Sir David Attenborough to be turned into a 3D hologram for new virtual reality museum experience

Sir David Attenborough handles a VR headset as he prepares to become a hologram
Sir David Attenborough called the experience an 'extraordinary new step' Credit: Sky

Following in the footsteps of Tupac Shakur, Kate Moss and Elvis Presley, Sir David Attenborough is being turned into a three-dimensional hologram as part of a new virtual reality experience in conjunction with London's Natural History Museum.

In a collaboration between the Museum, the Sky VR Studio and "immersive content studio" Factory 42, Sir David will grant users of the Sky VR app one-to-one insights into collections of rare objects, from fossils to bones and skulls.

Titled Hold the World, users will be able to "virtually handle" the objects, which translates to being able to hold, tilt and look more closely at them.

The living, breathing Sir David Attenborough
The living, breathing Sir David Attenborough Credit: David Parry/PA Wire

Factory 42 previously worked on an interactive 360 film with the English National Ballet inspired by Giselle, which was one of the first commissions released as part of the Sky VR app launch in 2016. Hold the World will reportedly go into production later this year.

"I have enjoyed helping people to discover more about the natural world, and Hold the World offers people a unique opportunity: to examine rare objects, some millions of years old, up close," Sir Attenborough said in a statement. "It represents an extraordinary new step in how people can explore and experience nature, all from the comfort of their own homes and I am delighted to be able to help users uncover some of the treasures the Natural History Museum has to offer in a thrilling new way."

Leaked footage of the Whitney Houston hologram... which appeared to depict an entirely different woman
Leaked footage of the Whitney Houston hologram... which appeared to depict an entirely different woman Credit: Screengrab

Celebrity holograms are fast becoming a prosperous 21st century business, one that has allowed Tupac and Elvis to be technologically exhumed to perform with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Celine Dion, respectively, and Kate Moss to float in the air as part of an Alexander McQueen fashion show.

But the innovative tech hasn't always been successful - a hologram of the late Whitney Houston was blocked by her family's estate days before it was due to perform a duet with Christina Aguilera on The Voice. The hologram appeared to depict an entirely different face to the one that belonged to the late singer. We can assume Sir David's digital avatar will be more successful.

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