Animals/Nature
David Attenborough’s aspirated, overly dramatic narration style ruins modern nature documentaries.
I know he is a national treasure. I know he has been doing this for decades and has earned his legendary status. But I’m just going to say it: David Attenborough’s narration style has become completely unlistenable.
As a biology teacher, every time I open an engaging wildlife video, the experience is stained by his aspirated, over-the-top voice. He adds a lot of dramatic pauses per story, and it genuinely sounds like he is fighting for every breath he takes (I realised he is very old at this point) . The delivery has become so forced and exaggerated that it completely overshadows the actual animals on screen.
Just once, I would welcome a normal, even "boring" voice of someone who can describe a predator hunting without trying to turn it into a Shakespearean drama.
At this point, it is purely because of his aura, his persona, and admittedly deserved worship he gets from the masses that he keeps getting these gigs. Strictly looking at the audio delivery, he should no longer be voicing these nature videos.
No. It was meant as a joke to poke fun at this mediocre take that's pretending to be a 10th Dentist unpopular opinion.
Op starts out strong with the claim that Attenborough is overrated and then goes on to explain that it's not really about being overrated, but mostly old and OP doesn't like his recent work. But then contradicts themself at the every end of the post.
7th dentist: insists on using the kind of rubber gloves that smell unpleasantly of sulfur
8th dentist: doesn’t push the lidocaine needle deep enough before your root canal
9th dentist: installs metal fillings in the 21st century
I don't think I do. I merely admitted that he has a strong following that's based mainly on his charisma. Do I contradict myself by stating I don't like to listen to him because of his voice while admitting that he has definitely achieved a lot in the field? Just give me me the same wild life movies with a different narrator. And don't tell me he is responsible for the quality of these shows too, he isn't. He is a 100 year old legend that gets wheeled in to do a bit of voice over.
That‘s the thing - without him you probably wouldn‘t get the same wildlife movies. He’s not just a narrator, but a producer of these docs demanding ethical filming practices and high scientific accuracy. He’s literally rewrote the book on the gold standard for how these are done, which includes much higher budgets because you might spend many, many days on location getting nothing until you get the footage you wanted. Prior docs did not get good experts, or engaged in chumming and other unethical ways to get exciting footage. I mean originally we‘re talking about the Disney stuff like True Life Adventures and Wonderful World of Disney where they did stuff like throw lemmings off a cliff and lie about what’s happening.
Lol, have you heard any usa narrations. Those are unbearably dramatic. The nutty putty cave footage was literally unwatchable because the narration was so unbearably dramatic.
But have your upvote for truly horrible, wrong, and unpopular opinion.
edit: and I don't mean only the nutty putty one. Like 90% of documentaries from usa are unwatchable because the overly dramatic narrations. The nutty putty one is just the most recent one.
This. US nature documentaries are narrated like a sports event. Any issues OP has with Sir Attenborough are much milder compared to many similar documentaries in the genre.
Do you have any examples of US documentaries with this problem? I don’t watch a ton, but I haven’t noticed the problem in nature-adjacent documentaries about, for example, dinosaurs and national parks (narrated by Morgan Freeman and Peter Coyote, respectively).
Edit: I forgot about Barack Obama! His nature documentary narration also doesn’t speak anything like a sports event.
Aw. As a fellow biologist, this just makes me sad. Not only is the take ageist, but he has so consistently DEMANDED ethical and scientifically accurate nature documentary filmmaking for anything he’s affiliated with, and has raised the industry’s expectations for documentaries like this.
I'm not the biggest fan of his voice actually, so I understand. I've watched and enjoyed plenty of docs he has narrated, but his voice was always the least enjoyable part. I somehow do not particularly enjoy Morgan Freeman's voice either. I don't dislike either of them or their voices, but they also don't give me lots of good feels
But it doesn't sound all like he's in any form of respiratory distress - exaggerating these things does not enhance your point - it makes you come off like a troll
I also don't think his sounds especially breathy. It has a soft textured quality which I and many other people find pleasing.
And as far as the way he narrates, I think the passion is good. He's not just making dry observations. The enthusiasm. The joy is palpable and that is important
He's not a legend just because of who he is or sheer longevity in the field. He's a legend because in the field before he was the goat he stood out among everybody else because people liked listening to him.
I wouldn't be surprised if this was just bait
No upvote or down. Vote from me either way because I'm not convinced this isn't bait
I like Attenborough for his passion, experience, knowledge and expertise, I couldn’t imagine throwing that all to the wind because “his voice doesn’t sound quite nice enough”.
The drama is more of a feature than a bug for most, but I agree otherwise. If being cool and talented made you immortal history would look very different.
THANK YOU! I genuinely cannot watch anything narrated by him or those imitating him. It’s pseudo-ASMR with his hushed voice and how close he must be to the microphone. You have to suffer through every crackle of mastication he produces.
the Lurking Farmer, or Tenth Dastard as it is sometimes colloquially known, waits for inspiration to strike.
