The beloved presenter has returned to screens for a special series following wildlife in gardens.
Viewers have been left stunned by Sir David Attenborough’s new series (Image: BBC / Plimsoll Productions)
BBC One viewers were treated to the return of Sir David Attenborough on their screens tonight, as the broadcaster launched Secret Garden.
The five-part series follows the drama unfolding in the hidden wild world of extraordinary gardens.
The debut episode tonight followed a garden in Oxfordshire, part of a thousand-year-old mill house.
Owners Henry and Sara were forced to let much of the land around their unique home grow wild, as it straddles a tributary of the River Thames.
Thanks to their approach, the garden fosters a wide array of wildlife, including otters, kingfishers, and mallards.
However, their garden also faces the fear of flooding, leaving a kingfisher battling to survive and save his family, inhabiting only just above the river’s edge.
Sir David Attenborough is exploring the species that are in our back gardens in his new show Secret Garden (Image: BBC)
Meanwhile, a shy bank vole is filmed evading the dangers of robotic lawnmowers and garden snakes, while Doris the duck struggles to keep her nine ducklings alive.
The BBC teased: “Through the eyes of Henry and Sara, beautiful cinematography and immersive storytelling, this episode reveals the astonishing resilience of Britain’s garden wildlife in the face of unpredictable change. It is a celebration of how leaving nature to its own devices can turn an ordinary patch of land into a hugely rich and highly rewarding wildlife refuge. “
Viewers were left stunned by the first episode and praised Sir David’s return.
“Absolutely fabulous filming on # BBC1 Sir David Attenborough’s Secret Garden. Amazing Spring river scenes with Doris the Mallard and her river neighbours. Spellbinding!” one person wrote.
The national treasure is days away from his 100th birthday (Image: Getty Images)
“Perfect Sunday viewing,” another said, as a third commented: “What a wonderful programme for a Spring Easter Sunday evening.”
Another echoed: “Such amazing photography as well as #DavidAttenborough narration – food for the soul for a Sunday evening.”
Someone else said: “#SecretGarden on @BBC1 is incredible.”
Another person wrote: “Watching the new David Attenborough documentary #secretgarden, hard to believe he’s 100 next month.”
“The camera quality on this is AMAZING,” another hailed.
Several others praised the location, with one writing: “Wish I could live somewhere so beautiful and surrounded by nature.”
Viewers can’t believe Sir David is about to turn 100 years old (Image: PA)
Someone else said, “I’m so envious, a dream property for sure,” as another wrote, “What a fantastic house and garden on #SecretGarden.”
Ahead of the series airing, producer Bill Markham spoke about how much it meant to have Sir David, who is approaching his 100th birthday, narrate Secret Garden.
He said: “As Sir David Attenborough approaches his 100th birthday, having him narrate the series feels both momentous and deeply fitting.
“The first question anyone asks when you’re making a wildlife programme is whether he’s involved – and for good reason.
“Over the past seventy years, he has come to define the genre. For many of us, his films were the spark that set us on this path, so working on Secret Garden at this moment feels particularly special. His involvement has had a profound effect on the production.
“As a team, we’ve undoubtedly raised our standards, mindful that every frame and every line of script would be subject to his careful attention. That knowledge alone has sharpened our focus and ambition.”
Secret Garden airs Sundays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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