Bill Oddie, the comedian, writer and conservationist who delighted audiences as one third of The Goodies before becoming the nation’s best-loved birdwatcher on BBC’s Springwatch, has died at the age of 85.
His agent, David Foster, confirmed the news in a statement, calling Oddie “the country’s best-loved birder” and a “multi-talented celebrity” – wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist.
“Goodies star and Springwatch host Bill Oddie has died aged 85, his agent confirms.”
“Yet it was never fame that he valued,” Foster continued. “Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment. He taught us the wonder of it. He protested, lobbied and campaigned for it. He led the way and people of all ages and backgrounds responded to his call. And such a massive contribution to conservation will never be forgotten.”
Oddie came to fame in the 1970s alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, whom he met at Cambridge University. The trio’s anarchic sketch show The Goodies ran for 10 years from 1970 to 1980, producing comic musical numbers such as The Funky Gibbon and Black Pudding Bertha.
But his deepest passion was wildlife. In 2005 he became one of the original presenters of Springwatch, bringing birds and badgers into the nation’s living rooms. Kate Humble, his co-host on the early series, told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One: “No-one could tell a story like Bill. No-one could make me laugh like Bill. No-one could enthuse anyone, whoever they were, to go outside and get excited about a robin. He just had that way of making the natural world everybody’s world, and I think that’s what we all loved about him.”
Chris Packham, who succeeded Oddie on Springwatch, wrote on social media: “Sadly we’ve not only lost a goodie, we’ve lost one of the besties.” He added: “A renegade polymath with binoculars and a beard, Bill was invariably funny and occasionally furious. He loved birds and loathed those who harmed them.”
Oddie was born in Rochdale, grew up in Birmingham and was open about his struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. In 2015 he told the Guardian he had “inherited the same genetic flaw” as his mother. Humble recalled: “Sometimes he’d be fantastically grumpy… He talked very openly about his struggles with mental health.”
Foster asked for privacy for Oddie’s wife Laura and daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie. “It was an honour and a privilege to represent him for so many years. I will miss him terribly.”