- Date: 12/12/19
- Press Association
Bellamy has died at the age of 86.
Broadcaster and botanist David Bellamy has died at the age of 86 (David Cheskin/PA)
David Bellamy was a prolific broadcaster and respected authority on botany and the natural world when, he says, his views on climate change led to him being banished from television.
Flying in the face of prevailing orthodoxy, he dismissed global warming as “poppycock” and said there is “no actual proof” human activity was causing a rise in temperatures.
Bellamy, who died on Wednesday at the age of 86, blamed his views on climate change for the downfall of his TV career and said he became a pariah.
David Bellamy, the naturalist and broadcaster, has died at the age of 86 (Newscast/PA)
David James Bellamy was born in London in 1933 and was raised in Sutton.
He worked in a factory and as a plumber before meeting his future wife Rosemary. The couple had five children. Bellamy studied and later taught botany at Durham University.
He achieved wider recognition following his work on the Torrey Canyon oil spill in 1967.
TV work offers followed, launching his small screen career.
Thanks to his distinctive voice and screen presence, Bellamy quickly became a popular presenter on programmes such as Don’t Ask Me.
Wildlife presenter David Bellamy was once a respected and sought-after authority on environmental issues (Michael Stephens/PA)
He also fronted his own shows, including Bellamy On Botany, Bellamy’s Britain, Bellamy’s Europe and Bellamy’s Backyard Safari.
In 1979 he won Bafta’s Richard Dimbleby Award.
Bellamy proved an easy target for TV impersonators and was regularly parodied by impressionists, including Sir Lenny Henry.
He famously inspired Sir Lenny’s “grapple me grapenuts” catchphrase.
RIP David the media destroyed you, but we know the real truth.
Another way of looking at it is that the media attacked and libeled him but the man and his reputation remained unblemished; and instead, the media destroyed its own reputation.
Right on – All the ostracizing etc did NOT cause him to cave in and conform to the current party line. He knew where the truth lay.
He had scientific integrity; many of his ilk today cannot claim that.
Bbc radio 4 gave the news about him today, and didn’t say anything nice or about his work, just that he said “poppycock” about the climate scam 😐 Its absolutely disgraceful how they spoke about him.
Sunny
What do you expect from the BBC. The Beeb and the Grauniad are the 2 most hysterical Climate scam pushers in the UK
After, of course, its Prime Minister, who in his first post election speech has promised a carbon neutral UK by 2050
By using the “carbon credits” accrued since Kyoto and clever “accounting”. That’s what being “carbon neutral” is about Griff, fudging numbers and statistics. He may even convert more coal plants to burn wood pellets, like DRAX, making them net, according to the EU climate policy, carbon ZERO power plants. But then again after leaving the EU he can re-write all that carbon neutral based policy to suit the UK.
It’s funny, all the hoopla about the UK leaving the EU, but no-one is ever critical of Scotland parting company from the UK?
“But then again after leaving the EU he can re-write all that carbon neutral based policy to suit the UK.”
Well not really. Unfortunately he has accepted that European Court of Justice will remain superior to all UK law courts, totally nullifying any attempt at the country reclaiming its sovereignty.
The way this is going Brexit Britain will be even more screwed by EU than when they were a member. The only trouble is you can only leave once.
Griff, are you out rioting over the election result, the Tory landslide victory over Labour and the EU exit?
Netflix the BBC, Boris.
The BBC lost any chance of producing entertaining programs when Top Gear was canned!
Hear! Hear!
Although I think you mean when Clarkson, Hammond and Captain Slow were canned.
BTW, I have a feeling Clarkson is trying to cosy up to the BBC again. Recently he has confirmed his conversion from climate sceptic to true believer. I’m not sure Clarkson is a reformed sinner.
Yes, the proper Top Gear, the characters that made Top Gear…Top Gear. I never used to like JC in TG in the early years, BUT, TG became TG when the trio formed and rather than being a “motoring program”, because of those three people, it became “Top Gear”! FUN! Maybe like John Cleese, he may need more money.
ABC didnt even mention his passing on todays science show
if it had been attenborough they would have aired an hour of his agitprop
parlous state of affairs when those who contributed much get dissed alive or dead.
restitution will come, hopefully soner than later
Yes, the news has been generally suppressed here in Australia. Awful state of affairs, he was immensely popular and well known, now thrown down the memory hole because he wouldn’t toe the propaganda line. Our society can not work for long under such oppressive mind control.
