Bill Oddie: From The Goodies fame to becoming beloved wildlife presenter

By Carla Feric and Pierra Willix, Press Association

Bill Oddie found fame in the 1970s as a member of comic trio The Goodies, but went on to establish a reputation as an ornithologist, conservationist and television presenter on wildlife.

The TV star had a varied career spanning decades, which saw him achieve chart success with novelty songs as well as appearing in surreal dramas featuring giant mutant kittens.

Oddie was a successful comedian, actor and musician – but attracted a new legion of fans when he became original hosts of Springwatch, which was named after him in its first year of broadcast.

A birdwatcher since his childhood, Oddie was born in Lancashire on July 7 1941 to parents Harry and Lilian.

He was raised in Birmingham by his father and his grandmother, Emily, and has previously spoken about how his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his youth – which led to her being treated in a psychiatric facility.

In the 1960s, Oddie studied English literature at Cambridge University, where he started his career as an actor and comedian, appearing in several Footlights Club productions.

One of his shows, which was later renamed Cambridge Circus, was highly successful after being performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and was subsequently transferred to the West End and Broadway.

During his time at university, Oddie also begun writing TV scripts – having worked on BBC’s satirical comedy programme That Was The Week That Was, on which he also made a brief appearance.

The actor and comic also featured on BBC radio comedy programme, I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again – and featured many of his musical compositions on the show.

He was a recognisable face during the late 1960s due to many TV appearances, such as on The Braden Beat and Twice A Fortnight – where he featured as a performer and a co-writer – and comedy series Broaden Your Mind, where he had the same role.

Oddie found fame and became a household name in the UK as well as Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s, when he founded comic trio The Goodies alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden.

The group co-wrote and starred in the BBC television comedy show, which attracted millions of viewers in its heyday and featured surreal moments including one of its most famous episodes, “Kitten Kong”, which saw a kitten given a growth formula which made it into a giant.

The Goodies also featured spoof martial arts episode Kung Fu Kapers in 1975, which hit the headlines and created a comedy legend after a bricklayer from Norfolk, Alex Mitchell, was said to have died from laughing while watching it.

It was reported in 2012 that doctors believe Mr Mitchell may have suffered from long QT syndrome, which can induce cardiac arrest when triggered by exertion or adrenaline, such as the intense laughter he experienced when watching the episode.

The Goodies ran from from 1970 until 1982, and also featured Oddie’s novelty songs such as The Funky Gibbon and The Inbetweenies – both of which peaked in the top 10 of the UK singles charts.

He continued to work with his fellow Goodies on programmes including the animated comic book superhero series Bananaman for the BBC, before turning his attention to nature shows.

Fellow Goodie Tim Brooke-Taylor died in 2020.

Oddie was a keen conservationist and naturalist since his youth, and his first published work on birding was an article about the birdlife of Birmingham’s Bartley Reservoir in the West Midland Bird Club’s 1962 Annual Report. He went on to write several books about birds and birdwatching.

In 1976 he was also involved in the successful identification of Britain’s first-ever recorded Pallas’s reed bunting on Fair Isle, Shetland.

He first appeared on natural history radio and TV programmes in the 1970s such as where he expressed his passion for bird-watching, and in 1985 he was the subject of a Nature Watch special documentary centred around his hobby.

Oddie continued to pursue his birding passion on-screen and went on to host many natural history programmes for the BBC – including Birding With Bill Oddie and Bill Oddie Goes Wild.

For a few weeks over May and June 2004, he presented Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie, in which he, Kate Humble and Simon King spent one hour each evening, describing wildlife and presenting live action from hidden cameras in or near nest boxes across the country.

It set a record for its 8pm timeslot on BBC Two, drawing in 3.4 million viewers.

The series then returned the following year but was renamed Springwatch, which Oddie presented until 2008 – cementing his reputation as one of Britain’s best-loved wildlife presenters.

Oddie also spoke openly about suffering from crippling depression, and he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2009 after being dropped from the hit BBC show.

He was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition where depressive periods alternate with manic activity.

An active conservationist, Oddie was also a council member for The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and The Worldwide Fund for Nature.

Oddie also appeared on shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, and Would I Lie To You?

In 2003 he was made an OBE his service to wildlife conservation.

Oddie, described as “the country’s best-loved birder”, died on Saturday at the age of 85, his friend and agent David Foster said.