Graeme Garden, the remaining member of the comedy trio The Goodies, has remembered his late colleague Bill Oddie as a "rebel" who would "challenge the status quo". Oddie, who found fame in the 1970s alongside Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, died on Saturday at the age of 85, according to a statement by his agent. Tributes have since poured in for the wildlife presenter, known for his humour and passion for the natural world.
Garden recalls Oddie's rebellious nature
Speaking on Radio 4's Front Row, Garden said: "We were very different personalities. I think Bill was much more of a rebel than I was, and was much tougher in many ways. We laughed at the same things. Anything that happened to the Goodies made us laugh." He added: "He was the one who would challenge the status quo. He was the one who wouldn't wear a tie in the restaurants and he was the one who stood up for himself."
Garden described Oddie as a "great giggler" who would often start giggling in the middle of a scene, which Garden called the "seal of approval". "This is a terribly sad time," he said, "but as you probably gathered, I have so many very happy times to look back on and remember and to enjoy. Now we can look back at the memories and we can rejoice in what a wonderful chap he was." He added that he received an email from Oddie's daughter Kate, who wrote that her father had died "raging against and rugby tackling the dying of the light, while also being incredibly funny, which sounds like Bill."
Wildlife presenting and mental health struggles
Oddie hosted BBC wildlife programmes including Birding With Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild and Autumnwatch. He was part of the original presenting line-up of Springwatch alongside Kate Humble and Simon King when the show launched in 2005. Oddie spoke openly about suffering from crippling depression and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2009 after being dropped from Springwatch. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Humble told BBC Radio 4's The World At One: "No-one could tell a story like Bill or make me laugh like Bill or enthuse anyone, whoever they were, to go outside and get excited about a robin. He had that way of making the natural world everybody's world and I think that's what we all loved about him." She noted he was "one of the earliest, bravest people to say, 'no this is something I have and something that I have to deal with and that my family has to deal with'. It was really tough for him, and I was witness to that – but he was always very honest and straightforward."
Early life and comedy career
Oddie began birdwatching during his childhood in Birmingham and became a respected ornithologist, writing several books on birds and wildlife. His comic career started in the Cambridge Footlights, where he wrote for shows including That Was The Week That Was. He later wrote and appeared on programmes such as I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, which featured his comic songs. The Goodies became household names in Australia and New Zealand, attracting millions of viewers. His songs led to several chart hits, most notably The Funky Gibbon.
Oddie was a council member of the RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and The Worldwide Fund for Nature. He also served as president of The Northumberland Wildlife Trust. A statement from his friend and agent David Foster noted: "Bill was a multi-talented celebrity – wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist. Yet it was never fame that he valued. Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment."
