Bill Oddie
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE
(born 7 July 1941, Rochdale
, England) is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist
and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies
.
A birdwatcher
since childhood, Oddie has now established a reputation for himself as an ornithologist, conservationist and television presenter on wildlife
issues. Some of his books are illustrated with his own paintings and drawings.
Oddie's wildlife programmes for the BBC
include: Springwatch/Autumnwatch, How to Watch Wildlife
, Wild In Your Garden
, Birding with Bill Oddie
, Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie
and Bill Oddie Goes Wild
.
, Halesowen
) then King Edward's School, Birmingham
, Oddie studied English Literature
at Pembroke College
at the University of Cambridge, where he appeared in several Cambridge University Footlights Club
productions.
One of these, a revue
called A Clump of Plinths, was so successful at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe that it was renamed Cambridge Circus
and transferred to the West End in London, then New Zealand
and Broadway in September 1964. Meanwhile, still at Cambridge, Oddie wrote scripts for TV's That Was The Week That Was
.
His first television appearance was in Bernard Braden
's On The Braden Beat in 1964. Subsequently, he was a key member of the performers in the BBC
radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
(ISIRTA; 1965), where many of his musical compositions were featured. Some were released on the album Distinctly Oddie (Polydor, 1967). He was possibly one of the first performers to parody
a rock song, arranging the traditional Yorkshire
folk song "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at
" in the style of Joe Cocker
's hit rendition of the Beatles
' "With a Little Help from My Friends
" (released on John Peel
's Dandelion Records
in 1970 and featured in Peel's special box of most-treasured singles), and singing "Andy Pandy
" in the style of a brassy soul number such as Wilson Pickett
or Geno Washington
might perform. In many shows he would do short impressions of Hughie Green
.
In one song on I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
, Oddie performed "What a Wonderful World
" with a voice fully reminiscent of Louis Armstrong
. During the course of the song, the rest of the cast attributed the gravelly quality of his voice to a sore throat. In the background, during the rest of the song, it is possible to hear the cast dispense cough medicine, then call for a doctor, the arrival of the doctor and his decision that Oddie should go into hospital, the trip to hospital in an ambulance, and the operation extracting his tonsils. After this, the sound of his voice changed to a sound closer to that of Harry Secombe
. He thanked the cast for curing him. On television Oddie was co-writer and performer in the comedy series Twice a Fortnight
with Graeme Garden
, Terry Jones
, Michael Palin
and Jonathan Lynn
. Later, he was co-writer and performer in the comedy series Broaden Your Mind
with Tim Brooke-Taylor
and Graeme Garden
, for which Oddie became a cast member for the second series.
Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden then co-wrote and appeared in their television comedy series The Goodies
. The Goodies also released records, including "Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me"/"The In-Betweenies", "Funky Gibbon", and "Black Pudding Bertha", which were hit singles in 1974–75. They reformed, briefly, in 2005, for a successful 13-date tour of Australia.
Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden voiced characters on the 1983 animated children's programme Bananaman
.
In the Amnesty International show A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick)
, Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden sang their hit song "Funky Gibbon". They also appeared on Top of the Pops
with the song. Together with Garden (who is a qualified doctor), Oddie co-wrote many episodes of the television comedy series Doctor in the House
, including most of the first season and all of the second season. He has occasionally appeared on the BBC Radio 4 panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
, on which Garden and Brooke-Taylor are regular panellists. In 1982 Garden and Oddie wrote, but did not perform in, a 6-part science fiction sitcom called Astronauts for Central
and ITV
. The show was set in an international space station
in the near future.
in the West Midland Bird Club's 1962 Annual Report. He has since written a number of books about birds and birdwatching, as well as articles for many specialist publications including British Birds
, Birdwatching Magazine and Birdwatch.
One of Oddie's first forays in the world of television natural history was on 30 July 1985, as the subject of a Nature Watch Special: Bill Oddie - Bird Watcher, in which he was interviewed by Julian Pettifer
.
Oddie has since hosted a number of successful nature programmes for the BBC, many produced by Stephen Moss
, including:
On its first evening of broadcast in 2004, Britain Goes Wild set a record for its timeslot of 8 pm on BBC Two
of 3.4 million viewers, one million more than the Channel 4
programme showing at that time. Britain Goes Wild, renamed Springwatch the following year, became a wildlife broadcasting phenomenon, attracting up to 5 million viewers.
He became president of the West Midland Bird Club in 1999, having been Vice-President since 1991, and is a former member of the council of the RSPB. Oddie is also a vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports
and a vice-president of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
.
