Bill Oddie, the multi-talented comedian and wildlife presenter, has died aged 85. He rose to fame as one third of The Goodies, a surreal sketch show that blended anarchic humour with sight gags, and later became television's most famous birdwatcher, encouraging new generations to embrace the natural world.
From Cambridge Footlights to The Goodies
Oddie's comedy career began at Cambridge University, where he wrote musical numbers for the Footlights revue A Clump of Plinths. The show transferred to the West End as Cambridge Circus and then to Broadway in 1964. A BBC radio version evolved into I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, which ran from 1964. Oddie was joined by Graeme Garden as scriptwriter, and later they both appeared on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.
In 1970, Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Garden launched The Goodies on BBC TV. The trio wrote and performed sketches involving slapstick and stop-motion, often riding a three-seater bicycle. Their musical parodies, such as The Funky Gibbon, became chart hits. The show ran for a decade, with a brief revival on ITV in the early 1980s.
Wildlife presenting and Springwatch
After a stint in children's TV, Oddie turned his lifelong passion for birds into a second career. He fronted series including Birding with Bill Oddie (1997-2000) and Bill Oddie Goes Wild (2001-03). He later co-presented the live outside broadcasts Wild in Your Garden and Britain Goes Wild With Bill Oddie, which evolved into Springwatch and Autumnwatch. Oddie was dropped from these in 2008 and replaced by Chris Packham.
Personal life and struggles
Oddie was born in Littleborough, near Rochdale, to Lilian and Harry Oddie. His mother was committed to a psychiatric institution when he was young, and he believed she had schizophrenia. He later learned she may have suffered from manic depression and expressed regret for not seeing her more. He experienced bouts of clinical depression and made two suicide attempts after being dropped from Springwatch. In 2020, he said he was managing bipolar disorder with lithium, but later suffered lithium toxicity.
Oddie was married twice. He had two daughters, Kate and Bonnie, with his first wife, Jeanne Hart. He married Laura Beaumont in 1983, and they had a daughter, Rosie. He was appointed OBE in 2003 for his wildlife conservation work. He died on 25 July 2026, aged 85.