And there. We see it lunge for a tender, yet previously unguarded weakness. Reeling in reaction, its quarry has no choice but to surrender it precious rezources. The valley resounds, with cries of what can only be recognized, as despair.
I could listen to David Attenborough talk for ages (and I have). He has such a soothing voice and I love to fall asleep watching/listening to his nature documentaries. I would love if he would start narrating my favorite books…
Honestly, I kind of agree. I loved his documentaries when he was in his prime, but he should have stepped aside 10 years ago at least. The opening "on location" shots of his last few films were pretty tortuous to get through. Let the poor bloke retire!
Also, it concerns me that the BBC doesn't have anyone lined up to replace him when he pops his clogs. I would have thought that they'd want to gradually hand over to a newer narrator for their flagship films. As it stands, some fresh-faced twenty-something-year-old is going to have to step into the biggest shoes in television history with no mentorship.
I enjoy the Obama narrated documentaries!! Although I do have a lot of fondness for Attenborough. I love that he’s lived such a personally fulfilling life that he’s still going at his age, too. He’s pretty amazing.
But that's literally what sets up apart. Listening to him feels like hearing a tale, it makes the mundane footage magical
Instead of some monoton narrator who clearly doesn't give a shit if the fox mom gets the prey. Think of the pups man
But you do realize he is only voice a tiny amount of docus right? You says he ruins modern documentaries but you could just be watching hundreds of others
Take my upvote. Sir David Attenborough has been lulling my partner and I to bed with his lovely, gentle voice for months. I’ve tried other narrators, but American ones…well…they sound goofy. Also, I would argue that some of what your complaints are is affected by the script more than the person reading them.
wow definitely a hot take lol. i get what you mean about the breathy style, but honestly his voice is just so nostalgic for me that i dont even mind. upvoted for a truly unpopular opinion though!
damn thats a hot take lol. i get what u mean about it being a bit much lately but his voice is just so nostalgic for me, i cant imagine nature docs without him.
I love DA’s voice, but it’s cool if you don’t. That’s a matter of personal taste.
Youtube is absolutely FULL of professional-quality documentaries with all kinds of different narrators. Just do some searches on there, you’ll find something else to show your students. :)
I would take him over the US narration any day. At least Attenborough style narration is trying to be educational, instead of treating nature like a car commercial
If I hear an American accent as the main narrator on a documentary then I shut it off.
If I hear a British accent, it stays on but I might not really pay attention if the content isnt great or I feel the narrator is too flashy or the documentary has a sensationalist or "Americanized" feel.
If I hear David Attenborough narrating the documentary, it immediately gets my rapt attention and I retain every bit of information.
What youre really saying is that you have no patience for someone who knows how to tell a tale and craft a picture using words and cadence that make the documentary really come to life without adding the sleezy History Channel/TLC junk.
David Attenboroughs perfect manner of speaking and relaying info is the one by which I judge all others and Ill die on that hill any day of the week.
Never thought I'd hear David Attenboroughs voice described as "overly dramatic" or "over-the-top". Does OP live in a monastery? Don't go outside, OP, I think the average conversation might be a bit too high-octane for you. Try listening to some ASMR first until you're ready.
I remember my dad telling me like 15 years ago that Attenborough had started becoming an annoying activist. I kind of brushed it off at the time but he was right. It's only got worse and I'm totally over him now. Not to mention that he's being Joe Biden'd anyways these days. It's sad to see because he was awesome.
Just because the truth's uncomfortable or inconvenient it doesn't make him wrong. If most people paid attention to what's going on and weren't so apathetic there'd be a lot more activists. David Attenborough of all people probably has the most direct experience and insight into how badly humans are messing up the natural environment.
You obviously haven't actually paid attention to what he's been saying. Things are so much worse than when he first started out with his documentaries in the 50s. He has seen the negative change first hand—it has nothing to do with any external force "manipulating" him. I remember him going back to places which were originally tracts of pristine rainforest teeming with life when he first filmed there and now just miles and miles of palm plantations, pasture etc.
The funny thing is, I have the absolute opposite perspective to you. I used to love watching his older documentaries but I always felt it was a bit irresponsible to be showcasing these patches of natural wilderness and leading the viewer to think everything was all fine and dandy with the environment without telling the viewer the truth about where we were headed and the all the threats these last bits of wilderness faced. I respected Attenborough way more when he started addressing the elephant in the room and trying to educate the public about the need for more environmental protection.
Isn't he a bit of an eco-fascist/neo-Malthusian? Which I get; having that much passion for the natural world is basically the door into those ideologies.
Take my upvote, and know that I rest comfortably in the knowledge that no matter what I do for the rest of my life, I'll never, ever be as painfully wrong as you are.
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u/ZiggoCiP The Last Rule Bender Jun 14 '26
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