In 2003 Oddie set up a half-marathon
to raise money for various wildlife charities in his birth-town of Rochdale. Celebrities who have participated in the event include Ray Mears
, Catherine Jenkins and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
.
In 2011, Oddie featured as an investigator in Snares Uncovered: killers in the countryside. The film carried out an expose of snaring in Scotland and was commissioned by animal protection charity OneKind. During the investigation, Oddie discovered over 70 snare traps and several stink pits.
's Dandelion Records
label (Catalogue No: 4786), was On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at, performed in the style of Joe Cocker
's With a Little Help from my Friends
. The B-side, Harry Krishna, featured the Hare Krishna chant, substituting the names of contemporary famous people called Harry, including Harry Secombe
, Harry Worth
, Harry Lauder
, and Harry Corbett
, as well as pun
s such as "Harry [Hurry] along now", "Harrystotle [Aristotle]" and ending with "Harry-ly [I really] must go now". Both tracks appear on the compilation CD Life Too, Has Surface Noise: The Complete Dandelion Records Singles Collection 1969–1972 (2007).
He played the drums and saxophone
and appeared as Cousin Kevin in a production of The Who
's rock opera Tommy
at the Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London
on 9 December 1972. He has also contributed vocals to a Rick Wakeman
album, Criminal Record.
Oddie took part in the English National Opera
production of the Gilbert and Sullivan
comic opera
The Mikado
, in which he appeared in the role of the "Lord High Executioner", taking over the role from Eric Idle
. During the early 1990s, Oddie was a DJ for London-based jazz
radio station 102.2 Jazz FM
, but was dismissed after criticising the management on air after they told him he was playing too much jazz on his show.
In 2007 Oddie appeared on the BBC series Play It Again
. In the episode he attempts to realise his dream of becoming a rock guitarist. Initially teacher Bridget Mermikides tries to teach him using traditional methods but he rebels: instead he turns to old friends Albert Lee
, Dave Davies
(of The Kinks
) and Mark Knopfler
for advice and strikes out on his own. He succeeds in the target of playing lead guitar for his daughter Rosie's band at her 21st birthday party, and even manages to impress his erstwhile teacher.
In November 2010, he agreed, along with fellow members of The Goodies
, to re-release their 1970s hit The Funky Gibbon to raise funds for the International Primate Protection League
's Save the Gibbon appeal.
' comedy story The Plank in 1967. He also presented the live children's Saturday morning entertainment show Saturday Banana
(ITV
/Southern Television
) during the late 1970s. In the late 1980s he was a presenter of the BBC TV show Fax
(a show about 'facts').
In the 1990s he became better known as a presenter of birdwatching, and later wildlife-related, programmes such as Springwatch. Although he remains almost unknown to US audiences, in 1992 he was a guest star in the US comedy television series Married with Children for a 3-part episode set in England.
In 1997-98 he appeared on the Channel 4
archaeological programme Time Team
, as the team excavated a Roman villa site in Turkdean
, Gloucestershire.
He was the compère of a daytime BBC gameshow, History Hunt (in 2003); and has appeared in the Doctor Who
audio drama Doctor Who and the Pirates
. In 2004, he appeared in the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?, in which he looked into his ancestry – he was visibly moved by its revelations. In 2005, he took part in Rolf on Art
– the big event at Trafalgar Square.
In 2006 Oddie appeared in the BBC show Never Mind The Buzzcocks
, and also appeared on the topical quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats
. Bill also is the voice behind many B&Q
adverts throughout 2006/2007. On 25 May 2007, Oddie made a cameo appearance
on Ronni Ancona
's new comedy sketch show, Ronni Ancona & Co
.
He hosted the genealogy
-based series My Famous Family
, broadcast on UKTV History
in 2007. In 2008, Oddie was a guest on Jamie Oliver
's television special Jamie's Fowl Dinners, talking about free-range chickens. He also recorded a voice for Lionhead Studios' Fable II.
He also appeared on Would I Lie To You?
in 2011 where he revealed that he was saved from drowning by Freddy
from popular children's series Rainbow
while on holiday in the Seychelles
.
, London.
Oddie also has two daughters from his first marriage (1967 to Jean Hart): Bonnie, and the actress Kate Hardie
, plus three grandchildren, Lyle, Ella and Gracie.
for most of his life, being diagnosed with clinical depression in 2001. On 11 March 2009, it was reported that he had been admitted to Capio Nightingale psychiatric hospital to deal with his depression. His agent David Foster said: "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." In January 2010, Oddie spoke to the media, revealing that he had in fact had two separate stays in different hospitals, only being released "in time for Christmas". He said that he was dealing with depression and bipolar disorder
, describing the period as "probably the worst 12 months of my life". Oddie stated that he was planning to meet with BBC executives to discuss his return to television work.
