So why did the crew decide to save the penguins, but not the dying chimpanzee? Well, because they could rescue the chicks without interfering with the lives of other animals.

It is a matter that Attenborough feels very strongly about. Indeed, speaking at the event, the legendary broadcaster insisted that “tragedy is a part of life” and to do anything other than watch only makes matters worse.

Citing the example of a wildebeest calf being chased by a leopard, Attenborough said: “What do you do? Suppose you did something that frightened the leopard off, the fawn would be disorientated and would probably not even be able to find its way home, so it is likely to die.”

“The leopard would go off and have to find another fawn and it is likely to have problems with its cubs.”

Attenborough also recalled an “absolutely agonising” experience filming a mother and baby elephant dying of thirst in a desert, where he wouldn’t step in to give them water.

“All you’re doing is prolonging the death. So you make things infinitely worse,” he said, adding that “all you can do there is watch tragedy”.

“Tragedy is part of life and you have to show it,” insisted Attenborough. “You can’t have sunshine throughout your life. And to have done anything else would only have made matters worse and distort the truth.”

Sir David Attenborough’s Dynasties crew broke the rules to save as many penguins as they could