One of my all-time favourite memories is still watching Monty Python Live. To be able to say that I have watched the greatest ever comedy troupe in the flesh is a great privilege. I had thought Python belonged to the past; as something over, gone, ex, and which could only be seen on youtube. Thus that night in 2014 was special to me beyond words. Yet it would never have happened had it not been for one man; the great, great man who commissioned Python in the first place.

Monty Python is just one of innumerable things we have to thank Sir David Attenborough for. Today is his ninetieth birthday, so I was just reading about him. Of course, I’ve read his autobiography, Life on Air, but that was a while ago and my memory needed refreshing. The number of experiences the man has had, the things he has seen and done, is staggering. On top of that, he has done more to educate people about the wonders of the natural world than anyone else. Forget Coustau, forget Irwin, Attenborough is without peer. As a broadcaster the man is a colossus. I also love the fact that, like the queen, he seems to have always been there – a gentle authority figure, a part of life in Britain since before my parents were born. Yet, not only that, but the programmes he has made and continues to make are utterly fascinating: most of them are stunningly shot, and have a gentle, knowing narration we all remember from childhood. They have educated us all about the natural world, about life outside our windows, bringing it into our lives and inspiring us like no other program. I am in awe of David Attenborough, and honestly feel that we, as a civilisation, owe him a debt of gratitude.