His illness meant that he did not appear in the 2009 and 2010 series of Springwatch, although he made a guest appearance in the penultimate episode of the latter.
. He changed his mind a few hours later and agreed to appear on the show. On 16 October 2003, Oddie was made an OBE
for his service to Wildlife Conservation in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace
. He played down the event, choosing to wear a camouflage shirt and crumpled jacket to receive his medal. In June 2004, Oddie and Johnny Morris
were jointly profiled in the first of a three part BBC Two
series, The Way We Went Wild
, about television wildlife presenters. In May 2005, he received the British Naturalists' Association
's Peter Scott
Memorial Award, from BNA president David Bellamy
, "in recognition of his great contribution to our understanding of natural history and conservation." He is a recipient of the RSPB Medal.
On 30 June 2009, he was proposed for inclusion in the Birmingham Walk of Stars
, with the public invited to vote.
, Oddie is an unseen presence in Alan's life.
He has also been referenced, often humorously, by the hosts of Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson
even used a mask with Bill Oddie's face to escape speed cameras while racing the Nissan GT-R
against the Bullet train in Japan in the 4th episode of Top Gear's 11th series. James May also raced in Finland against a Bill Oddie lookalike, who won the race.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 7 July 1941, Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, England) is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
.
A birdwatcher
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
since childhood, Oddie has now established a reputation for himself as an ornithologist, conservationist and television presenter on wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
issues. Some of his books are illustrated with his own paintings and drawings.
Oddie's wildlife programmes for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
include: Springwatch/Autumnwatch, How to Watch Wildlife
Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife
Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife is a British BBC 2 TV programme about natural history presented by Bill Oddie and produced by Stephen Moss. A first series of eight episodes were broadcast in early 2005, and a second series of eight episodes in early 2006....
, Wild In Your Garden
Wild In Your Garden
Wild In Your Garden was a live BBC television show, broadcast in 2003.Presenters Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King presented live action from a number of hidden cameras in or near nest boxes, badger setts and the like. Short, pre-filmed documentary pieces were also included...
, Birding with Bill Oddie
Birding with Bill Oddie
Birding with Bill Oddie was a British TV programme, about natural history, presented by Bill Oddie. Three series were made.Birding with Bill Oddie was only loosely scripted and a lot of Bill's dialogue was spontaneous - he would start to talk and the cameraman would film him...
, Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie
Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie
Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie was a live BBC TV show, broadcast nightly, Monday – Thursday, from May 31, 2004 to June 17, 2004.Following on from the previous year's Wild In Your Garden, presenters Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King spent one hour each evening, describing wildlife and...
and Bill Oddie Goes Wild
Bill Oddie Goes Wild
Bill Oddie Goes Wild was a British TV programme, about natural history, presented by Bill Oddie. Three series were made.-Series 1:A six part series, on Fridays, from 5 January 2001, showing on BBC Two at 7.30pm...
.
Comedy
After attending Lapal Primary School, Halesowen Grammar School (now The Earls High SchoolEarls High School
The Earls High School is a secondary school on near the A458 in Halesowen, West Midlands.-Information:The School's history dates back to 1652 when a Free Grammar School was founded. There is, however, evidence that a school existed in 1632 as local men are recorded as being benefactors of a Free...
, Halesowen
Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
) then King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
, Oddie studied English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Pembroke College
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
at the University of Cambridge, where he appeared in several Cambridge University Footlights Club
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
productions.
One of these, a revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
called A Clump of Plinths, was so successful at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe that it was renamed Cambridge Circus
Cambridge Footlights Revue
The Cambridge Footlights Revue is an annual revue by the Footlights Club - a group of comic writer-performers at the University of Cambridge. Two of the more notable revues are detailed below.-"A Clump of Plinths" — "Cambridge Circus":...
and transferred to the West End in London, then New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Broadway in September 1964. Meanwhile, still at Cambridge, Oddie wrote scripts for TV's That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme that was shown on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost...
.
His first television appearance was in Bernard Braden
Bernard Braden
Bernard Chastey Braden was a Canadian-born English actor and comedian.Braden was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and educated at Magee Secondary School, Kerrisdale, Vancouver. He produced plays on CJOR Vancouver in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He married Barbara Kelly in 1942 and they moved...
's On The Braden Beat in 1964. Subsequently, he was a key member of the performers in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again was a BBC radio comedy programme which originated from the Cambridge University Footlights revue Cambridge Circus...
