Sir David Attenborough’s image now dominates Tottenham Court Road. The veteran broadcaster’s face fills the vast LED screens of the Now Building at Outernet London, part of a five-minute video presentation titled “Our Story with David Attenborough” that will run from 8th to 31st May.
The visual spectacle is hard to miss. Outernet’s wrap-around screens—described as the largest digital exhibition space in Europe—occupy one of the busiest corners in the West End, near Tottenham Court Road station. The entire district, which opened in 2022, has already become the UK’s most visited cultural attraction, drawing a predominantly under-44 audience from more affluent backgrounds, many of whom arrive spontaneously while already in the area. The presentation harnesses this high-footfall environment to deliver a condensed version of the Natural History Museum’s fifty-minute immersive exhibition of the same name, which launched in June 2025.
The video combines scientifically accurate animation with real-world footage as Sir David explores the complex relationship between people and the planet. An original score by composer Nick Powell—a Tony Award- and Olivier Award-nominated composer whose theatre and film credits include productions on Broadway and in London’s West End—accompanies the footage. The five-minute cut is designed to be accessible to passing crowds while retaining the narrative power of the longer museum experience.
The collaboration behind the screens
“Our Story with David Attenborough” is the result of a three-way partnership between Sir David himself, Open Planet Studios, and the Natural History Museum. The Natural History Museum’s stated mission is to foster advocates for the planet, and the collaboration with Outernet is intended to extend that message far beyond the museum’s walls. The full immersive exhibition at the museum has already attracted more than 150,000 visitors since its opening, and the Outernet adaptation aims to reach an even broader audience with the same call to environmental stewardship.
Open Planet Studios, founded by award-winning filmmakers, brings a global library of high-quality environmental footage available free for educational and impact storytelling. The organisation’s ethos—to inspire action through narrative—aligns with Sir David’s own long public career. Born on 8th May 1926, Sir David has increasingly focused his broadcasting and natural history work on environmental advocacy, a shift that has been credited with influencing policy and public opinion in what commentators sometimes call the “Attenborough effect.” His documentary Blue Planet II, for instance, is widely credited with helping to spark the UK’s “war on plastics,” leading to bans on single-use items. His more recent work, such as Ocean with David Attenborough, continues to highlight the critical state of marine environments and the urgent need for conservation. The Outernet video marks his 100th birthday year and draws on the same narrative urgency.
Nick Powell’s original score is a further thread in this collaboration. His work on “Our Story” at the Natural History Museum represents another significant step in immersive experiences, building on a career that includes scores for theatre, film and television. Outernet London itself sits adjacent to Denmark Street—known historically as “Tin Pan Alley”—a hub for musicians and music businesses for decades, blending cutting-edge technology with the area’s musical heritage.
Viewing times and details
The video is free for visitors and will be shown at the Now Building at Outernet at regular intervals throughout May. The full schedule, which is subject to change, runs as follows:
• Friday 8th May — an “180-minute domination” from 1pm to 3pm, with four plays per hour
• Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May — four plays per hour
• Monday 11th to Sunday 31st May — two plays per hour
Visitors can check the most up-to-date timings online. The Outernet district’s location in the heart of the West End means the presentation is likely to catch both planned visits and the spontaneous crowds that already make the area one of London’s busiest cultural destinations. The partnership with the Natural History Museum follows a similar collaboration earlier in 2025, when Outernet hosted a Hiroshige digital installation created with the British Museum, demonstrating a broader strategy of blending traditional art and cultural storytelling with state-of-the-art screen technology.
