Six of the earliest natural history films by broadcast legend, Sir David Attenborough, have been restored for the first time in colour. The BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol commissioned Nulight Studios to do the digitisation and restoration as part of its celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary since its first broadcast.
The films include recently unearthed episodes from the Zoo Quest and Quest Under Capricorn television series broadcast in 1954 and 1963 respectively. Although originally shot on 16mm colour film they were only ever broadcast in black and white. Digital scanning and restoration of each episode from the original negatives means they are available to watch in colour and in 2K resolution for the first time.
Memorable moments from the films include a shirtless Attenborough in his early thirties handling a frilled lizard, burrowing by hand into a giant termite mound to reach the queen, and one of his earliest encounters with birds of paradise which later became a favourite of the naturalist.