Manufactured excitement - Irwin riling up a croc then filming brave Steve facing off with this 'dangerous animal'. Or grabbing a venomous snake and holding it up by its tail.

Manufactured compassion - Irwin walking along a beach wwith beached whales on it, wailing and mugging with overblown grief.

Irwin was a shameless ham. He knew what titillated about 'dangerous wildlife', what tickled people's fancy about blokey Australianism. He was a showman and a smart businessman, and good luck to him (until it ran out). His docos may have done some good in awareness-raising, and he did seem to love the animals, just sometimes seemed to have a peculiar, disrespectful way of showing it.

David Attenborough, though, shows how it can be done with class. Really doing homework, putting in hours of filming for a few screen minutes, really telling a story, overlaying the whole thing with well-informed, economical, quiet and dignified commentary. Never using the animals for show-trick gimickry.

Despite the Diana-like public grief exposition and the media cash-in, I think many Australians were a bit embarrassed by Irwin and the unsophisticated way he made his shows, and the ratings here showed it. He was like the collective embarrassing wayward brother that we never really acknowledged or appreciated until he died.

PK.
Your comments are insensitive uncompassionate drivel particularly given at this time and I hope that the family does not have the misfortune to read it. HAVE YOU NO SHAME.

Don't you ever drink in the same pub as me PK. You are beneath contempt. I've met homeless people 100 times smarter and a thousand times more respectful towards the dead than you. Crawl back under your rock.

PK, Steve Irwin was a wonderful man with a heart of gold. He was a compassinate conservationists and a proud father. Obviously you have no consideration for Steve's family, writing such rude things about a person they loved. You should be embarressed of your self.

Talk about over-reaction. Are we talking about an 'ordinary bloke' as described by his father, or some kind of secular saint?

Alamo, Wayne and gigs, you really need to get some perspective. This is an opinion site. Leslie wrote an opinion piece about Irwin, I posted my honest opinion. It is one I have held for some time, that has not changed because of Irwin's death, and which I should in no way feel restrained from expressing out of some kind of misplaced 'respect for his family'. We are not at his funeral.

The man was a public figure. I am not talking about a private dimension here. It is open to us to comment on his life honestly. I doubt if Irwin's family would be spending time looking at a site like this right now to check what people are saying about him. If they did, I would not be ashamed about what I wrote at all. It was not totally condemnatory nor disrespectful.

Wayne, there is no need to ask in screaming capitals whether I have shame - I have other things - honesty and a sense of proportion. You on the other hand have come here looking for opinions when, clearly, you cannot handle opinions.

PK

Your praises of David Attenborough's documentaries reveals just how insensitive you are to wildlife. Attenborough does, no doubt attract your type since he is obsessed with showing viewers (without fail) the predatory side of animals and seemingly delights in filming strong animals bringing down a weaker one. He obviously is under the illusion that viewers get a thrill watching predatory beasts feasting on other animals after the kill(though often still breathing at that!)

No doubt you get off on this sort of "professional" account of life in the wild. I suspect that most of us don't.

Steve Irwin's compassion for wildlife and conservation will never by sullied by the likes of you PK