(ISIRTA; 1965), where many of his musical compositions were featured. Some were released on the album Distinctly Oddie (Polydor, 1967). He was possibly one of the first performers to parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
a rock song, arranging the traditional Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
folk song "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at
On Ilkla Moor Baht'at
On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at is a popular folk song from Yorkshire, England. It is sung in the Yorkshire dialect, and is considered the unofficial anthem of the county. According to tradition, the words were composed by members of a Halifax church choir during an outing to Ilkley Moor near Ilkley, West...
" in the style of Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
's hit rendition of the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "With a Little Help from My Friends
With a Little Help from My Friends
-Joe Cocker version:Joe Cocker's version was a radical re-arrangement of the original, in a slower, 6/8 meter, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction...
" (released on John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's Dandelion Records
Dandelion Records
Dandelion Records was a British record label started in 1969 by the British DJ John Peel as a way to get the music he liked onto record. Peel was responsible for "artistic direction" and the commercial side was handled by Clive Selwood of Elektra Records and his wife Shurely...
in 1970 and featured in Peel's special box of most-treasured singles), and singing "Andy Pandy
Andy Pandy
Andy Pandy is a British children's television series that premiered on BBC TV in June or July 1950. The original series of programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series was made. A third series was made in 2002...
" in the style of a brassy soul number such as Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
or Geno Washington
Geno Washington
Geno Washington is an American R&B singer who released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976.-Early to late 1960s:...
might perform. In many shows he would do short impressions of Hughie Green
Hughie Green
Hughie Green was the host of numerous British television shows.-Early life:Hugh H. Green was born in London; his Scottish father was a former British Army Major who made his fortune supplying tinned fish to the Allied forces in World War I, while his mother Violet was the Surrey-born daughter of...
.
In one song on I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again was a BBC radio comedy programme which originated from the Cambridge University Footlights revue Cambridge Circus...
, Oddie performed "What a Wonderful World
What a Wonderful World
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in 1968. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world . Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999...
" with a voice fully reminiscent of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. During the course of the song, the rest of the cast attributed the gravelly quality of his voice to a sore throat. In the background, during the rest of the song, it is possible to hear the cast dispense cough medicine, then call for a doctor, the arrival of the doctor and his decision that Oddie should go into hospital, the trip to hospital in an ambulance, and the operation extracting his tonsils. After this, the sound of his voice changed to a sound closer to that of Harry Secombe
Harry Secombe
Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
. He thanked the cast for curing him. On television Oddie was co-writer and performer in the comedy series Twice a Fortnight
Twice a Fortnight
Twice a Fortnight, which was made in 1967, was a British sketch comedy television series with Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Jonathan Lynn and Tony Buffery....
with Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
, Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
, Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
and Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn is an English actor, comedy writer and director. He is best known for being the co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Personal life:...
. Later, he was co-writer and performer in the comedy series Broaden Your Mind
Broaden Your Mind
Broaden Your Mind is a British television comedy series starring Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, joined by Bill Oddie for the second series...
with Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
and Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
, for which Oddie became a cast member for the second series.
Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden then co-wrote and appeared in their television comedy series The Goodies
The Goodies (TV series)
The Goodies is a British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by BBC 2 from 1970 until 1980 — and was then broadcast by the ITV company LWT for a year, between 1981 to 1982.The show was...
. The Goodies also released records, including "Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me"/"The In-Betweenies", "Funky Gibbon", and "Black Pudding Bertha", which were hit singles in 1974–75. They reformed, briefly, in 2005, for a successful 13-date tour of Australia.
Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden voiced characters on the 1983 animated children's programme Bananaman
Bananaman
Bananaman is a British comic book fictional character. He originally appeared in Nutty as the backpage strip in Issue 1, dated 16 February 1980 drawn by John Geering.-Original strip:...
.
In the Amnesty International show A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick)
A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick)
A Poke In The Eye is the title of the first show in what became the iconic Secret Policeman's Ball series of benefit shows for human rights organization Amnesty International...
, Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden sang their hit song "Funky Gibbon". They also appeared on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
with the song. Together with Garden (who is a qualified doctor), Oddie co-wrote many episodes of the television comedy series Doctor in the House
Doctor in the House (TV series)
Doctor in the House is the syndicated title given, by the United States, to a British television comedy series , based on a set of books and a movie of the same name by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of medical students — and their later misadventures as doctors.The first...
, including most of the first season and all of the second season. He has occasionally appeared on the BBC Radio 4 panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or Clue, is a BBC radio comedy panel game broadcast since 11 April 1972 at the rate of one or two series each year , transmitted on BBC Radio 4, with occasional repeats on BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC's World Service...
