Sir David Attenborough breaks Instagram record as he becomes fastest user to gain one million followers
Sir David Attenborough has broken Jennifer Aniston’s record to become the fastest Instagram user to reach one million followers.
The veteran broadcaster joined the social media platform on Thursday, aiming to spread a warning about climate change to a new audience.
The 94-year-old managed to hit the one million milestone in just four hours.
Guinness World records then confirmed that Attenborough had set a new record, writing on his first post: “Congratulations Sir David - a new record for the fastest time to reach one million followers on Instagram.”
Sir David Attenborough - In pictures
In October, Friends star Aniston managed to gain one million followers in five hours and 16 minutes when she shared her first post - a photo of her and her former co-stars David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc enjoying dinner together.
Aniston in turn broke the record previously set by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Attenborough currently has 2.6 million followers and his first video post has been viewed nearly 10 million times.
In the clip, he explained that “saving our planet is now a communications challenge.”
“I am making this move and exploring this new way of communication to me because, as we all know, the world is in trouble,” he said.
Sir David Attenborough reflects on his extraordinary career in ‘A Life On Our Planet’“Continents are on fire. Glaciers are melting. Coral reefs are dying. Fish are disappearing from our oceans. The list goes on and on.”
He promised that he will share video messages over the next few weeks, explaining “what the problems are and how we can deal with them”.
Frequent collaborators Jonnie Hughes and Colin Butfield, who worked on Sir David’s upcoming film and book – both titled A Life On Our Planet – will help manage the account.
The pair shared a joint message alongside the clip, noting that “social media isn’t David’s usual habitat” and that they would be running the technical aspects for him.
Sir David’s forthcoming book and Netflix documentary, both titled A Life On Our Planet, will see him reflect on his career exploring and documenting the natural world.
They will also focus on the decline of the planet’s environment and biodiversity he has observed firsthand.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
