Sir David Attenborough is nearing his 100th birthday. On May 8, 2026, the legendary broadcaster, natural historian, and writer will turn 100. To mark the milestone, Attenborough is revisiting his past with a new documentary, Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure, which premieres on May 6, 2026.

Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday celebration includes new documentary

Sir David Attenborough, who helped revolutionize wildlife filmmaking, is revisiting key moments from his career in the new documentary Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure. The documentary celebrates the broadcaster’s 100th birthday and highlights the global impact of his work.

The documentary premieres on May 6, 2026, on PBS and looks back at Life on Earth, the influential series that transformed wildlife filmmaking. It also features Attenborough interacting with gorillas in the wild. Reports indicate that the documentary includes multiple scenes involving the broadcaster and the gorillas.

PEOPLE obtained a sneak peek at the documentary. In the clip, Attenborough describes how he interacted with gorillas. “You don’t stare at a gorilla. That’s a challenging thing to do, so you keep your head down, and you make these belch vocalizations all the time. And that’s a sort of conversational acknowledgment that you’re in their presence,” he says in footage filmed roughly 50 years ago.

Attenborough’s ability to get close to wild gorillas surprised even Life on Earth producer John Sparks. He says in the clip that he “only had the expectation of filming David with mountain gorillas in the background.”

“Next thing we know, two youngsters come out and actually sit on him. There was a moment when you barely only saw the top of David’s head, literally, and my jaw dropped, I mean everyone’s jaw dropped, you didn’t expect this at all,” Sparks adds in the clip.

The encounter remains one of the standout moments from Attenborough’s career.

The documentary will further explore Attenborough’s interaction with gorillas. Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure premieres on May 6 on PBS at 8 p.m. ET.