, on which Garden and Brooke-Taylor are regular panellists. In 1982 Garden and Oddie wrote, but did not perform in, a 6-part science fiction sitcom called Astronauts for Central
Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. The show was set in an international space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
in the near future.
Natural history
Oddie's first published work was an article about the birdlife of Birmingham's Bartley ReservoirBartley Reservoir
Bartley Reservoir is a reservoir for drinking water in Birmingham, England. It covers 460,000 square metres.It is known as the place where Bill Oddie did much of his early birdwatching, and features in his books and television programmes...
in the West Midland Bird Club's 1962 Annual Report. He has since written a number of books about birds and birdwatching, as well as articles for many specialist publications including British Birds
British Birds (magazine)
British Birds is a monthly ornithology magazine that was established in 1907. It is now published by BB 2000 Ltd, which is wholly owned by The British Birds Charitable Trust , established for the benefit of British ornithology...
, Birdwatching Magazine and Birdwatch.
One of Oddie's first forays in the world of television natural history was on 30 July 1985, as the subject of a Nature Watch Special: Bill Oddie - Bird Watcher, in which he was interviewed by Julian Pettifer
Julian Pettifer
Julian Pettifer OBE is a British television journalist. He was President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is Vice President of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts...
.
Oddie has since hosted a number of successful nature programmes for the BBC, many produced by Stephen Moss
Stephen Moss
Stephen Moss is a British natural historian, birder, author and television producer. He is married, with five children , and lives in Somerset, having moved there from West London....
, including:
- The Great Bird Race (1983; Channel 4)
- The Great Kenyan Bird Safari (BBC)
- Favourite Walks: "A Bird Walk" (1985; BBC)
- Worldwise: "The Bird Business" (1985; Channel 4)
- Oddie in Paradise (1985; BBC)
- Wild Weekends (TV AM)
- Flight to Eilat (Channel 4)
- Bird in the Nest (two series, 1994 and 1995)
- Birding with Bill OddieBirding with Bill OddieBirding with Bill Oddie was a British TV programme, about natural history, presented by Bill Oddie. Three series were made.Birding with Bill Oddie was only loosely scripted and a lot of Bill's dialogue was spontaneous - he would start to talk and the cameraman would film him...
(three series, 1997, 1998 and 2000) - Bill Oddie Goes WildBill Oddie Goes WildBill Oddie Goes Wild was a British TV programme, about natural history, presented by Bill Oddie. Three series were made.-Series 1:A six part series, on Fridays, from 5 January 2001, showing on BBC Two at 7.30pm...
(three series, 2001, 2002 and 2003) - Wild In Your GardenWild In Your GardenWild In Your Garden was a live BBC television show, broadcast in 2003.Presenters Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King presented live action from a number of hidden cameras in or near nest boxes, badger setts and the like. Short, pre-filmed documentary pieces were also included...
(2003) - Britain Goes WildBritain Goes Wild with Bill OddieBritain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie was a live BBC TV show, broadcast nightly, Monday – Thursday, from May 31, 2004 to June 17, 2004.Following on from the previous year's Wild In Your Garden, presenters Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King spent one hour each evening, describing wildlife and...
(2004) - "Bill Oddie In Tiger Country" (2004)
- Bill Oddie's How to Watch WildlifeBill Oddie's How to Watch WildlifeBill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife is a British BBC 2 TV programme about natural history presented by Bill Oddie and produced by Stephen Moss. A first series of eight episodes were broadcast in early 2005, and a second series of eight episodes in early 2006....
(two series, 2005 and 2006; also on DVD) - Seven Natural WondersSeven Natural WondersSeven Natural Wonders was a television series that was broadcast on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. The programme took an area of England each week and, from votes by the people living in that area, showed the 'seven natural wonders' of that area in a programme.The programmes were:The series...
(London edition) (2005) - The Truth About Killer DinosaursThe Truth About Killer DinosaursThe Truth About Killer Dinosaurs is a two-part BBC documentary, presented by Bill Oddie, in which a group of scientists test out the strength of dinosaur weaponry using biomechanics. The first episode determines the winner of a battle between Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, and second compares the...
(2005; also on DVD) - Springwatch (2005–2008)
- Autumnwatch (2006–2008)
- Bill Oddie Back in the USABill Oddie Back in the USABill Oddie Back in the USA is a British TV programme, about natural history, written and presented by Bill Oddie and screened in early 2007.The formal description used by the BBC said:...
(2007) - "Bill Oddie's Top Ten Birds" (2007; BBC Four)
- "100 Years of Wildlife" (2007)
- Bill Oddie's Wild Side (2008)
- "Bill Oddie's Top 10" (2008)
On its first evening of broadcast in 2004, Britain Goes Wild set a record for its timeslot of 8 pm on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
of 3.4 million viewers, one million more than the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
programme showing at that time. Britain Goes Wild, renamed Springwatch the following year, became a wildlife broadcasting phenomenon, attracting up to 5 million viewers.
