BBC PHOTO ARCHIVE | Rediscover, Reimagine

Welcome to the BBC’s Photo Sales website where you can explore BBC copyright images that are available to licence for editorial use in print and digital media globally.

New Curated Collections

Sir David Attenborough
Celebrating eight extraordinary decades on our screens!

In December 1954, Sir David Attenborough, first appeared on our screens on Zoo Quest, standing in at the last minute after original presenter Jack Lester became ill. It was the beginning of a truly remarkable broadcasting career, spanning over 70 years, travelling the globe and introducing both British and overseas viewers to all the extraordinary beauty and savagery of our natural world.

His career at the BBC began as a Producer in the TV Talks Department in 1952 and over the years he produced, presented and wrote numerous programmes before taking on the role of Controller of BBC2. Here he commissioned live music broadcasting, ground-breaking documentary series, and comedy as well as being instrumental in bringing colour television to viewers in Britain.

However, in 1972 Sir David resigned from his post as Director of Programmes to get back to his love of broadcasting and, working with staff from the BBC Natural History Unit, set about planning and delivering the first blockbuster natural history series Life On Earth in 1979.

Its success changed the landscape of natural history broadcasting and ensured that these landmark series, and Sir David himself, would become a regular highlight in the BBC’s output.

To celebrate his extraordinary career, the BBC Photo Archive, have curated two new collections. The first focuses on his career at the BBC both behind the scenes and as presenter, while the second collection explores all the exciting and far-flung locations from Sir David's travels filming with the BBC.

The Collection |  Discover a vast and unrivalled collection of images spanning the life of the corporation. Icons, British programmes, technology  and broadcasting milestones throughout the decades at your fingertips.

The Archive | More than 6 million images are held in the Photo Archive on formats ranging from glass plates, negatives, transparencies, and prints to digital files. We ensure that high resolution scanning of photographic material takes place to both protect the material and make it accessible.

The Team | Photographic material is curated by our experienced team of Archivists who are here to help with research or collaborate with you to find rich and surprising photos.

Contact us

 Monday-Friday 9:30 - 18:30 GMT

 archivesphotolibrary@bbc.co.uk

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