David Attenborough Overwhelmed by Birthday Messages Ahead of 100th Milestone

Sir David Attenborough said he has been "completely overwhelmed" by messages received ahead of his 100th birthday.

The veteran broadcaster and environmentalist reaches the milestone on Friday, when a special concert takes place that evening at London's Royal Albert Hall.

In an audio message released Thursday, Attenborough said: "I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas. I have been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings, from pre-school groups to care home residents, and countless individuals and families of all ages."

He added: "I simply can't reply to each of you separately, but I'd like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages, and wish those of you who have planned your own local events: Have a very happy day."

Friday's show caps a week of special events and broadcasts honoring Attenborough, born in 1926 and a BBC employee since 1952.

Kirsty Young hosts the 90-minute concert, which celebrates his life and airs on BBC One and iPlayer at 20:30 BST.

Guests include Michael Palin, Steve Backshall, Liz Bonnin and Chris Packham, who will reflect on Attenborough's life and legacy.

Young said ahead of the event: "Sir David's gift to the world has been a life spent exquisitely revealing Earth's wonders to us all. The very least he deserves is a big 100th birthday bash at the Royal Albert Hall. I'm very happy indeed, as the host, to be able to invite everyone to the party."

The concert revisits memorable wildlife footage from Attenborough's career and the BBC natural history archive.

The BBC Concert Orchestra performs music linked to his series, such as the snakes and iguanas chase from Planet Earth II and the wave-washing orcas from Frozen Planet II.

Bastille frontman Dan Smith joins the orchestra for the band's hit Pompeii, featured in Planet Earth III.

Sigur Rós performs Hoppípolla, used to promote Planet Earth and Planet Earth II. Other guests include singer Sienna Spiro and harpist Francisco Yglesias.

The BBC marked Attenborough's centenary with programs all week. He and former production team members discussed their 1979 series Life on Earth in a documentary aired last weekend.

The recent BBC One series Secret Garden showed Attenborough exploring wildlife in British gardens. Many of his programs appear in a dedicated iPlayer collection.

BBC chief content officer Kate Philips called the birthday an "extraordinary" moment and described Attenborough as a "truly remarkable individual."

Attenborough was born in west London on May 8, 1926. He presented series including his Life Collection, The Trials of Life and The Blue Planet. He has two children with his wife Jane, who died in 1997. His brother Richard, an Oscar-winning actor and director, died in 2014.

On Thursday, the Natural History Museum named a parasitic wasp species after him: Attenboroughnculus tau. The wasp lives in Chilean Patagonian lakes; a specimen turned up in the museum's collection, 40 years after collection.