This Is Your Life: David Shepherd

David SHEPHERD OBE (1931-2017)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - David Shepherd, artist and conservationist, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a fine art and gift fair at the NEC in Birmingham, where he was donating his latest work to promote his campaign against wildlife poaching.

David, who had a fascination with African wildlife from a young age, moved to Kenya when he was 18 years old with an ambition to become a game warden, but instead found work as a receptionist in a hotel, where he later displayed his first wildlife paintings. After returning to the UK his career took off in 1953 with a commission from various airlines, including BOAC, to provide paintings for London Airport.

A later commission with the RAF took him back to Africa, where having learned of the massacre of wildlife by gangs of poachers, he would become one of the world's most outspoken conservationists. He is most famous for his paintings of steam locomotives and wildlife, although he also painted aircraft, portraits and landscapes. His work has been extremely popular since the 1960s in limited edition print reproduction and poster form.

"Oh my god! No! God, how fantastic!"

programme details...

Edition No: 776
Subject No: 766
Broadcast date: Wed 28 Feb 1990
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Sun 4 Feb 1990
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 30
Edition: 19
Code name: Tiger

on the guest list...

Melinda - daughter
Mandy - daughter
Melanie - daughter
Avril - wife
Bill Travers
Virginia McKenna
Ivy Godfrey
Peter Mumford
Robin Goodwin
Maurice Heath
Peter - brother
Judy - sister
Rolf Roher
Kurt - son-in-law
Wendy - daughter
grandchildren
James Stewart
President Kenneth Kaunda
Prince Bernhard of Netherlands
Prince Michael of Kent

production team...

Researcher: Sue Green
Writer: Roy Bottomley
Directors: Brian Klein, John Birkin
Associate Producer: John Graham
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related page...

A Fashionable Life

from catwalk to all things artistic

Screenshots of David Shepherd This Is Your Life

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

Prince Michael of Kent agreed to video a tribute to the wildlife artist David Shepherd. Director Brian Klein went to Kensington Palace with a crew, and the prince decided he would like to stand up while he was speaking.

Brian persuaded him to sit. 'You'll feel much more relaxed,' he said.

So the prince delivered his message sitting down. He asked for the tape to be replayed for him. He viewed it and said, 'Why is it Royals always come over as pompous?'

Series 30 subjects