For Stoinski, that unique gorilla moment has made a long-lasting affect due to the shock and pleasure it dropped at viewers.
“We can see so much of ourselves, we can really relate to their behaviour because it is so similar to ours. Any three-year-old might want to come and sit on your lap and use you as a piece of furniture. The baby gorilla, Pablo, was doing the same thing to David.
“And the belief, I believe was one thing that perhaps shocked folks that they did not realise you would be that method with the gorillas.”
And in Life on Earth, a series with a serious scientific purpose, this playful and unexpected encounter in the undergrowth became a key message. Instead of us looking at nature, the friendly gorilla family upended the narrative and took on the role of the curious observer of a mysterious ape called Attenborough.
The imagined gap between humanity and nature vanished. Gorillas were not jungle beasts, they had rich emotional lives, cooperating, caring, fighting, learning and adapting.
As Attenborough said in the original footage: “We see the world in the similar method as they do.”
There is good reason this gentle, affectionate meeting between genetic cousins has become a TV landmark.
Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure, airs on Sunday 3 May on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
