Sir David Attenborough features in new film celebrating Wakefield conservation pioneer
Previously unseen footage of Sir David Attenborough will feature in a new film celebrating the 200th anniversary of the creation of the world’s first nature reserve.
Radical Common Sense, made by filmmakers Andy Little and Chris Little, explores the legacy of Waterton, who created Charles Waterton’s pioneering reserve at Walton in 1826.
In the film, Sir David recalls trying to get hold of a first edition of Waterton’s book, Wanderings in South America.
He said: “I wanted to get a first edition of this book well it wasn't in print and I went to a London book seller who I used to go to quite a lot.
"I asked if he had a copy and he said, ‘Oh yes, in the 19th century he was very popular. I've got lots of copies’.”
Of the books on display in a stockroom, Sir David picked out a version that was thicker to the others and found it contained around 30 letters from Waterton.
He said: “So suddenly Waterton became a very real person to me.”
On Waterton’s legacy, Sir David said: “He first became famous certainly in my time not as a biologist but as an oddball. And I suppose he was a bit of an oddball.
“He used to scratch his head with the back of his toe. At dinner parties he would disappear under the table and bite people's legs and bark, which is a bit odd.”
Sir Michael Palin also features in the film, reading extracts from Waterton’s letters, alongside contributions from James Metcalfe of the North York Moors Trust and Barbara Phipps, author of Charles Waterton: Creator of the First Nature Reserve.
John Smith, chairman of Friends of Waterton’s Wall, said: “Sir David Attenborough’s continuing interest in Charles Waterton highlights Waterton’s pioneering contributions to environmentalism, the natural world and the importance of our own well being.
"We hope that this film will bring Waterton's work to a wider audience.”
Waterton built a three-mile wall around Walton Hall estate to protect wildlife from hunting and encourage biodiversity.
The bicentenary was marked in May with WallFest 26, which featured more than 50 events.
Around 1,000 people attended the festival’s closing Party in the Park. Overall attendance estimated at more than 10,000.
The screening is at Walton Primary Academy on Wednesday, November 25, 7.30pm. Tickets online.