When @_megankiely nominated Sir David Attenborough to be the new face of the £50 note, her Tweet gained 15K likes, and the whole idea went viral.
We agree! And here are 10 reasons why Sir Dave should front the big five-o!
1. He is a famous environmentalist, i.e. a Big Nature Man, who has used his programmes to advocate animal rights, reaching millions of people. His documentary series “Blue Planet II” attracted 14 million viewers on just the first night.
2. He has inspired people of all backgrounds through his nature programmes: “He has been my lifetime inspiration,” said environmental lawyer Emma Montlake.
3. In 2016 Attenborough opened the Woodberry Wetlands in Stoke Newington as a refuge for some of Britain’s most endangered birds, such as Kingfishers, Bitterns and Cetti Warblers.
4. In March 2018, David Attenborough-themed raves took place in Hackney’s Oval Space which was transformed into a rainforest (or something like it) for a night of jungle boogie ‘David digs disco’, the promoters claimed, before admitting they were making it all up.
5. Sir David has 32 honorary degrees from British universities, including honorary doctorates from Oxford University and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. In fact he has more honorary degrees than anyone else in the UK.
6. He is the only winner of a BAFTA for programmes made in black and white, colour, HD and 3D broadcasting.
7. Eight-year-old twins from Leytonstone were invited to an exclusive meet and greet with Sir David after they raised money for World Land Trust, a charity which he supports.
8. GQ magazine named Attenborough as a “national treasure.” The wealth management survey in Spear‘s magazine estimated his net worth at £24 million.
9. He is believed to be one of the most traveled men in history. During the filming of the “Life Of Birds” series, he had to travel more than 256,000 miles – the same as going around the world 10 times.
10. The Bank of England says it selects people to appear on British banknotes because they have “shaped UK society through innovation, leadership and/or values.” Surely Sir David qualifies on all counts.
In a YouGov poll of 2,128 people, when up against the likes of JK Rowling, Prince Charles and Richard Branson, Attenborough came out best with 40% of the people’s vote.
So, who better than David Attenborough to top the £50 note?
