Bill Oddie dies aged 85, tributes pour in for beloved broadcaster

Bill Oddie, the Goodies star who became one of Britain’s best-known wildlife broadcasters and birdwatchers, died aged 85, his agent David Foster said. Oddie was long known as a broadcaster, comedian and conservationist, and his career ranged from hit television comedy to environmental advocacy.

As one third of The Goodies with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, Oddie helped make the 1970s comic trio a fixture of British television. The group’s anarchic humour gave Oddie a public profile that later carried him into a very different lane, where he became a familiar face in wildlife programming and a leading voice for birdwatching.

David Foster Management described Oddie as the nation’s best known birder and a multi-talented celebrity who was also a writer, songwriter and musician. His agent has also paid tribute to his “intelligence and wit”, a reminder that Oddie’s appeal crossed from studio comedy to the quieter, more observational world of conservation.

Oddie had spoken publicly in September 2020 about being “very ill” during the summer with lithium toxicity, which he said was “almost fatal”. The disclosure brought a rare glimpse of the health crisis behind a public figure whose work often revolved around nature, attention to detail and the discipline of watching the world closely.

Born on 7 July 1941, Oddie had celebrated his 85th birthday earlier this month. His death comes years after the loss of Brooke-Taylor, who died aged 79 in April 2020 after contracting coronavirus. Oddie later called Brooke-Taylor a “true visual comic and a great friend”, a tribute that now stands as part of the history of The Goodies and the bond that shaped the trio’s place in British popular culture.