Award-winning wildlife cameraman Doug Allan known for his groundbreaking work on David Attenborough’s Planet series has died at the age of 74 while trekking in Nepal.

Allan’s death was confirmed by his management company Jo Sarsby Management which said the celebrated filmmaker passed away “immersed in nature and surrounded by friends.”

Widely regarded as one of the most influential wildlife cinematographers of his generation Allan was best known for filming some of television’s most breathtaking nature documentaries including BBC’s Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and The Blue Planet.

In a statement his representatives described him as “a true pioneer of wildlife film-making” whose work helped bring audiences closer to the natural world.

“Doug captured some of the most breathtaking and intimate moments in the natural world” the statement read. “He leaves behind a visual legacy that few could ever match.”

Born in Dunfermline, Fife Allan graduated from Stirling University in 1973 with an honours degree in marine biology before beginning his career as a research diver with the British Antarctic Survey in 1976.

His path into filmmaking began after a chance meeting with legendary broadcaster David Attenborough in 1981 while stationed in Antarctica.

Reflecting on the moment in a past interview Allan said Attenborough arrived with a small film crew and inspired him to pursue wildlife cinematography.

Over the course of his career Allan earned eight Emmy Awards and five BAFTAs for his extraordinary work capturing wildlife in some of the planet’s harshest and most remote environments.

He also received the prestigious Polar Medal twice and was appointed an OBE in 2024 for services to broadcast media and environmental awareness.

He once revealed he spent around 620 days of his life searching for and filming polar bears. He also recalled one moment when a bear pressed its nose against his window while he was inside.

In another dramatic encounter Allan said a walrus once mistook him for a seal while filming underwater and grabbed his legs before he managed to scare it off with his camera.