As naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough turns 100 on May 8, filmmaker Victoria Bobin says the milestone offers the perfect opportunity to revisit the legacy of one of his most influential works, the 1979 documentary series Life on Earth.

Bobin’s new one-hour special, Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure, goes behind the scenes of the landmark series and chronicles the challenges faced by the original crew while filming across the globe at a time when international travel and colour television were still developing.

The documentary features exclusive interviews with Attenborough and members of the original production team, revisiting shoots carried out amid political unrest in Comoros and Rwanda, and difficult conditions in Iraq during the making of what later became one of television’s most influential natural history productions.

Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure will premiere on Sony BBC Earth on May 8 at 1 pm and 9 pm.

“It felt like a very good chance to celebrate his incredible life and career by focusing on this very significant series from his career,” Bobin told PTI in an interview.

“David has spent his life showing audiences and millions of people around the world how extraordinary the natural world is, and how incredible nature is.That's been his passion throughout his whole career,” she added.

According to Bobin, Life on Earth and Attenborough’s later documentaries such as Planet Earth and The Blue Planet established new benchmarks for wildlife filmmaking.

“We were also aware that it was something that David Attenborough was very proud of. It is probably one of the most significant series of his life, in terms of it as a sort of real changing time, a significant pivotal moment in his life... He left his senior position within BBC Management, and went off to make Life on Earth,” Bobin said.

A multi-award-winning filmmaker with more than two decades of experience, Bobin has previously collaborated with Attenborough on Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster and is also serving as series producer on Sir David Attenborough: 100 Years on Planet Earth, a live event marking the broadcaster’s birth centenary.

Recalling her work on Attenborough at 90, Bobin said many had expected the broadcaster to slow down after turning 90. “But of course, in these last 10 years, he has gone on to do even more, like Planet Earth 2, Blue Planet 2, and now Planet Earth 3, Blue Planet 3,” she said.

Bobin also recalled being struck by Attenborough’s detailed memory during interviews for the documentary.

“He has a childlike awe and wonder at the planet and the universe. Even when I was doing these interviews for Making Life on Earth, he was recalling things that happened 50 years ago, but his recall was phenomenal.

“It was incredible that he was talking about something from so long ago, but his memories of it are still very vivid. So I would say the incredible thing about him is that he does not change, and he is who he is. And he is incredibly authentic. And I think that is why people love him and love his programmes,” she said.