OT:
Northern California and Southern Oregon atmospheric river. Forecast for >2 meters (~8 feet) of snow in high terrain with rainfall of 250 mm to 400 mm range (10 to 16 inches) in northern California and southern Oregon. Atmospheric river begins during 19th Dec, fades on the 22nd Dec, north of LA.
https://on.windy.com/34bhc
Sadly Gone, badly mistreated, but never forgotten.
Denying that man-made global warming exists at all is actually poppycock. The actual issue is debate about it’s magnitude and exaggeration and of its magnitude and effects along with untrue claims of some effects it has by climate activists including activist scientists.
I agree with this.
Building cities, deforestation, etc., must all have some effect on regional climate, which I assume mounts up over time.
Catastrophic? Nahhhh.
Can that regional climate warm or cool the oceans ? If not it can not change the global climate.
David Bellamy re-awakened my interest in the wider world after I left school. His biology programmes were a revelation. Thank you Mr Bellamy.
Wonderful man. He came to see me in Perth, Western Australia and encouraged me to write my first book.
And it was you who opened my eyes some 15 years ago I believe. So he was one of those butterflies without whom the tornado would never have formed.
another great Greeny – I luved this guy – sidelined by the hoax – reminds me of my own greeny ways compared to so many climate change hypocrites that I know!! REST IN PEACE GOOD MAN
WHAT A RAY OF LIGHT OUT IN the FIELD OF SUNFLOWERS – WHAT A DREAM!!
Most free thinking adults in the UK just laugh at the Metro elite liberal BBC output. Just enjoyed watching their slack jawed shock at last night’s result. Most of the rest of us were out there voting to make sure it happened. Not paying the licence fee anymore is commonplace now, hence, old age pensioners are being asked to pay.
I agree. Ditch the license fee. It’s an anachronism and forces people to pay for something they don’t want. The BBC have some great journalist but doesn’t let them be JOURNALISTS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWmdUqJBcKE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRBWt24L7TA
RIP David, one of the good guys.
Yes, I grew up watching him on TV, a very entertaining and lovable bloke.
Glad to see he stayed true. He will be missed.
I met this brilliant man once. While I was working on a farm in the north of England he came to film there for one of his programs. He did much good work for many conservation programs. He was also right about climate change before it became the industry it is now.
Sad loss of a genuine scientist, a realist. He did have some quirky ideas though such as worm/bug cakes to replace meat at one time which he ate a wedge of on TV many moons back.
Loved his docos, he was a great presenter.
He didn’t use gimmicks, like some of the others.
He was a warm, gentle man and his enthusiasm for his passion (nature) came out in everything he did. I wish I had 10% of his energy, RIP.
I love when he spoke of “wodeedendrons…”
David left us this epitaph…
Now there is one less voice of reason, and one more occasion for those unreasonable to celebrate.
Conservation. Moderation. Separation of logical domains. RiP.
Met him in Sydney over 30 years ago. He was presenting at the Australian Museum. He was on the same wave length then about the so-called global warming. We had a nice post-lecture chat. Easy to talk to and a nice bloke.
Ciao
John
My memory of him and his wife in the Science site at Durham, usually surrounded by a crowd of students, a much admired and loved man. A lecture I attended at the University of Leeds in the ’70’s , oversubscribed , people standing, David strides in complete with khaki shorts! Years later a BBC set- up with Monbiot, the most disgusting episode. We are diminished by his loss.
As a kid, I had two nature tv presenter heros.
One was Bellamy and the other Attenborough. Absolutely loved their programmes and the way they presented.
As an adult, my one remaining TV presenter hero has just passed away.
Thank you for the fun education and childhood memories Mr Bellamy.
In 1992 David created the Environmental Magna Carta.
On the anniversary of The Magna Carta it was signed under the ancient yew tree that is believed to be the site or the original signing 750 years earlier. It is beside the river Thames at Runnymede close to the Kennedy memorial.
We went across by boat with local primary school children we had invited to the ceremony. David was the first to sign then actor Robert Hardy before I added my signature as the 3rd. David and Robert helped my eldest son, then aged 2 to ‘sign’ it and I have some wonderful pictures of us all there.
A great man whose career was wrecked by the BBC because he refused to toe the line on Climate Change or other BBC lines on some topics.
The BBC preach tolerance and diversity but cannot tolerate any one who disagrees with their scientifically illiterate dogma. You can avoid the hypocrisy channel but we are still required to pay for it. Boris rescue us!
