Bill Oddie Dies at 85: BBC Wildlife Presenter, Comic
The comedian and naturalist who became a BBC wildlife face, has died at 85, his agent said. The former Goodies star was remembered for Springwatch and a long…
LONDON — Bill Oddie, the British comedian and wildlife presenter best known for bill oddie’s work on BBC nature shows and the 1970s comedy trio The Goodies, has died at the age of 85, his agent said.
The death matters to British television audiences and wildlife fans alike. Oddie moved from sketch comedy to birdwatching programs that helped make nature television mainstream, and his agent said he spent much of his career urging people to respect and protect the environment.
From The Goodies to Springwatch
In a statement to BBC News, his agent David Foster said: “It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Bill Oddie, the country’s best-loved birder.” Foster added that Oddie was a “multi-talented celebrity — wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist.”
Foster said Oddie “encouraged us to respect and protect the environment,” and that he “taught us the wonder of it.” He also said Oddie “protested, lobbied and campaigned for it,” adding that “such a massive contribution to conservation will never be forgotten.”
Oddie became a household name in the 1970s as part of The Goodies, the television comedy trio he formed with Cambridge classmates Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. The BBC said he later concentrated on his love of wildlife and became one of the original hosts of Springwatch, alongside other programs about birdwatching.
His career covered a wide stretch of British TV. Variety reported that Oddie hosted nature programs for the BBC from the mid-80s to 2008, including Birding With Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Springwatch and Autumnwatch. That shift from comedy to conservation gave him a different kind of public reach. Quietly, it changed what he was known for.
Early years and comedy roots
Oddie was born on July 7, 1941, in Rochdale, Lancashire, and later moved to Birmingham, where he was raised by his father and grandmother, according to the sources. He studied English literature at Cambridge University and became involved with the Footlights comedy troupe, which also included Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor.
Before he graduated, he was already writing for BBC satire, including That Was The Week That Was in the early 1960s. Yahoo News Canada said he went on to write and appear in shows including I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again, At Last the 1948 Show, Twice a Fortnight and Doctor in The House. The same source said he also worked alongside names such as John Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Jones.
Variety said Oddie started on The Goodies and later shifted his focus to wildlife, especially birds. The BBC described him as one of the original hosts of Springwatch and other birdwatching programs, part of a broadcast run that brought him to viewers across Britain for years.
Foster said Oddie’s wife, Laura, and daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie asked not to be contacted “at this sad time.” He added, “I will miss him terribly.”
The BBC said Oddie’s family requested privacy after his death, while Foster’s statement framed the loss in personal and public terms at once. Oddie, he said, had been a friend as well as a client. The final words in the statement were blunt and plain: “I will miss him terribly.”
