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Attenborough at 100: a World of Animals

From the sloth, to the dinosaur, hawks and crocodiles, wolves and elephants, snakes and bears - today's programme marks the career of David Attenborough with an animal theme.

As David Attenborough's 100th birthday approaches, Hugh Bonneville and Anne-Marie Duff read poetry and prose inspired by animals: from sloths, hawks and crocodiles, to wolves, elephants and snakes, alongside an archive recording of Attenborough himself reading from Life Stories, his memoir of seventy years of world-class nature broadcasting. We'll visit all seven continents in readings from Michael Crichton鈥檚 Jurassic Park to Isabel Allende鈥檚 Paradise to Kari Herbert鈥檚 Antarctica, and hear poetry from Lorca to AA Milne and Pascale Petit. Music inspired by and evoking all manner of creatures and plants, includes pieces by Camille Saint-Saens, Claude Debussy and Elena Kats-Chernin and George Fenton's scores for Attenborough's nature documentaries.

In Memoriam (extract) by Alfred Tennyson
H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald
Life Stories 鈥 archaeopteryx by David Attenborough
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Life Stories 鈥 sloths by David Attenborough
Sonnet on a Monkey by Marjory Fleming
Crocodile by Thomas Lovell Beddoes
Leaving Times by Jodi Piccoult
The Old Lizard (extract) by Federico Garcia Lorca
The Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Life Stories 鈥 monstrous flowers by David Attenborough
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver
Song of Myself (extract) by Walt Whitman
Between Us And by Anne Carson
White Fang by Jack London
The Pangolin by Fleur Adcock
Life Stories 鈥 coelocanth by David Attenborough
Blueback by Tim Winton
The Explorer's Daughter by Kari Herbert
At the Zoo by AA Milne
Paradise by Isabel Allende
Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban
Kindness to Animals by Wendy Cope
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
The Tyger (extract) by William Blake
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Green Bee Eater by Pascale Petit

Produced in Salford by Olive Clancy

24 days left to listen

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Last Sunday 19:45

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Francis Poulenc

    Les Animaux Modeles 鈥 le lion amoureaux

    Performer: RTE Symphony Orchestra.
    • Naxos.
    • Tr1.
  • Alfred Tennyson

    In Memoriam extract read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:00

    Trad.

    Song of the Birds

    Performer: Pau Casals.
    • Regis Records.
    • Tr1.
  • Helen McDonald

    H is for Hawk read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • David Attenborough

    from Live Stories - Archaeopteryx

  • 00:06

    Richard Blackford

    The Great Animal Orchestra

    Orchestra: 麻豆社 National Orchestra of Wales.
    • Nimbus.
    • Tr2.
  • Michael Crichton

    Jurassic Park read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:09

    Vladimir Cosma

    Ballade de L'Elephant

    Performer: Alexandre Tharaud.
    • Cinema.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 9.
  • David Attenborough

    Archive from Life Stories - Sloths

  • Marjory Fleming

    Sonnet on a Monkey read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:00

    Florence Price

    Song Without Words

    Performer: Theresa Delaplain.
    • MSR Classics.
    • Tr1.
  • Thomas Lovell Beddoes

    Crocodile read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:15

    Kwabene Nketia

    Volta Fantasy

    Performer: William Chapman Nyaho.
    • Piano Music of Africa.
    • MSR Classics.
    • 1.
  • Jodi Piccoult

    Leaving Times read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:00

    Francis Poulenc

    Les Animaux Modeles - le lion amoureaux

    Orchestra: National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.
    • Poulenc: Les biches Suite, Les animaux mod猫les Suite & Sinfonietta.
    • Naxos.
    • 1.
  • 00:00

    Tunde Jegede

    The Waters

    Performer: Tunde Jegede.
    • XIOM.
    • Tr7.
  • Federico Garcia Lorca

    Extract from The Old Lizard read by Hugh Bonneville

  • Nnedi Okorafor

    The Lagoon read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:20

    Claude Debussy

    La Mer

    Performer: Lucerne Festival Orchestra.
    • Deutsche Gramaphon.
    • Tr2.
  • Richard Powers

