we were going to become popular."

A birthday message for Sir David Attenborough has illuminated Piccadilly Circus.

The iconic part of London has been taken over by BBC Studios, with a message dedicated to Sir David on his 100th birthday.

The message is being displayed throughout the day and shows of a two-minute video dedicated to Attenborough, reflecting on his decades-long career.

Charlotte Hadfield
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

I'm standing outside London's Royal Albert Hall, where an event is due to be held this evening to mark Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.

Guests, dressed in sequins, polka dots and brightly coloured ties, are slowly starting to arrive for a special evening celebrating Sir David’s life and legacy.

Camera crews have also assembled, carrying props which appear to be part of the production.

Meanwhile, inside the venue, rehearsals finished a short time ago for what is sure to be a night to remember.

In a message recorded ahead of this evening, Sir David said “I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas”.

But the 100th birthday of a British broadcasting legend was never going to go down quietly.

You can watch the special 90-minute concert at the top of this page from 20:30 BST.

Across the decades, David Attenborough has been the voice of some of the most groundbreaking nature documentaries ever produced.

Zoo Quest: Attenborough first appeared on television screens in the Fifties. In a time before mass tourism, the places and animals filmed in the programme were unfamiliar to the majority of the audience and had not been seen on TV before.

Life on Earth: About 50 years ago, the BBC’s Natural History Unit set out to produce the most ambitious series it had ever attempted and, three years and more than 100 shoots in 49 countries later, Life on Earth was released in 1979.

The 13-part series, which saw Attenborough travel the globe to trace the story of the evolution of life on Earth, was watched by an estimated 500 million people across the world.

The Blue Planet: In 2001 an eight part series was released in which Attenborough explored the marine life of the world's oceans. After winning a Bafta and two Emmy awards, in 2017 the show received a sequel, Blue Planet II.

Planet Earth: Followed in 2006, which moved camera crews from the oceans to dry land to explore how animals survive in all corners of the globe.

It released to universal acclaim, taking home four Emmys, and leading to the equally critically acclaimed 2016 sequel Planet Earth II.

There have been dozens more shows over the years, including Frozen Planet, Dynasties, Our Planet and - most recently - Wild London, produced last year while Attenborough was 99 years old.

David Attenborough has said he is "completely overwhelmed" by the messages he has received ahead of his 100th birthday.

In an audio message released on Thursday, he said: "I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas.

"I have been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings, from pre-school groups to care home residents, and countless individuals and families of all ages."

You can listen to the full audio message below:

Image source, BBC / Passion Planet Ltd / Simon De Glanville

Tonight's 90-minute special from the Royal Albert Hall will celebrate Attenborough's centenary and his seven decades of natural history broadcasting.

Presenter Kirsty Young will be taking the audience on a journey through some of the most memorable wildlife moments from the BBC’s natural history archive.

Sigur Rós, Bastille's Dan Smith, Sienna Spiro, Francisco Yglesia and the BBC Concert Orchestra will perform iconic music from his documentaries over the years.

The show will look back on programmes such as Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet, and feature broadcasters who have been inspired by Attenborough's work over the years, including Liz Bonnin, Steve Backshall, Chris Packham, and Michael Palin.

Jack Burgess
Live page editor

In 1926, Frederick and Mary Attenborough welcomed the birth of their second son, David, in Isleworth.

One hundred years later, we are marking Sir David Attenborough's centenary with a special event in the Royal Albert Hall.

Over a career spanning seven decades, Attenborough's work has come to define nature documentary-making.

Tonight's event will take audiences through decades of exploration and discovery of the natural world, seen through the prism of his life and work.

David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth begins at 19:30 BST in the Royal Albert Hall.

We'll be following the show as it's broadcast from 20:30 BST on BBC One, iPlayer and at the top of this page.