Bill Oddie, the multi-talented TV star who found fame as a member of comic trio The Goodies before becoming a beloved wildlife presenter, has died at the age of 85. His friend and agent David Foster confirmed the news on Saturday.
Early life and Cambridge years
Born in Lancashire on July 7 1941 to Harry and Lilian Oddie, he was raised in Birmingham by his father and grandmother Emily. His mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his youth and treated in a psychiatric facility.
Oddie studied English literature at Cambridge University in the 1960s, where he began his acting and comedy career in Footlights Club productions. One show, later renamed Cambridge Circus, was a success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before transferring to the West End and Broadway.
During university, he started writing TV scripts for BBC's satirical comedy programme That Was The Week That Was, on which he also made a brief appearance. He featured on BBC radio comedy I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, contributing many musical compositions.
The Goodies and chart success
Oddie became a household name in the UK, Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s when he co-founded The Goodies with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. The trio co-wrote and starred in the BBC television comedy show, which attracted millions of viewers. One of its most famous episodes, 'Kitten Kong', featured a giant mutant kitten. Another episode, 'Kung Fu Kapers' (1975), reportedly caused the death of a Norfolk bricklayer, Alex Mitchell, from laughing. In 2012, doctors suggested Mitchell may have suffered from long QT syndrome.
The Goodies ran from 1970 to 1982. Oddie's novelty songs 'The Funky Gibbon' and 'The Inbetweenies' both reached the top 10 of the UK singles charts. He later worked with his fellow Goodies on the animated series Bananaman. Tim Brooke-Taylor died in 2020.
Turning to wildlife
A keen birdwatcher since childhood, Oddie's first published work on birding was an article on the birdlife of Birmingham's Bartley Reservoir in the West Midland Bird Club's 1962 Annual Report. He wrote several books about birds and birdwatching. In 1976, he helped identify Britain's first recorded Pallas's reed bunting on Fair Isle, Shetland.
He appeared on natural history radio and TV programmes from the 1970s, and in 1985 was the subject of a Nature Watch documentary. He went on to host BBC programmes including 'Birding With Bill Oddie' and 'Bill Oddie Goes Wild'.
Springwatch and later life
In 2004, he presented 'Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie' alongside Kate Humble and Simon King. The live evening programme set a record for its 8pm BBC Two timeslot, drawing 3.4 million viewers. It returned the following year renamed 'Springwatch', which Oddie presented until 2008, cementing his reputation as one of Britain's best-loved wildlife presenters.
Oddie spoke openly about suffering from depression and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2009 after being dropped from the show. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
An active conservationist, he served on councils for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature. He was appointed OBE in 2003 for services to wildlife conservation. Oddie also appeared on panel shows such as 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks', '8 Out Of 10 Cats', and 'Would I Lie To You?'.
Described as 'the country's best-loved birder', Oddie died on Saturday at 85.
