Jack Tame: One of the most memorable days of my life

It was one of the most memorable days of my life.   

January, 2010. We’d been out most of the day on assignment, leaving Scott Base early in the morning and flying by helicopter across McMurdo Sound to a research team at the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area in Antarctica.

Having filmed for a few hours, we took off again and tracked the edge of Ross Island, flying low to watch the frenzy of activity on the edge of the continent below. Penguins, seals, whales, feeding in the summer thaw.  

At Cape Bird we used another battery or two and a tape, filming with the tens of thousands of mating pairs at the Adelie penguin colony. So many birds! So much bird shit. We flew home, skirting around the base of Mt Erebus, epic and stark.   

I was in a daze. But as the helicopter wound down and we unloaded our gear at Scott Base, the staff on the ground were in a flutter. 

“You’re not going to believe who’s visiting for dinner,” someone said.  

He was standing in the Scott Base bar, holding court. I remember him being surrounded by a half-dozen people, hanging on each word. I meekly approached his producer and cleared my throat. 

“I’m really sorry to bother you...” I said.  

“My name’s Jack Tame and I’m a reporter with Television New Zealand... I just wondered if it might be possible, if it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience, if Sir David might consider maybe doing an interview with us while he’s here?”  

“I dunno...” said the producer. 

“Just ask him yourself.”  

I clumsily reached out my hand and repeated my speech.   

“If it’s not too much trouble... if I’m not asking too much...”  

“I’d be happy to,” said Sir David Attenborough.   

“...on one condition.”  

“Of course.” 

“We bring this bottle of wine.”  

And so it came to be that after what had already been maybe the single most special day of my journalistic career, I found myself sitting in the Scott Base lounge, with a bottle of red wine, musing over the miracle of life with Sir David Attenborough.  

Just outside the base windows, whales broke through the melting sea ice and puffed through their blowholes as we cycled through subjects: Filmmaking. Climate science. The existence of God.   

I can think of no single person, ever, who has done more to shape our understanding of the natural world. No person who has done more to foster our sense of wonder. Across his 100 years, his broadcasts and storytelling have reached and affected billions of people across the planet.  

How many broadcasters, filmmakers, biologists, ecologists, marine and climate scientists were inspired to pursue their passion because of Sir David Attenborough? His is the voice of the natural world.   

And as the world celebrates his yet another achievement, 100 years, I gratefully reflect on that late afternoon in Antarctica.  

For one of us, it was extraordinary encounter in an otherwise pretty unremarkable life. For the other, it was an unremarkable encounter in an undoubtedly extraordinary life. The extraordinary life.  

And as I wrapped our filming and he headed off to find his spot for dinner, I shook Sir David’s hand and spoke the truest words I could.   

Thank you, I said. For everything, I said. Thank you. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast
from News Talks at Me.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
It was one of the most memorable days of my life.
We had been out most of the day on assignment,
leaving Scott Base early in the morning and flying by
helicopter across McMurdo Sound to a research team doing their
work at the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice free
area in Antarctica. It's a remarkable place. It looks like Mars.

(00:37):
And having filmed for a few hours, we took off
once again in the chopper and tracked the edge of
Ross Island, flying low to watch the frenzy of activity
on the edge of the continent below where the land
meets the ocean, penguins, seals, whales feeding in the summer thaw.

(00:57):
At Cape Bird. We used another battery or two, another
tape or two in the camera filming with the tens
of thousands of mating peers at the Adellan at the
Adali penguin colony. I mean, it's just remarkable to be
lying there, surrounded by so many birds and so much burgit.

(01:17):
We flew home, skirting around the base of Mount Erebis,
epic and stark the dry valleys cape Bird Mount erebas
In one day. I was in a daze by the
time we landed. But as the helicopter wound down and
we unloaded our gear at Scott Base, the staff on
the ground we're in a bit of a flutter. You

(01:41):
are not going to believe. They said, who's come for dinner?
He was standing at the Scott Base bar holding court.
I remember him being surrounded by maybe a half dozen people,
maybe more, hanging on every word. I meekly approached the

(02:01):
one unfamiliar face in the group, his producer, and cleared
my throat. I'm really sorry to bother you, I said,
I'm sorry to interrupt. My name's Jack Tame and I'm
a reporter with Television New Zealand, and you know Television
New Zealand and the BBC. We work very closely together,
and I'm really sorry to interrupt. I just wondered if

(02:23):
it might be possible, if it wasn't too much of
an inconvenience, if Sir David might consider maybe doing an
interview with us. I don't know, said the producer, Just
ask him yourself, and so I did. I clumsily reached
out my clammy hand and repeated my speech. If it's

(02:45):
not too much trouble, if I'm not asking too much, oh,
I'd be happy to said Sir David Attenborough. On one condition,
of course, we bring this bottle of wine. And so
it came to be that, after what had already been
maybe the single most special day of my journalistic career,

(03:07):
I came to find myself sitting in the Scott Based
lounge with a bottle of red wine, musing over the
miracle of life with Sir David Attenborough. Just outside the
base windows, whales broke through the melting sea ice and
puffed through their blowholes as we cycled through subjects filmmaking,

(03:30):
climate science, the existence or otherwise of a God. I
don't know about you, but I can think of no
single person ever who has done more to shape our
collective understanding of the natural world, no person who has
done more to foster our sense of wonder across as

(03:53):
one hundred years, his broadcasts and storytelling have reached and
affected billions of people across the planet. How many storytellers,
how many broadcasters, filmmakers, biology, ecologists, marine and climate scientists
have been inspired to pursue their passions because of Sir
David Attenborough. His is the voice of the natural world,

(04:20):
or should I say his is the voice of the
natural world. And as the world celebrates his yet another
achievement one hundred years, I gratefully reflect on that late
afternoon in Antarctica, January twenty ten. For one of us,
it was an extraordinary encounter and an otherwise pretty unremarkable life.

(04:45):
For the other, it was an unremarkable encounter in an
undoubtedly extraordinary life, the extraordinary life. And as I wrapped
our filming and he headed off to find his spot
for dinner, I shook Sir David Attenbero's hand and spoke
the only words I could, the truest words I could.
Thank you for everything. I said, thank.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
You for more. From Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen
live to News Talks at b from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.