We did, once. But then the “Puritans” left “England”, because they hated tolerance, for the “new world” to practice “intolerance”…
I haven’t voted Conservative for many years because of its barking mad climate change policies. But as a passionate Brexiteer I did toy with the idea of making an exception this time. I do actually like Boris very much for his sense of fun and optimism.
It just happened several days ago that someone here on WUWT mentioned that Boris was considering scrapping the BBC licence fee. That swung it and I voted Conservative. As for the licence fee, I don’t care about the money. What I do care about is being forced to pay money to the shamefully biased BBC (both politically and on climate change).
A huge relief that socialism in Britain has been rejected. I can hardly describe my feelings of relief and joy when the exit poll flashed up on the screen at 10 PM!
I’m disappointed that Boris has been spouting the usual climate change clap-trap. In the past he has expressed some mild scepticism, referring to climate doom-mongers as “doomsters”, one of his favourite words. Hopefully he has been just paying lip-service to the dogma. Margaret Thatcher was originally a believer and used climate change fears in her fight with the miners. But later she became sceptical, referring to it as “hot air”. Hopefully Boris will reach the same conclusion, but long before he leaves No. 10!
Chris
Don’t pay it. They have to prove you are watching TV, without them being able to see you watching TV, without them seeing you have a TV plugged in to power and an antenna. They do not have statutory right of entry into your home, without police. The “Collection Agency”, as the BBC does not engage in that “dirt” anymore, thugs ALSO DO NOT have statutory right of entry either.
It’s BS!
RIP a great broadcaster and a very fine academic. I was privileged to organise a conference with David as chairman in Newcastle in the ’70s. Very pleased to be able to visit his home and then film with him when a BBC TV producer.
Typical of the BBC to drop him, because he stood for the Referendum Party (whatever happened to that idea?) and the Greens did not like him working for developers and quarrying companies to see any environmental damage was mitigated for the benefit of nature and all who wanted to enjoy the countryside.
Plus his academic colleagues were jealous of his fame, unwilling to accept he did a huge amount to popularise botany, natural science and science in general. Many people would admit to choosing a career after being inspired by David Bellamy.
On climate change, again the BBC would not allow any dissenting voices, so they dropped him. Pity he won’t live long enough to see that any concerns about our climate changing are wildly exaggerated…
This man made the subject so much fun that you didn’t even realise you were learning anything. He was always spot on with his facts, always very respectful of others. part of my childhood and i am surprises how sad I am about this. He was like your favourite uncle.
I was at a Christmas meal for an environmental conservation organisation recently and it was mentioned that David Bellamy had died and the comments were almost ‘carbon’ copies of the media’s ….he was a good environmentalist but shame about his mistaken views in climate change…. No, he was a great environmentalist full stop. His views on climate change showed he was a multi disciplinarian in regards to all of the natural sciences. Unlike many botanists and other environmental scientists he had a thorough understanding of all the scientific disciplines related to the natural world. I studied geology, partly influenced by his love of peat bogs ( and my love in playing in them). A terrible shame that even those who were inspired by him now disrespect his memory because he dared stand up and give an alternative view to the mainstream. I was taught that was exactly what the scientific method involved!
Thanks David, a real green, unlike all the reds pretending.
Nothing’s forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten.
And he also had a top 40 hit with brontosaurus! Can’t find the video but the song is on you tube. I really can’t imagine Attenborough doing that…
Bellamy on Botany – is there any way to get videos of that? I love a good presenter and my camera and I see eye-to-eye on how best to present bugs and birds.
It is amazing to find out how many different species there are inhabiting the center of a purple or white coneflower blossom. Some of them are so small, you don’t even see them until the move. Then you see that they have antennae that look like deer antlers and you have to go look that up.
David Bellamy was a real scientist and environmentalist.
His presence on TV was already missed. His presence in the world will be more so.
Goodbye David, and Thank You!
RIP
David loved New Zealand and we loved him when he came here on his many visits. I suspect however that because of a lack of coverage from our biased media here, that most kiwis don’t know the true story of why they haven’t been seeing David on their screens, and just assumed that he had either retired, or perhaps was already dead.
I don’t trust or even watch anything that the BBC puts out now. They disgust me!
The hard left will say “good riddance” to an “old white bloke.”
And some of them will even be old white blokes themselves.
Bellamy knew the difference between conservation and environmentalism.