In one of the most viral moments British television has seen in years, wildlife presenter and cameraman Hamza Yassin has broken the internet after his latest episode of Wilderness with Hamza Yassin amassed over 28 million views across BBC iPlayer, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram in under 24 hours.

The standout sequence — already being called “the hare touch heard around the world” — shows Hamza lying motionless in a Highland bog, completely still for nearly 40 minutes, waiting for a wild mountain hare to feel safe enough to approach. What happened next left millions in disbelief: the hare, curious and unafraid, slowly hopped forward and gently touched its nose to Hamza’s beard, lingering for several seconds before bounding away. The close-up footage, captured with Hamza’s signature patience and ultra-quiet breathing technique, has been shared, remixed, and memed endlessly — with captions ranging from “nature’s softest high-five” to “Hamza just got blessed by a hare.”

But it was another scene that pushed viewers over the edge emotionally: Hamza lying flat on a Scottish riverbank at dawn, whispering so softly to a baby otter that had swum right up to his face. “Hello, little one… you’re safe here,” he murmurs, barely audible, as the otter’s whiskers brush his cheek. The raw tenderness of the moment — combined with Hamza’s gentle Scottish-Arabic accent — sent audiences into floods of tears, with thousands posting “I’m actually sobbing at 7 a.m.” and “Hamza is the most wholesome human on television.”

The episode’s viewership explosion reached a whole new level when Sir David Attenborough, 99, released a rare personal video tribute. Speaking directly to camera from his home, Attenborough said: “The baton isn’t being passed; it’s being shared. Hamza has that rare gift — he doesn’t just observe nature, he becomes part of it. He shows us the world with wonder, patience, and deep respect. Britain may have a new nature king, but I’m proud to say we share the crown.”

The comment has been viewed more than 15 million times and shared by everyone from BBC executives to wildlife charities and celebrity fans including David Beckham, Emma Watson, and Sir David’s own production team. #HamzaNatureKing and #HareTouch trended worldwide for over 12 hours, while the full episode has already surpassed 40 million streams across platforms.

Hamza, 35, who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 and has since become BBC’s go-to voice for accessible wildlife storytelling, responded humbly on Instagram: “I’m overwhelmed. I just wanted to show people how beautiful and fragile nature is. That hare touching my beard? That wasn’t me — that was nature trusting us for a second. I’ll never forget it.”

The episode itself is a masterclass in patient, immersive wildlife filmmaking: long, silent takes of golden eagles soaring over snow-capped peaks, pine martens hunting at twilight, red deer stags roaring in the mist, and otters playing in crystal rivers — all narrated with Hamza’s signature warmth and wonder. But it’s the human-animal moments — the hare’s curious nose, the otter’s whisker touch — that have turned the show into a global phenomenon.

Britain may have found its new nature king, but Hamza Yassin’s message is clear: the crown belongs to the wild itself — and he’s just grateful to be allowed to share it with us.

Watch the full episode now on BBC iPlayer and catch the unforgettable “hare touch” moment that’s breaking the internet.