It was supposed to be a quick meet-and-greet; it turned out to be anything but. As our greatest living broadcaster turns 100, we tell the inside story of one of the most extraordinary encounters of his life
Sir David Attenborough was, by his own account, a little daunted. He was preparing to meet a big beast in a habitat he had never entered before: a president of the United States in the Oval Office.
“David sat down outside the office. The Oval Office door was open and the president was sitting at the desk shuffling notes. He was clearly preparing for the interview,” recalls Anthony Geffen, a longtime Attenborough producer.
“So Attenborough was on the sofa outside. There was Obama, furiously playing with cards of notes. He looked nervous too, which was kind of weird.”