A very special delivery for David Attenborough's 100th Birthday!

To honour Sir David Attenborough’s centenary celebration at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday 8th May, His Majesty The King was, appropriately, supported by a cast of stars from British nature to relay his handwritten congratulatory message from Balmoral Castle to London for the beloved naturalist in time for his big day. 

In the magical short (A Very Special Delivery), produced by BBC Studios’ world-renowned Natural History Unit and premiered during a live tribute to the wildlife presenter, The King’s 100th birthday card journey is initially thwarted by a fallen tree – only to be rescued by a roll call of heroic animals including an eagle, a fox, a red squirrel and an otter who traverse the British Isles to ensure that Sir David receives his Royal dispatch.

A Very Special Delivery was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, BBC Specialist Factual for David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth (BBC One & BBC iPlayer). The Executive Producers are Mike Davis and Jonny Keeling, Production Executive Caroline Cox, Unit Manager Kate Horvath, Junior Production Manager Karmen Summers and the Director is Rob Hifle. VFX by Lux Aeterna.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: 

“His Majesty was delighted to feature in this special tribute to a man who has shared his lifetime commitment to the natural world, and has followed each stage of the filming process with great interest. He was only sorry not to meet Lily the magical barn owl in person. Her Majesty was particularly touched that her mischievous Moley was invited to make a cameo appearance and was on hand with a ready selection of dog treats to help coax a willing performance on the day. The King and Queen send their warmest wishes to Sir David on his special night and hope he enjoys the resulting film as much as they enjoyed making it.”