Chris Packham pays tribute after death of Springwatch pioneer Bill Oddie

Wildlife presenter and comedian Bill Oddie has died aged 85, with Chris Packham leading tributes and calling him an ‘utter joy’.

Oddie’s agent has confirmed that he died on Saturday.

In a statement, David Foster announced: ‘It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Bill Oddie, the country’s best-loved birder.

‘Bill was a multi-talented celebrity – wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist. Yet it was never fame that he valued.

Foster praised Oddie for how he ‘led the way’ and noted that ‘people of all ages and backgrounds responded to his call’, signifying a ‘massive contribution to conservation that will never be forgotten’.

‘As Bill’s agent, I witnessed close-hand his intelligence and wit. He was my friend, and it was an honour and a privilege to represent him for so many years. I will miss him terribly,’ he added affectionately.

‘My thoughts and love are with Bill’s wife, Laura, and his daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie, who have asked not to be contacted at this sad time. Please respect their wishes.’

A cause of death was not revealed.

Following the breaking news and joining fans and co-stars, Packham took to Instagram with heartfelt words, writing: ‘A renegade polymath with binoculars and a beard, Bill was invariably funny and occasionally furious.

‘He loved birds and loathed those who harmed them. He was delightfully unpredictable, sparky, smart and at times a bit spiky. Critically he really knew his stuff, and his passion was true – he didn’t just pick up his binoculars on telly, he went birding whenever he could.

 

 

 

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‘So he was genuine and that’s why we loved him, he never needed a script, and took scant interest in any he was given. He didn’t like rules and often neglected to play by them. This may have frustrated the serious and the worthy but it always amused his audience – he was an utter joy to be with.’

The fellow naturalist, who replaced Oddie on Springwatch in 2009, concluded with a sweet anecdote: ‘I recall finding a Black Woodpecker in a damp Dutch park with him once, he gazed at it intently, sighed, put down his bins, turned to me and just smiled. A massive grin. No words, just a beautiful childlike bliss. That says all you need to know about Bill Oddie.

‘Sadly we’ve not only lost a goodie, we’ve lost one of the besties.’

Fellow Springwatch co-host Kate Humble 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 just making the natural world everybody’s world, and I think that’s what we all loved about him.’

She went on to say that Oddie ‘wasn’t just the nerdy birder, or the funny, slightly irascible comedian, or the brilliant musician’.

‘He was all of those things. And he was always interested in everything.

‘Sometimes he’d be fantastically grumpy and would be the last person I’d want to see first thing in the morning, and other times he would just be the best company in the world, and he talked very openly about his struggles with mental health.’

Jo Rowland, chief executive of the RSPCA, also said that ‘nature has lost one of its best friends, fiercest champions, and most iconic defenders’.

‘Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the countless people he inspired to spend time birdwatching, to cherish nature, and to build a kinder world for animals.’

Elsewhere, producer Stephen Moss, who worked with Oddie for more than 10 years, told the Press Association that ‘he was the only true genius [he] ever worked with’.

‘He had a way of engaging with the public that was extraordinary. He was quite a shy man. And when we were filming, people would sometimes sidle up to me and say, “You know what? Do you mind telling Bill that we really love his programmes?”

‘But people didn’t just love him; he changed their lives… that is one of his many legacies.’

While remembered fondly as a respected ornithologist, Oddie first found fame in comedy, beginning his career in Cambridge Footlights, where he started writing for shows, including That Was The Week That Was.

Oddie would appear in numerous comical shows, having been a key member of radio series I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again, which featured many of his musical compositions.

But it was in the 70s when he achieved new heights of fame as 1/3 of comedy trio The Goodies alongside Graeme Garden, 83, and Tim Brooke-Taylor (who died in 2020). The three met as undergraduates at Cambridge University.

They had their own majorly successful BBC Two TV show, which aired from November 1970 to February 1980. In many ways, it was a landmark for television, having been one of the first shows in the UK to use chroma keying (a visual effects technique in post-production) and stop-motion in a live-action format.

Having become household names, the award-winning performers toured in Australia and New Zealand. They also scored several chart hits with Oddie’s songs, most notably The Funky Gibbon, and continued their group work by voicing characters on the animated children’s programme Bananaman.

The Lancashire-born star, who began birdwatching in his childhood when he lived in Birmingham, went on to make a name for himself as an established and trusted naturalist and conservationist.

He was a council member of the RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature. He was also president of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust and represented many other nature organisations.

A voice on wildlife matters, he appeared on numerous BBC programmes, hosting the likes of Springwatch, Autumnwatch, Birding With Bill Oddie, and Bill Oddie Goes Wild.

His shows were a phenomenon, as Britain Goes Wild, later renamed Springwatch, attracted four million viewers.

Oddie also released books, with some containing his own paintings and drawings, and wrote original music.

During his career, Oddie spoke openly about his mental health struggles, having experienced depression for most of his life.

He was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2001 and admitted to a psychiatric hospital in March 2009, having been dropped as an original presenter on Springwatch.

At the time, Foster said of his client and friend: ‘Bill gets these bouts every two or three years, where he gets down for about two weeks and recovers.

‘He sometimes goes into hospital or takes a break or has a change of scenery to recharge his batteries.’

Then, in January 2010, Oddie told the press that he’d had two separate hospital stints and was discharged in time for Christmas following ‘probably the worst 12 months of [his] life’.

He was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition where depressive periods alternate with manic activity, after which he met BBC execs to discuss returning to TV screens.

Then, in 2014, he admitted that he still felt a lingering sadness about how his days on Springwatch were cut short, saying he rarely watched the programme.

‘I very much miss it, but when I do see it, it brings back many happy memories, and I like to think I contributed to its success.

‘It’s still so well loved and helps encourage people to enjoy the natural world. That’s all to the good because I fear so many people wear earphones for their phones and music players that they increasingly miss out on everyday joys like birdsong.’

‘My plea to people would be to “go naked” occasionally – take off those earpieces so you hear nature and, of course, birdsong,’ he added.

‘You may not realise how precious it is until it’s gone.’