Happy birthday David Attenborough: viewers celebrate national treasure as he turns 92

Now Sir David Attenborough, whose dulcet tones have captivated viewers ever since his famed Zoo Quest series in 1954, has turned 92, and well-wishers are taking to social media to wish the star of Blue Planet II and Planet Earth a happy birthday.

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Ian Owens, director of science at the Natural History Museum in London, wrote, "Happy Birthday to the Greatest Living Englishman - David Attenborough - who has arguably done more than any other person to inspire a wonder of the natural world - and is champion for all those seeking a better balance between nature and human activities."

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https://twitter.com/NHM_London/status/993766981953343490

https://twitter.com/AntarcticReport/status/993689512701083648

Over the years Attenborough has been knighted, had species named after him, and campaigned passionately for environmental causes long before they made headlines, and he shows no sign of slowing down. He recently appeared alongside the Queen in the ITV documentary, The Queen's Green Planet.

Following the broadcast of Blue Planet, the campaign to reduce the amount of single us plastics we produce has gathered incredible momentum, as the BBC series showed the damage that humans are doing to the world's oceans.

"Never before have we been so aware of what we are doing to our planet – and never before have we had such power to do something about it," Attenborough wrote in Radio Times at the time. "Surely we have a responsibility to care for the planet on which we live?

"The future of humanity, and indeed of all life on Earth, now depends on us doing so."

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Some Twitter users also expressed their "relief" that nonagenarian was trending on social media because of his birthday. "It's always a bit scary when you see him trending," one user wrote.

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But others were quick to share their favourite moments from past series, from the weird to the wonderful.

https://twitter.com/bbcthree/status/993777905250553861

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