A letter from Sir David Attenborough started my wildlife filming career

Christian Marot never thought he'd get a reply to the letter sent to Sir David Attenborough at the age of 19, which included a copy of his wildlife filming. However, ten days later, one appeared, with both praise and a thoughtful comment - the original USB stick taped neatly to the personalised stationery with the broadcaster's name. It was just surreal, Marot says, and

hugely encouraging for a budding wildlife filmmaker. He discovered himself in a sunny field in Greenford filming close up photos of Sir David's release of harvest mice on to a grass frond. It was a

pinch me momentfor someone whofound words to be difficult

as a result of his dyslexia's struggles, and teachers had warned that

not every one will succeed in life.

I am in Greenwich Park in south-east London, not far from where he lives between Hither Green and Catford. Quite a contrast to the hot, hazy days of last summer, when he was working as one of Sir David's most prominent camera operators in his latest film, Wild London. However, the combination of skyscraper horizon and natural foreground complements this programme's goal: to bring our attention to the wildlife around us, something Marot has been interested in all his life. After getting a box set of Sir David's films when he was 12 years old, he became fully hooked and shortly thereafter, grabbing a camera for the first time. He started photographing the wildlife around him. I was literally in my back garden in London.I'd basically camp out and wait for whatever it was to come into the garden," he says. It was still photography at first, and he soon became a finalist in the prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year competition.

His grandfather died and left him a small inheritance that he used to fund a trip to Madagascar after seeingSir David's program on the African island. I just took a very basic kit with me, he says. I mean, I had no idea what I was doing.Also, he assembled some lovely footage and was eventually satisfied with the edit of a short film. His family pleaded with him to hand it over to the prestigious naturalist, who then helped him locate an address. A reply came a short time later, much to his surprise.

I thought, how amazing for someone of his stature to write back to someone like me, just a young boy with a passion for wildlife,

he says.

It's almost his calling to encourage and inspire people of our generation to make a difference and appreciate the natural world around us. Marot gained expertise in nature filming, with camera assistant and second camera roles, but never thought he'd be able to work with Sir David himself. That was before being called to Wild London to work.

It was the opportunity to work on something with my hero, but also the opportunity for me to do something that is not in my hometown. And I never thought that those two worlds would collide.

Marot finally met the man who had inspired him as a youth on the first filming day in Greenford, West London. He arrived early because nerves going like mad, he says. However, Sir David appeared himself and immediately put him at ease. Marot's job was to film close-up shots of Sir David's hands as he gently advised a harvest mouse to cling to the grasses of a meadow. It was a amazing day and very special, according to He.

He chased deer sightings in east London and spotted snakes along the Regent's Canal, hoping for pigeons to hop on to Tube trains and sighted snakes. Marot said:

It has come full circle. I remember as a 12-year-old boy, picking up a camera for the first time and immediately drawn to photographing the animals in my garden, and here I am 20 years later doing the exact same thing but for a BBC, David Attenborough series.

He never wrote a letter to Sir David, which disappointed his mother. However, when he sawour on the new programme and call for Londoners to get in touch with their wildlife encounters, he contacted us to tell our story - in part to say thank you.

Attenborough had such a dramatic effect on my career,

Marot says. I wouldn't be here without him.And it really does show that with a little bit of push, dedication, and putting yourself out there, it's possible.