He became president of the West Midland Bird Club in 1999, having been Vice-President since 1991, and is a former member of the council of the RSPB. Oddie is also a vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports
League Against Cruel Sports
The League Against Cruel Sports are an animal welfare organisation that campaigns against all blood sports including bull fighting, fox hunting and hare coursing. It also campaigns to ban the manufacture, sale and use of snares, for the regulation of greyhound racing and for an end to commercial...
and a vice-president of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
BTCV
BTCV is a British charitable organisation that works to facilitate environmental conservation through practical tasks undertaken by volunteers...
.
In 2003 Oddie set up a half-marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
to raise money for various wildlife charities in his birth-town of Rochdale. Celebrities who have participated in the event include Ray Mears
Ray Mears
Raymond Paul "Ray" Mears is an English woodsman, instructor, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques, and he is best known for the TV series Ray Mears' Bushcraft, Ray Mears' World of Survival, Extreme Survival, Survival with Ray Mears, Wild Britain with...
, Catherine Jenkins and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics philosophy...
.
In 2011, Oddie featured as an investigator in Snares Uncovered: killers in the countryside. The film carried out an expose of snaring in Scotland and was commissioned by animal protection charity OneKind. During the investigation, Oddie discovered over 70 snare traps and several stink pits.
Music
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Oddie released a number of singles and at least one album. One of the former, issued in 1970 on John PeelJohn Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's Dandelion Records
Dandelion Records
Dandelion Records was a British record label started in 1969 by the British DJ John Peel as a way to get the music he liked onto record. Peel was responsible for "artistic direction" and the commercial side was handled by Clive Selwood of Elektra Records and his wife Shurely...
label (Catalogue No: 4786), was On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at, performed in the style of Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
's With a Little Help from my Friends
With a Little Help from My Friends
-Joe Cocker version:Joe Cocker's version was a radical re-arrangement of the original, in a slower, 6/8 meter, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction...
. The B-side, Harry Krishna, featured the Hare Krishna chant, substituting the names of contemporary famous people called Harry, including Harry Secombe
Harry Secombe
Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
, Harry Worth
Harry Worth
Harry Worth was an English comedy actor and comedian...
, Harry Lauder
Harry Lauder
Sir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was an international Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:...
, and Harry Corbett
Harry Corbett
Harry Corbett OBE was a British puppeteer, known as the creator in 1948 of the long running 'Sooty' glove puppet character.He was born in Bradford to coal miner James W...
, as well as pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s such as "Harry [Hurry] along now", "Harrystotle [Aristotle]" and ending with "Harry-ly [I really] must go now". Both tracks appear on the compilation CD Life Too, Has Surface Noise: The Complete Dandelion Records Singles Collection 1969–1972 (2007).
He played the drums and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and appeared as Cousin Kevin in a production of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's rock opera Tommy
Tommy (rock opera)
Tommy is the fourth album by English rock band The Who, released by Track Records and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Decca Records/MCA in the United States. A double album telling a loose story about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, Tommy was...
at the Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London
Finsbury Park, London
Finsbury Park is an area in north London, England which grew up around an important railway interchange at the junction of the London Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney...
on 9 December 1972. He has also contributed vocals to a Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
album, Criminal Record.
Oddie took part in the English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
production of the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, in which he appeared in the role of the "Lord High Executioner", taking over the role from Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
. During the early 1990s, Oddie was a DJ for London-based jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
radio station 102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM was a local jazz and soul music station for London run by GMG Radio. The station was based and broadcast from Castlereagh Street in London to around 15.5 million people within the broadcasting area...
, but was dismissed after criticising the management on air after they told him he was playing too much jazz on his show.
In 2007 Oddie appeared on the BBC series Play It Again
Play It Again
Play It Again is a documentary series on BBC One, featuring celebrities trying to learn to play musical instruments. The series is produced Diverse Production and started on 25 March 2007 and is narrated by Tamsin Greig.-1: Jo Brand, playing the organ.:...
. In the episode he attempts to realise his dream of becoming a rock guitarist. Initially teacher Bridget Mermikides tries to teach him using traditional methods but he rebels: instead he turns to old friends Albert Lee
Albert Lee
Albert William Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked both in the studio and on tour with some of the most famous musicians which stretch through a very wide of genres...
