Bill Oddie, who found fame as a member of the comedy group The Goodies and later became a respected ornithologist and conservationist, has died at the age of 85.
From comedy to conservation
Oddie first rose to prominence with The Goodies, a television comedy show that attracted millions of viewers at its peak. He later turned his passion for birdwatching into a career as a wildlife presenter, hosting BBC programmes such as Birding With Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Springwatch, and Autumnwatch.
In 2003, he was awarded an OBE for his services to conservation and wildlife broadcasting.
Conservation work
Oddie was a dedicated conservationist. In 1986, he was pictured feeding birds with conservationist Sir Peter Scott at the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust in Gloucestershire. He later launched the Great Nut Hunt in 2001 at High Elms Country Park in Farnborough, highlighting the decline of dormice.
In 2012, he supported the Humane Society's complaint against a badger cull at the EU's Bern Convention. Two years later, he joined then-MP Zac Goldsmith in London to crush elephant tusks as part of an International Fund for Animal Welfare ivory crush.
Public appearances
Oddie remained active in public life. In 2004, he launched the new Visit Scotland website alongside a peregrine falcon named Tam, and posed with a rescued fox named Bandit and Royal Mail woodland animal stamps on Hampstead Heath. He also took part in the 2005 Trafalgar Square event creating a giant image of King Henry VIII.
In 2008, he joined a charity race where hundreds dressed as gorillas to raise money for endangered animals. He attended the Hearing Dog Awards in 2016 with a hearing dog puppy named Kody, and the Animal Hero Awards in 2018.
