Just the other day I found myself reminiscing about my childhood Sunday nights, when David Attenborough documentaries screened before 60 Minutes. Despite the fact that this combination of TV shows caused nervous butterflies in my stomach (because it signalled the end of the weekend and the imminent start of the school week, ugh!), I still adored watching anything made by Sir David Attenborough, and it’s a love I hold to this day.
You can imagine my excitement when I discovered the app from the BBC – ‘Attenborough Story of Life’ – and the extreme joy of having my expectations exceeded when I started using it.
At last, gathered in the one spot, are over 1,000 of the greatest wildlife moments Sir David has caught on film. The app features the broadcast legend himself giving an introduction – it’s almost impossible to believe he’s 90 years old because he looks and sounds so spritely. (I’ll have what he’s having thanks!)
As for the app itself, users can explore a comprehensive collection of Sir David’s work, presented as short clips of around 2 minutes duration each. They’re perfect for our busy lifestyles and it means I can spend idle time learning and being awe-struck by nature instead of rolling my eyes at the never-ending stream of selfies on social media. This app takes us back to the days when the cameras focussed on the world around us, instead of on our own insular existences.
The content on the app spans Sir David’s 60-year career and includes highlights from more than 40 BBC programs, including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and The Life of Mammals. There are plants and animals from every continent and habitat – kangaroos, polar bears, lions, sharks, insects and whales – you name it, and this app will no doubt have it covered.
There was a particular thrill revisiting clips that I first saw when I was 5-years-old. I even loved the grainy footage, and seeing Sir David in his cream-coloured safari suit from the early ’80s was a total hoot.
As would be expected with a product from the BBC, this app is high quality, and I particularly love the innovative design. You can search for clips to watch by using your finger to scroll a wheel and selecting a category, or you can simply type in a specific word and you’ll get search results. You can then create and save your own collections of videos and share them with family and friends. And to gamify the experience, there are even hidden films featuring Sir David that were made especially for the app!
The cost? Free! The only slight catch is you need to be connected to Wi-Fi to watch the film clips, but this shouldn’t be a problem in most locations these days.
So go forth in your best safari suit and see what you and your __kids can learn about the world. No selfie stick required! Click here
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