BBC viewers were full of praise for David Attenborough‘s ‘spellbinding’ new documentary as he returned to screens over the weekend.

Sir David, 99, who has been presenting natural history shows with the broadcaster since 1954, is no stranger to travelling far and wide to showcase some of wildlife’s most interesting and curious moments.

However, Secret Garden sees the presenter reveal the drama unfolding on Britain’s very own gardens, and the wildlife we can spot around the country.

The five-part series launched on Sunday night, first taking to Oxfordshire to look at the plants and animals on the grounds of a thousand-year-old mill.

The episode followed home owners Henry and Sara, who were forced to let the majority of the land around their mill house run wild to protect wildlife on the tributary of the River Thames.

It means the garden, which regularly faces the threat of flooding, features a wide range of wildlife including kingfishers, mallards and otters.

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BBC viewers were full of praise for David Attenborough’s ‘spellbinding’ new documentary as he returned to screens over the weekend

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The episode saw David narrate the action as a kingfisher battle to save his family from rising water, a duck keeps her nine ducklings alive and a vole learns to avoid the dangers of the lawn mower.

A synopsis of the episode teases: ‘Through the eyes of Henry and Sara, beautiful cinematography and immersive storytelling, this episode reveals the astonishing resilience of Britain’s garden wildlife in the face of unpredictable change.

‘It is a celebration of how leaving nature to its own devices can turn an ordinary patch of land into a hugely rich and highly rewarding wildlife refuge.’

Fans were left ‘spellbound’ by the episode and took to social media to flood it with praise, calling it the ‘perfect’ watch for the whole family over the Easter holiday.

One wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Absolutely fabulous filming on Sir David Attenborough’s Secret Garden. Amazing Spring river scenes with Doris the Mallard and her river neighbours. Spellbinding!’

Another chimed in to agree: ‘Perfect Sunday viewing,’ as a third said: ‘What a wonderful programme for a Spring Easter Sunday evening.’

‘Such amazing photography as well as David Attenborough narration – food for the soul for a Sunday evening,’ someone else added, while a fifth penned: ‘Watching the new David Attenborough documentary, hard to believe he’s 100 next month.’

Before the release of the new documentary series, the makers of Secret Garden revealed how much it meant to David to complete the series ahead of his 100th birthday.

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Fans were left ‘spellbound’ by the episode and took to social media to flood it with praise, calling it the ‘perfect’ watch for the whole family over the Easter holiday.

Producer Bill Markham said, according to The Mirror: ‘As Sir David Attenborough approaches his 100th birthday, having him narrate the series feels both momentous and deeply fitting.

‘The first question anyone asks when you’re making a wildlife programme is whether he’s involved – and for good reason.

‘Over the past seventy years, he has come to define the genre. For many of us, his films were the spark that set us on this path, so working on Secret Garden at this moment feels particularly special. His involvement has had a profound effect on the production.

‘As a team, we’ve undoubtedly raised our standards, mindful that every frame and every line of script would be subject to his careful attention. That knowledge alone has sharpened our focus and ambition.’

It comes after it was revealed that the BBC is set to celebrate to mark Sir David’s 100th birthday with three new shows and a week of broader special programming.

The corporation will mark the broadcasting icon’s ‘extraordinary milestone’ on May 8 with a mix of new and old series by the legendary natural historian.

One of the new programmes, titled Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure, will go behind the scenes of the namesake landmark BBC One series.

First broadcast in 1979, the show followed Sir David as he travelled to 40 countries to film 600 species.

The retrospective will feature new interviews with the wildlife broadcaster and original crew members as they reflect on the production of the old Life on Earth show.

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It comes after it was revealed that the BBC is set to celebrate to mark Sir David’s 100th birthday with three new shows and a week of broader special programming

They will examine the challenges they faced along the way, including a coup in the Comoros, off the east coast of Africa, and being shot at.

Sir David also went on a meaningful visit to endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda in the course of making the programme.

Filmed across the UK, the show will capture the rich diversity of life in the UK’s back gardens – and examine how the public can help save struggling species.

He will also appear in David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth, a live event from the Royal Albert Hall, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra and special guests.

The week will also see special episodes broadcast from Sir David’s most-loved series, including his most recent film, Wild London.

Viewers will also be able to enjoy instalments from Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II, Planet Earth III, Frozen Planet II, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.

A dedicated collection of 40 of Sir David’s most-loved programmes will also be made available on iPlayer.

The presenter’s legendary career spans out to more than seven decades, which has seen his voice become synonymous with natural history shows across the world.

Jack Bootle, head of commissioning for specialist factual at the BBC, said: ‘It’s impossible to overstate what Sir David Attenborough has given us.

‘His programmes have not only defined science and natural history broadcasting, but they have also changed how we see our planet and our place within it.

‘This special week is a celebration of an extraordinary milestone and of a body of work that continues to inspire awe, curiosity and care for the natural world.

‘It’s also a moment for all of us at the BBC to say thank you to David – for his generosity, for his brilliance and for a lifetime spent bringing the wonders of nature into our homes.’

Sir David’s latest project, Wild London, which was released in January, saw the natural historian explore the wildlife of the city he has lived in for 75 years.

The cameras followed pigeons commuting by tube, snakes on Regent’s Canal, a family of foxes living in the heart of Tottenham, and peregrines nesting along the Houses of Parliament.

This came after he narrated another natural history series, released by the BBC in November, called Kingdom.

The six-part show follows the real-life trials and tribulations of four African animal families in Zambia.

Filmed across five years, the incredible animals featured include leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and lions, as they fight for survival in their remote riverside home.

Both programmes were only the latest in an illustrious career, which saw the broadcaster win a Daytime Emmy Award in October last year.

Sir David’s Netflix programme, Secret Lives of Orangutans, picked up multiple accolades at the ceremony.

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 BBC to celebrate 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough with three new shows

Then 99, he surpassed Dick Van Dyke, who was 98 when he won a gong at the ceremony for the daytime drama series Days of Our Lives in 2024.

Van Dyke remains the oldest actor to win a Daytime Emmy.

Earlier last year, fans were left concerned Sir David might be stepping back from his time in front of the camera, as he revealed he was ‘nearing the end of his life’.

He reflected on his own mortality as he discussed the state of the world’s oceans in the film Ocean: With David Attenborough, which was released on his 99th birthday.

The natural historian remarked: ‘When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity.

‘Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true.

‘After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.’