It was a night none of the 150+ people gathered at Canada House in central London, U.K. — or watching the live stream from Canada — will soon forget. Broadcasting legend Sir David Attenborough was presented with the Gold Medal, one of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s highest honours, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to advancing public awareness of the natural world, then participated in a Q&A session with fellow BBC presenter Dan Snow — a conversation throughout which Attenborough’s characteristic wit, humility and of course, that magnificent voice, were on full display. 

Over the course of the 30-minute discussion, hosted by the RCGS in partnership with the Canada-UK Foundation, Attenborough shared his thoughts on everything from the future of public broadcasting to the importance of teachers to the election of Donald Trump, demonstrating his singular gift for communication and his passion for the planet. 

“In the last century, there is no one who has said or done more than Sir David to bring the importance of geography and the environment into the public consciousness,” said RCGS CEO John Geiger. “Sir David has altered the world for the better, awakening generations to the wonder that is planet Earth.”

Attenborough thanked the Society for the honour of the Gold Medal, saying he would treasure it as a reminder of Canada, “one of the most extraordinary places in the world.” He also praised the ongoing work of geographical societies worldwide, which he said have a more important role today than ever in helping us to understand “not the shape of the land, which you can do with satellites, but how it works, why it works, how vulnerable it is and how essential it is, because at the moment we are not showing much understanding of our actions.”