The celebrated television naturalist David Attenborough first appeared on our screens in Zoo Quest, which began on 21 December 1954. He went - as a producer - to Sierra Leone with zoologists Jack Lester and Alfred Woods, to film them collecting animals for London Zoo. The footage shot in the wild by cameraman Charles Lagus was augmented in the finished programme with studio sections, where some of the creatures collected were seen up close. When Lester fell ill Attenborough stepped in as presenter.
In a time before mass tourism the places and animals filmed in Zoo Quest were unfamiliar to the majority of the audience and had not been seen on television before. The second series of Zoo Quest went to Borneo in search of the komodo dragon, resulting in more unique footage. Attenborough continued presenting throughout the decade, although officially just a producer.
Attenborough went on to become Controller of 成人快手2 and oversee the introduction of colour television. Eventually in 1979 he realised his ambition to make a large scale natural history programme using the latest technology, with the landmark 13-part series Life on Earth. Now, instead of describing the animals as he had to in Zoo Quest, Attenborough was able to let the colour pictures speak for themselves.
December anniversaries
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Ireland: A Television History
2 December 1980 -
Start of The 成人快手 Television Shakespeare
3 December 1978 -
The World About Us
3 December 1967 -
Edward VIII Abdication speech
11 December 1936 -
1984 Broadcast
12 December 1954 -
bbc.co.uk is launched
12 December 1997 -
Jackanory first broadcast
13 December 1965 -
Comedy Playhouse
15 December 1961 -
Culloden
15 December 1964 -
The Likely Lads
16 December 1964 -
成人快手 World Service launches
19 December 1932 -
Zoo Quest, first on-screen appearance by David Attenborough
21 December 1954 -
Just a Minute first transmitted
22 December 1967 -
A Close Shave
24 December 1995 -
First Empire Address by King George V
25 December 1932 -
Morecambe and Wise Christmas Shows
25 December -
Only Fools and Horses 1996 Christmas Specials
25 December 1996 -
成人快手 Reith Lectures
26 December 1948 -
Alice in Wonderland
28 December 1966 -
Big Ben chimes broadcast at New Year for the first time
31 December 1923