Chris Packham has paid tribute to Bill Oddie, describing him as an "utter joy to be with" after the wildlife presenter and former Goodies star died aged 85.
Packham, 65, replaced Oddie as the face of BBC Springwatch in 2009 and is among famous faces honouring the "delightfully unpredictable" naturalist.
Packham's tribute
Sharing a picture alongside a lengthy message on social media, Packham wrote: "A renegade polymath with binoculars and a beard, Bill was invariably funny and occasionally furious.
"He loved birds and loathed those who harmed them. He was delightfully unpredictable, sparky, smart and at times a bit spiky.
"Critically he really knew his stuff, and his passion was true – he didn’t just pick up his binoculars on telly, he went birding whenever he could.
"So he was genuine and that’s why we loved him, he never needed a script, and took scant interest in any he was given.
"He didn’t like rules and often neglected to play by them. This may have frustrated the serious and the worthy but it always amused his audience – he was an utter joy to be with."
Packham also recalled a personal moment with Oddie: "I recall finding a black woodpecker in a damp Dutch park with him once. He gazed at it intently, sighed, put down his bins, turned to me and just smiled. A massive grin. No words, just a beautiful childlike bliss. That says all you need to know about Bill Oddie."
He added: "Sadly we’ve not only lost a Goodie, we’ve lost one of the besties."
Eric Idle remembers Cambridge days
Monty Python star Eric Idle, who first met Oddie at Cambridge University, wrote on X: "I’m very sad Bill Oddie has gone. He was sick for some time and I wrote to him.
"He auditioned me for The Pembroke Revue in 1963 and I stepped into his roles for The Edinburgh Festival when the Cambridge Footlights went to the West End.
"We watched England win the World Cup together at Wembley in 66. He was a very fine songwriter and I learned a lot from him.
"He came to France and is in my book. We even had Chelsea season tickets together. I miss him."
Victoria Stilwell and Edgar Wright pay respects
British animal trainer and TV presenter Victoria Stilwell shared an old photo with Oddie, writing: "Not only did you make a generation of children and adults laugh on television, you made us appreciate and love the natural world, especially the world of birds that you were so passionate about.
"Thank you Bill. Fly free. We will miss you."
Director Edgar Wright hailed Oddie as a "comedy hero", saying The Goodies was "hugely influential". Sharing footage from the 1970s show on X, he wrote: "Am so sad to read that Bill Oddie has passed away.
"Although he later became equally famous as the BBC’s resident ornithologist, he had been a comedy hero of mine since my earliest days of watching television, as one of 'The Goodies'.
"The show was hugely influential on me: its glorious, go-for-broke silliness, almost like a kids’ companion to Monty Python, made it one of my earliest comedic touchstones.
"I loved Bill’s anarchic energy, musical brilliance and willingness to do absolutely anything for a laugh.
"And, it must be said, as the shortest member of the trio, he spoke to me."
Wright also listed comedies that influenced him, saying he would "never forget the giddy thrill" of watching The Goodies' opening sequence. He concluded: "Farewell to a true Goodie. RIP."
Oddie first found fame in the 1970s as a member of comic trio The Goodies, before a successful career presenting nature shows for the BBC.
