Sir David Attenborough's cameraman has said that the public should view rare wildlife in remote locations through virtual reality headsets to protect the planet.

Blue Planet cameraman Doug Allan has said that modern wildlife documentaries should embrace new technologies, such as virtual reality, to curb viewers from visiting the remote locations themselves.

“Showing people the wonders of the natural world, there’s no doubt we have been part of this wave of people going to see those kinds of places for themselves,” he told the Telegraph.

“I think now I’d like to see a form of wildlife film making that accepts responsibility for giving people the knowledge and offers them the option of not going there.

“New technology can do that, virtual reality has a real possibility of giving people a massively meaningful experience without them leaving the comfort of their own chair.”

In 2018 a virtual reality project by Sky VR turned Sir David Attenborough into a 3D hologram and allowed users to explore prohibited areas of the Natural History Museum.

Mr Allan would like to see similar technology replicated on home screens, as wildlife tourism is a “big responsibility on our side”.