‘Ocean’

I received my signed copy of ‘Ocean’ today, published yesterday on the 99th birthday of its co-author - the renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough - and written together with his long-standing collaborator Colin Butfield. A film has been released in cinemas on the same day, which should make quite an impact on the big screen. It charts the changes in the world’s oceans over the past 100 years, and shows how and why we must - and indeed can - save these fragile and yet amazingly resilient habitats which are vital for the survival of our world.

During my career at BBC Radio I met and worked with Sir David three times over the years. On the first occasion I collected him from reception at Broadcasting House in London, signed him in with a visitor’s pass, and we went up to the 6th floor studio in the lift. Though I admire him greatly, I found that he was not really one for making small talk despite my efforts. Once I had connected him on the line to his Natural History colleagues down in Bristol, he recorded several different trails for his television series ‘Life in Cold Blood’, and was word-perfect.

See Extras for the signatures of Sir David and Colin Butfield inside the book.