Premiere of Attenborough's 'greatest message'

The centenary of wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough is to be celebrated with screenings of his latest documentary accompanied by a live orchestra.

Ocean in Concert premieres at the Bristol Beacon on later, with the Welsh National Opera orchestra playing composer Steven Price's original score.

The show, which features coral reefs and kelp forests, will then travel to London, Birmingham, Dublin and Edinburgh.

"After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea," Attenborough says in the documentary.

Co-director Toby Nowlan said: "This is is not about seeing brand new natural history behaviours.

"It is the greatest message [Attenborough has] ever told."

The film was produced by Bristol-based Silverback Films, and had its worldwide premiere last year in more than 1,700 cinemas across 27 countries.

In the documentary, Attenborough reflects how the planet's oceans have changed in his lifetime, affected by climate change, industrial fishing and pollution.

The threats to the ocean from coral bleaching caused by rising water temperatures are highlighted.

Co-director Keith Scholey said the film was "always made for the big screen".

He explained: "The score is breathtaking. Often in wildlife films you want the music to sit behind, in this we wanted it to sit in front."

Scholey added that the documentary was produced as a conservation mission, to try to influence decisions at a UN conference in June 2025.

"It's not anti-fishing, it's a very uplifting film, and there is this vision of the world being a better place," he said.

"We definitely thought we needed to have the premiere in Bristol, it's the home of wildlife films and always will be.

"It's a huge tradition here, and I hope Bristol is really proud of it."

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