The Attenborough you’ve never heard of ready to step into Sir David’s shoes: Actor and eco-warrior Will is about to hit the big time in a major new TV series – but are his woke views a step too far for his great uncle?
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He’s a Cambridge graduate from a family of TV and film greats, so it would be easy to brand him as a typical nepo baby trading on his family connections.
However, when your family has reached national treasure status, fans are more likely to breathe a sigh of relief that there’s a new generation Attenborough in the world of TV and film to carry on the clan’s legacy.
You may not have heard of Will Attenborough, 33, but that’s about to change when he bursts on to screens today in the TV series Outrageous, based on the lives of the Mitford sisters – the daughters of Lord and Lady Redesdale who became embroiled in fascism, communism, infamy and scandal in the 1930s.
No stranger himself to coming from a well-connected family, he is the great nephew of the conservationist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and the grandson of movie giant, Sir Richard Attenborough, who starred in Jurassic Park and The Great Escape and directed Gandhi.
But Will himself is an utterly modern member of the famous clan. He identifies as queer and told the Risk! live show in 2019 about his early experiences of gay sex after coming out.
More recently, he’s developed a close friendship with fellow actress Kira Moore and when he paid tribute to her on her birthday on Instagram last year, friends described them as a ‘gorgeous couple’.
Will paid tribute to actress Kira Moore on Instagram, one of his close friends, on her birthday,saying: ‘I love you, you gorgeous freak’
Will (second left) is starring in the new drama series Outrageous about the lives of the Mitford sisters
The actor has spoken about identifying as queer and told a live show about his early experiences with gay sex
Continuing the legacy of having a career in drama, Will has already made a name for himself in the showbiz world starring in BBC’s Our Girl alongside Michelle Keegan
Alongside his acting career, he has campaigned with Extinction Rebellion – a move that might put him at odds with Sir David, who previously warned that the group risk ‘disenchanting an awful lot of people’ by disrupting their lives with protests.
However, in an impassioned speech in 2024, Will hit back at those who call the group ‘eco zealots’ and called on supporters to ‘rise up, reject the deception, and demand truth and action for our planet’.
His father Michael – once married to Jane Seymour – is a theatre director who has held a number of high profile artistic director roles, including the Almeida Theatre and The Young Vic, while his mother Karen Lewis is also an actress.
He’s quietly been building up an impressive portfolio, starring in BBC’s Our Girl as Olivier Hurst alongside Michelle Keegan and taking the lead role in Jeremy Herrin’s production of Photograph 51 opposite Nicole Kidman in 2015.
But while he’s beginning to make his name for himself on screen, MailOnline can reveal that it is behind-the-scenes that Will has quietly been playing a leading role in the entertainment industry.
And, on the face of it, it’s a part that’s closer to the heart of another illustrious relative – world-renowned naturalist and national treasure Sir David Attenborough. For Will is a leading light in a growing movement aimed at ‘empowering artists and screen workers to create a cleaner, greener’ industry.
Sir David Attenborough’s great nephew Will, 33, has landed a huge new role in the upcoming TV show Outrageous alongside Bridgerton star Bessie Carter
Will also has a niche for the West End and once played the lead role in Jeremy Herrin’s production of Photograph 51 opposite Nicole Kidman in 2015 (pictured at the press night in 2015 with Michael Grandage and Anna Ziegler)
As a climate campaigner he helped set up an organisation that hopes to provide a modern day twist on the theatrical rider – the set of requests or demands that an artist sets as criteria for their performance which are written into contracts.
The concept has become notorious through the often outlandish and flamboyant requirements of artists. There’s been rock band Van Halen’s demands for bowls of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed for their live concerts.
Hollywood star George Clooney reportedly once required a hot tub, beach hut and basketball court to be installed next to his trailer on a movie set.r
Along with specific types of food, snacks, drinks and flowers other stars have insisted on private jets or police escorts to accompany their vehicles.
Will’s campaign is aimed at encouraging actors and performers to use their status to instead insist on making demands for more sustainable production practices when signing up for new projects.
Rather than their own jets or chauffeur-driven cars, actors are encouraged to use alternative forms of transport such as train travel with producers being asked to support their requests through scheduling ‘extra recovery time’ and subsidising the artist if their quest to be green will cost them more.