, Dave Davies
Dave Davies
David Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
(of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
) and Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
for advice and strikes out on his own. He succeeds in the target of playing lead guitar for his daughter Rosie's band at her 21st birthday party, and even manages to impress his erstwhile teacher.
In November 2010, he agreed, along with fellow members of The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
, to re-release their 1970s hit The Funky Gibbon to raise funds for the International Primate Protection League
International Primate Protection League
The International Primate Protection League , founded in 1973 in Thailand by Dr. Shirley McGreal, is represented in 31 countries and has offices in the UK and the US, and works toward the well being of non-human primates...
's Save the Gibbon appeal.
Other television and audio appearances
Oddie appeared as the hapless window cleaner in the Eric SykesEric Sykes
Eric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
' comedy story The Plank in 1967. He also presented the live children's Saturday morning entertainment show Saturday Banana
Saturday Banana
The Saturday Banana was a Saturday morning children's television show produced by Southern Television for ITV and presented by Goodies star Bill Oddie. Oddie also wrote and sang the theme tune...
(ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
/Southern Television
Southern Television
Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...
) during the late 1970s. In the late 1980s he was a presenter of the BBC TV show Fax
Fax (TV show)
Fax was a Notes and Queries show by the BBC, shown in the late 1980s. It was presented by Bill Oddie, Wendy Leavesley, Debbie Rix and Billy Butler....
(a show about 'facts').
In the 1990s he became better known as a presenter of birdwatching, and later wildlife-related, programmes such as Springwatch. Although he remains almost unknown to US audiences, in 1992 he was a guest star in the US comedy television series Married with Children for a 3-part episode set in England.
In 1997-98 he appeared on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
archaeological programme Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
, as the team excavated a Roman villa site in Turkdean
Turkdean
Turkdean is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 30 km to the east of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
, Gloucestershire.
He was the compère of a daytime BBC gameshow, History Hunt (in 2003); and has appeared in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio drama Doctor Who and the Pirates
Doctor Who and the Pirates
Doctor Who and the Pirates is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. In 2004, he appeared in the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?, in which he looked into his ancestry – he was visibly moved by its revelations. In 2005, he took part in Rolf on Art
Rolf on Art
Rolf on Art is a British Art television series made by the BBC. It was hosted by Rolf Harris, the Australian television presenter. The series began in 2001, and the most recent episode was made in 2007...
– the big event at Trafalgar Square.
In 2006 Oddie appeared in the BBC show Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
, and also appeared on the topical quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats
8 Out of 10 Cats
8 out of 10 Cats is a television comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 3 June 2005. The show is based on statistics and opinion polls, and draws on polls produced by a variety of organizations and new polls commissioned for the programme, carried out by...
. Bill also is the voice behind many B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
adverts throughout 2006/2007. On 25 May 2007, Oddie made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
on Ronni Ancona
Ronni Ancona
Ronni Ancona is a Scottish actress, impressionist and author. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression.- Career :...
's new comedy sketch show, Ronni Ancona & Co
Ronni Ancona & Co
Ronni Ancona & Co is a comedy sketch show that aired on BBC One and began on 25 May 2007. The sketches all consisted of impressions of well-known celebrities amongst other comedy sketches of fictional characters created by Ronni Ancona. Phil Cornwell, Jan Ravens and John Sessions all starred in the...
.
He hosted the genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
-based series My Famous Family
My Famous Family
My Famous Family is a British television programme on genealogy, co-hosted by Bill Oddie and Guy de la Bédoyère. Each episode shows an ordinary member of the public with a famous ancestor: Queen Victoria, Florence Nightingale, George Stephenson, Lawrence of Arabia, or the Duke of Wellington.It was...
, broadcast on UKTV History
UKTV History
Yesterday is a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 30 October 2002 and relaunched in its current format on 2 March 2009. The channel is available on satellite through Sky, cable services primarily through...
in 2007. In 2008, Oddie was a guest on Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
's television special Jamie's Fowl Dinners, talking about free-range chickens. He also recorded a voice for Lionhead Studios' Fable II.
He also appeared on Would I Lie To You?
Would I Lie To You? (TV series)
Would I Lie to You? is a comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for BBC One. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007.-Format:The show was presented by Angus Deayton in 2007 and 2008, and by Rob Brydon from 2009 onwards...
in 2011 where he revealed that he was saved from drowning by Freddy
Freddy Marks
Freddy Marks was born on 10 September 1949 in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. He is best known for being part of the musical trio Rod, Jane and Freddy which appeared in children's programming on the British TV channel ITV in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. Freddy Marks has always been interested...
from popular children's series Rainbow
Rainbow (TV series)
Rainbow is a British children's television series, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on the ITV network, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992...
while on holiday in the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
.