    The Overstory read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:00

    Foday Musa Suso

    Tilliboyo

    Performer: Kronos Quartet.
    • Nonesuch.
    • Tr3.
  • David Attenborough

    Archive, Life Stories 鈥 Monstrous Flowers

  • 00:27

    Eric Tingstad

    Alligator Alley

    Performer: Tingstad & Rumbel.
    • American Accoustic.
    • Narada.
    • 2.
  • Barbara Kingsolver

    Animal, Vegetable, Mineral read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:30

    Cat Stevens

    The Wind

    Performer: Cat Stevens.
    • On the Road to Findout.
    • Island.
    • 1.
  • Walt Whitman

    Extract from Song of Myself read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:00

    Aaron Copland

    Down a Country Lane

    Performer: 麻豆社 Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • Chandos.
    • Tr107.
  • Anne Carson

    Between Us and read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:00

    Sarah Class

    Giraffe V Giraffe

    Performer: 麻豆社 Concert Orchestra.
    • Silva Screen Records.
    • Tr4.
  • Jack London

    White Fang read by Hugh Bonneville

  • Fleur Adcock

    The Pangolin read by Anne Marie Duff

  • 00:36

    Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k

    Silent Woods

    Performer: Maria Kliegel.
    • Virtuoso Cello Showpieces.
    • Naxos.
    • 1.
  • David Attenborough

    Archive of Life Stories - Coelocanth

  • 00:00

    Baka Forest People

    Eden Liquidi

    Performer: Baka Forest People.
    • IK7 Records.
    • Tr1.
  • 00:00

    George Fenton

    The Blue Planet

    Performer: 麻豆社 Concert Orchestra.
    • 麻豆社 Worldwide.
    • Tr17.
  • Tim Winton

    Blueback read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:43

    Peter Sculthorpe

    From Kakadu

    Performer: Aleksander Tsiboulski.
    • Naxos.
    • Tr4.
  • Kari Herbert

    The Explorers Daughter read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:46

    Tanya Ekanayaka

    Mercury with Antartica

    Performer: Tanya Ekanayaka.
    • Grand Piano.
    • Tr11.
  • AA Milne

    At the Zoo read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:00

    Iain Farrington

    Animal Parade

    Performer: Ferio Saxophone Quartet.
    • Chandos.
    • Tr8.
  • Isabel Allende

    Paradise read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:51

    George Fenton

    The Snow Leopard

    Performer: Barnaby Robson.
    • Planet Earth.
    • Naxos of America.
    • 1.
  • Russell Hoban

    Turtle Diary read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:54

    Hildur Gu冒nad贸ttir

    Folk faer andlit

    Performer: Hildur Gu冒nad贸ttir.
    • Where to from.
    • DG.
    • 1.
  • Wendy Cope

    Kindness to Animals read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 00:56

    Leo拧 Jan谩膷ek

    On an Overgrown Path - the barn owl has not flown away

    Performer: Rudolf Firku拧n媒. Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
    • Deutsche Grammaphon.
    • Tr3.
  • Vikram Seth

    A Suitable Boy read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:00

    Reena Esmail

    Pranayam

    Performer: Theresa Delaplain.
    • Avaaz.
    • Tr7.
  • William Blake

    Extract from The Tyger read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 01:04

    Zhao Jiping

    Summer in the high grassland

    Performer: Yo鈥怸o Ma. Ensemble: Silk Road Ensemble.
    • Enchantment.
    • Sony Classical.
    • 1.
  • Rudyard Kipling

    The Jungle Book read by Hugh Bonneville

  • 00:01

    Terry Gilkyson

    The Bare Necessities (from Jungle Book)

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • Deutsche Grammaphon.
    • Tr4.
  • 01:08

    Elena Kats鈥怌hernin

    Memoir of a Snail

    Performer: Australian Chamber Orchestra.
    • Memoir of a Snail (original soundtrack).
    • ABC Classics.
    • 1.
  • Pascal Petit

    Green Bee Eater read by Anne-Marie Duff

  • 01:10

    Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Carnival of the Animals, R. 125: XIII. The Swan (Version for Cello & Piano)

    Performer: Steven Isserlis.
    • The Cello in Wartime.
    • Naxos.
    • 1.

Broadcast

  • Last Sunday 19:45

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