Other ideas include sets and costumes. It has reportedly led to a coat being used by Eddie Redmayne when he played the part of Stephen Hawking in the movie The Theory of Everything being used within a short time of ‘filming wrapping’ by a man living rough to keep warm.
The initiative also involves adapting catering provided to prioritise reusable cutlery, reducing food waste and the amount of red meat served up and replaced by ‘mainly plant-based and locally sourced meals’.
Like his proud great uncle, Will is even passionate about climate change and encourages film sets to be more sustainable through his movement Green Rider
Will was born into a very famous family – being the great nephew of the biologist, the son of a theatre director and great grandson of an iconic actor and film director, Richard Attenborough (David and Richard pictured at the BAFTAs in 1994)
More than 100 actors – including Bill Nighy, Ben Whishaw, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gemma Arterton – have backed Attenborough’s Green Rider campaign.
Actors’ union Equity is on board with the scheme and has held discussions with production companies and studios including the BBC, ITV Studios and Sky Studios.
Will also wants to change the ‘luvvie’ culture around the industry which his grandfather, known as ‘Dickie’ was famously lampooned for by Spitting Image.
He has said: ‘You start to see your status on set determined by how many perks you get, how big your trailer is, do you have your own private car, what class are they going to fly you on a plane.
‘It’s not very sustainable but it’s also not very healthy. We’re trying to change the culture to show actors don’t necessarily want that.
‘They want to see themselves as workers who are part of a team with the rest of the group. And they don’t want to be separated off and lavished with these very wasteful perks.’
Will also helped secure a commitment from London mayor Sadiq Khan to shift City Hall’s £5 billion pension fund out of fossil fuel investments.
And he launched a campaign with actors Leila Mimmack and Mark Rylance that successfully moved Equity’s pension investments out of fossil fuels and into clean energy.
The nepo baby was born in London and studied English at Cambridge University before graduating in 2013
While David may have stepped back from showbusiness, it’s certain the Attenborough name will forever go on as Will prepares to hit big time
Will was born in London to Michael, whose first wife was actress Jane Seymour, and Jewish actress Karen Lewis. His older brother Tom, 38, has also worked as a theatre director.
One of Michael’s two younger sisters, Jane Holland, was tragically killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami along with her mother-in-law and Michael’s 15-year-old niece, Lucy.,
Will – who has spoken of his ‘privileged upbringing’ – attended private St Paul’s school before going on to read English at Cambridge University where he graduated in 2013.
When he was once asked if he always dreamed of being an actor, Will said: ‘I guess so. I don’t know. It just always felt like the thing I was going to do, I don’t think I ever thought of doing something else.’
And he said of constantly being asked about his family dynasty: ‘It’s fine, people are interested and I think I’m lucky people like them! Haha. It’s a nice thing.’
A year before graduating, Will appeared in his first professional role in the BBC series The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s history plays produced by Sam Mendes which featured a star-studded cast.
He went on to star alongside Nicole Kidman in the West End play Photograph 51 and appeared in Oscar-winning movie Dunkirk as well as the 2019 film The Outpost.
TV roles have included the 2016 BBC adaptation of War & Peace as well as starring in the BBC drama Our Girl alongside Michelle Keegan.
Among his friends is Kira Moore who he appeared alongside in a Mawaan Rizwan comedy music video.
In an Instagram post to celebrate Kira’s birthday last year he wrote: ‘Happy birthday to my partner in crime, the most fabulous little weirdo this side of the Mississippi. I love you, you gorgeous freak ❤️’.
In his new six-part series about the Mitfords, which premieres on Thursday on streaming platform U and U&DRAMA , Will plays Joss, a character amalgamated from several historical figures.
Set in the 1930s, it is a tale of betrayal, scandal, heartache and even imprisonment.
Speaking of his new part, Will said: ‘It was originally going to be Evelyn Waugh, then writer Sarah Williams thought it’d be interesting to make him Jewish, but not very openly.
‘He’s also gay, but that’s never really talked about in the show.’
Joss develops a unique camaraderie with protagonist Nancy, played by Bessie Carter, against the backdrop of the era’s tumultuous politics.
