Sir David Attenborough turned 100 on Friday 8th May and, in Plymouth, two fellow ‘1926ers’ reacted after they became the first in the world to witness the incredible new version of the 360° show ‘Our Story by David Attenborough’ in the city’s globally significant Immersive Dome.
Nicky Nicholson and Ivor Foster, both Plymothians, were joined by family, carers and friends, and apart from the producers from Open Planet and Real Ideas, were the very first people in the world to experience this remarkable 50 minute journey through the story of time, and of our planet, ‘with’ Sir David Attenborough.
Nicky was particularly verbose after the experience saying, “I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s really difficult to understand how everything around us is connected, but David Attenborough just finds the right words to help sort that story out for you and make you understand it! When I was a girl, I always wanted to step on ants, because I thought they were nuisance. But now David Attenborough has helped me understand how actually they’re actually part of something, you know, bigger. This is all about 4,000 years, you know, and even though Ivor and I are a hundred, we’re just one little bit of that – and that’s it! It’s amazing. He’s amazing. He’s made us know and understand all of this like no-one else has.”
Until this week, Ivor Foster hadn’t really majorly engaged with Sir David Attenborough’s work, but knew his brother Richard Attenborough’s films. However, prior to today’s premiere, he has been ‘swotting up’ and has watched several different documentaries. Of the experience he said, “I’ve been really blown away by David Attenborough. I watched one film on Tuesday and we were in the jungle, and another one on Wednesday and we were underwater. In each episode, I feel like I travelled to a different part of the natural world – and I really enjoyed it. Then today was just beautiful. We really need to know and understand this world we have. So many people are destroying it and that’s not right. I hope people listen to David Attenborough and change their ways.”
Nicky has been a long-term fan of Sir David Attenborough’s programmes and regularly watches them saying, "I'm interested in life and enjoy meeting people. I enjoy David Attenborough's programmes and he has improved my opinion of animals, I didn't realise how incredible they are until he came along."
She continued, “Today’s just been such wonderful stuff. I think until recently I didn’t really understand how everything in nature added up, but David Attenborough has really helped me understand the significance of nature. It’s all about how humans and the natural world are connected, and he actually helps you see how there’s billion years and see the evolution of the planet by nature. It’s like trees, where you see the rings in trees you know. Sir David and his way with nature shows us that we’re all little snapshots of time in the same ways as those tree rings.”
Ivor Foster was born in August 1925 in Stonehouse in the city. Before serving in the RAF, Ivor was a WW2 Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Messenger Boy and remembers running messages between Stonehouse and Devonport so also remembers the Market Hall, where he saw the incredible David Attenborough immersive show, from those days.
Aged 18, he joined the RAF and was a mid-upper gunner, flying on a Lancaster bomber during the war. Then later served 28 years in the police.
He met the lady who became his wife - Bernice - at school. They married when she was 18 and he was 20 and they loved doing the slow foxtrot to Glen Miller’s 'Moonlight serenade.’ They had two sons Bryan and David, who have sadly now passed away, as has Bernice.
Ivor has always lived in Plymouth apart from service postings to Suffolk for the RAF, and attendeded the VIC (Very Important Centenarian) showing of Our Story with David Attenborough along with one of his carer from Manor Court Care Home and his friend Keith.
Nicky Nicholson, was born in November 1926 and has lived in Plymouth all her life. She raised six children after sadly becoming a widow aged just 41.
When she was younger, Nicky was an office steward for HMS Vulture at Culdrose then was a typist for the War Damage Dept which managed rationing of building materials. She was then the director of a charity called Gingerbread set up for widowers and single parents, and she worked there for 31 years.
Nicky joined Ivor as the Our Story with David Attenborough VICs with her daughter Judi Surman.
On Friday 8th May, a private screening in the ever-impressive Market Hall in the heart of Devonport saw 100 members of the neighbourhood attend this very special showing.
Lindsey Hall MBE, Chief Executive of Real Ideas, says, “We are beyond delighted that Nicky and Ivor, with their tremendous life experience and long years, were the first people to experience this remarkably pioneering immersive experience to mark Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday within our epic Market Hall Immersive Dome.”
“It was incredible to mark their collective 200 years whilst honouring 100 years of the legendary storyteller Sir David Attenborough and his incredible work.”
Madeline Hall of Real Ideas said, “We are also delighted to launch our ‘Our Story 100 Club’. In honour of Sir David, Nicky and Ivor, we’re very pleased to offer anyone else who turns 100 this year, or indeed is already in the ‘100 Club’, a free pass to see Sir David’s incredible ‘Our Story’ as many times as they like on us.”
‘Our Story with Sir David Attenborough’ at the Market Hall Immersive Dome opened to the public on the evening of 8th May. Tickets start from £17 for adults and £10.50 for a child, plus booking fee for off-peak screenings. Tickets are selling fast, but available from https://www.realideas.org/our-story