Family
Oddie is married to Laura Beaumont (Beaumont-Gilles), with whom he has worked on a variety of projects for children, including film scripts, drama and comedy series, puppet shows and books. They have a daughter, Rosie, and live in HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London.
Oddie also has two daughters from his first marriage (1967 to Jean Hart): Bonnie, and the actress Kate Hardie
Kate Hardie
Kate Hardie is a British actress, who has appeared in a number of film and television roles.-Biography:Hardie's stage name is derived from those of both her parents: Jean Hart and comedian turned naturalist Bill Oddie.-Career:...
, plus three grandchildren, Lyle, Ella and Gracie.
Depression
Oddie has suffered from depressionMood disorder
Mood disorder is the term designating a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature...
for most of his life, being diagnosed with clinical depression in 2001. On 11 March 2009, it was reported that he had been admitted to Capio Nightingale psychiatric hospital to deal with his depression. His agent David Foster said: "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." In January 2010, Oddie spoke to the media, revealing that he had in fact had two separate stays in different hospitals, only being released "in time for Christmas". He said that he was dealing with depression and bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, describing the period as "probably the worst 12 months of my life". Oddie stated that he was planning to meet with BBC executives to discuss his return to television work.
His illness meant that he did not appear in the 2009 and 2010 series of Springwatch, although he made a guest appearance in the penultimate episode of the latter.
Honours
In 2001, Oddie became the third person to decline to appear on This Is Your LifeThis Is Your Life (UK TV series)
This Is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64...
. He changed his mind a few hours later and agreed to appear on the show. On 16 October 2003, Oddie was made an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for his service to Wildlife Conservation in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. He played down the event, choosing to wear a camouflage shirt and crumpled jacket to receive his medal. In June 2004, Oddie and Johnny Morris
Johnny Morris
Ernest John "Johnny" Morris OBE ) was a Welsh television presenter. He is best known for narrating the imported, Canadian-produced Tales of the Riverbank series of stories about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, GP the Guinea Pig, and their assorted animal friends along a riverbank and...
were jointly profiled in the first of a three part BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
series, The Way We Went Wild
The Way We Went Wild
The Way We Went Wild is a three-part BBC TV series, first shown on BBC Two, about British wildlife presenters. It was narratted by Josette Simon.-Episode 2:Episode 2, screened on 20 June 2004, featured Sir Peter Scott and Sir David Attenborough.-Episode 3:...
, about television wildlife presenters. In May 2005, he received the British Naturalists' Association
British Naturalists' Association
The British Naturalists' Association is one of the United Kingdom's oldest natural history organisations, originally founded in 1905 as The British Empire Naturalists' Association-Aims:...
's Peter Scott
Peter Scott
Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC and Bar, MID, FRS, FZS, was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer and sportsman....
Memorial Award, from BNA president David Bellamy
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
, "in recognition of his great contribution to our understanding of natural history and conservation." He is a recipient of the RSPB Medal.
On 30 June 2009, he was proposed for inclusion in the Birmingham Walk of Stars
Birmingham Walk of Stars
The Broad Street Walk of Stars is an installation on the pedestrian pavement on Broad Street, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is of a similar style to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California...
, with the public invited to vote.
Contributions
- Confessions of a Scilly Birdman, David Hunt; Croom Helm, 1985. ISBN 0-7099-3724-5 (foreword and postscript)
- Bird in the Yorkshire Museum, Michael Denton; North Yorkshire County Council, 1995. ISBN 0-905807-10-3 (foreword)
- Bird Brain of Britain, Charles Gallimore & Tim Appleton; Christopher Helm, 2004. ISBN 0-7136-7036-3 (foreword)
- Blokes and Birds, Stephen Moss; New Holland PublishersNew Holland PublishersNew Holland Publishers is an international book and map publisher with a head office in South Africa and offices in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.-External links:****...
. ISBN 1-84330-484-8 (foreword) - The New Birds of the West Midlands, Graham and Janet Harrison (West Midland Bird Club, 2005) ISBN 0-9507881-2-0 (foreword)
In popular culture
In the fictional world of comedy character Alan PartridgeAlan Partridge
Alan Gordon Partridge is a fictional radio and television presenter portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan and invented by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring for the BBC Radio 4 programme On The Hour...
, Oddie is an unseen presence in Alan's life.
He has also been referenced, often humorously, by the hosts of Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
even used a mask with Bill Oddie's face to escape speed cameras while racing the Nissan GT-R
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
against the Bullet train in Japan in the 4th episode of Top Gear's 11th series. James May also raced in Finland against a Bill Oddie lookalike, who won the race.