10 minutes with David Attenborough

The broadcaster tells Lucy Hunter Johnston that a 3D penguin is for life, not just for Christmas

Have you become blasé about nature?
The wonder of natural history is that you never get to the bottom of things, so you can't tire of being out there, doing it.

What would you like to capture on camera that you haven't yet?
A million things. Nobody has ever filmed a giant squid battling with a blue whale at a depth of 2,000ft. If I were to get a film of that... well, that would be something.

What do you say to those who deny climate change?
You simply can't deny it. What you can do, although it is misguided, is to deny how much we have been responsible for it. But the climate is changing, and if it goes on changing, we are going to be in trouble. Everything we can do to reduce the danger must be done, otherwise great cities are going to be submerged. It's absurd to pretend otherwise.

Is there anywhere you still want to go?
The Gobi desert, but it doesn't offer many animals for your money, as it were, so the BBC has never sent me.

Are there any misconceptions about a species you'd like to straighten out?
Polar bears aren't cuddly. People are right to be concerned about their survival, but they are terrifying animals. If you meet one in the wild, you'd better be ready.

Have you had any near misses?
If I'm filming an elephant courtship and one spots me and starts charging, then I've spoiled the sequence. So when I say I've never been charged, it's a boast, so do forgive me.

What has been the toughest environment to film in?
The polar regions, particularly the Antarctic. It's OK providing nothing goes wrong, but if you lose a glove, then you've lost a finger.

Your latest project, The Bachelor King, is in 3D. Do you find it easy to keep up with changing technology?
Easy and difficult are not the words to apply. To be at the cutting edge, doing something that nobody else has done before, is exciting.

What problems does filming in 3D pose?
It takes four people to carry the camera, two hours to set up and you can't use long lenses, but all that ought to be invisible to the viewer.

Who will succeed you?
I'm not sure that the 'nature jockey' is needed any more. But the nature programme has changed into an adventure programme. That's perfectly valid, but it would be a great pity if you didn't have a natural history programme that was about natural history rather than adventure.

Will you ever retire?
Not until I'm horizontal.

The Bachelor King is on Sky 3D on 31 December at 8pm

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