Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Lauren Morris

DARK SECRETS: How david attenborough almost lost everything after being stopped by police - The Real Truth

  • Sir David Attenborough's new BBC documentary, 'Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure', revisits a near-disastrous incident during the filming of his iconic 1979 series.
  • While filming a young gorilla in Rwanda for 'Life on Earth' in 1978, Attenborough and his crew were stopped and interrogated by local police and army soldiers.
  • The crew faced the threat of having all their valuable footage confiscated, with soldiers firing guns over their heads during the initial stop.
  • Cameraman Martin Saunders cleverly swapped labels on film cans to disguise the gorilla footage, preventing its seizure by authorities.
  • Attenborough and Saunders were held overnight and interrogated further before finally being released and allowed to return to the UK with the now-famous footage.

IN FULL

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.