WHETHER it was dancing the Funky Gibbon or using flat caps as weapons on The Goodies, Bill Oddie’s madcap humour had the nation in stitches – including the King.
This morning it was announced that the bird lover, equally well known for his nature programs, had died at the age of 85.
For a dozen years from 1970, The Goodies surreal sketch show was essential viewing for all ages.
And they enjoyed a string of hits, even reaching number four in the charts with The Funky Gibbon in 1975, which was written by Bill.
The reach was global with Austin Powers star Mike Myers, Martin Freeman, Reeves and Mortimer and Simon Pegg all huge fans.
Fellow naturalist Chris Packham paid tribute calling Bill “incredibly, bright, witty and kind” and “totally unique.”
But Bill endured several close calls during his life, including suicide attempts, lithium poisoning and accidentally drinking turps.
It was as a Goodie, alongside pals Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, performing a more mainstream type of Monty Python humour that he will be most warmly remembered.
Bill said: “People may not agree with this analogy but I saw the Pythons as the Stones, slightly dangerous and slightly naughty.
“We were more like The Beatles because we were family-friendly and appealed to the widest possible audience.”
Born William James Oddie on June 11, 1941, in Rochdale, Lancashire, his father Harry was a quiet, stoic man who worked for the gas board. His mother, Lilian, however, was a ghost in his life.
Shortly after his birth she developed severe postpartum psychosis which spiralled into schizophrenia and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Oddie said: “She became mentally ill after my birth; it could have been undiagnosed postnatal depression. For most of her life she was in an asylum, and I didn’t see much of her.
“My dad, Harry, was great and put everything into my upbringing
“I grew up in a house where there was a hole where a mother should be. My father was a good man, but he was a man of his time—he thought that by not talking about it, he was protecting me.
“Instead, he left me wondering if I had done something to make her vanish.”
As an only child, bird watching and a love of nature became his passion, one he would later make a career.
He said: “Growing up in the Forties and Fifties I wasn’t bombarded with seductive advertising like we are now.
“By nine I was already interested in birds so asked for a good pair of binoculars for Christmas, having done thorough research.
“Thankfully I got them.”
At King Edward’s School, Birmingham, he excelled in class and at sport, captaining the school’s rugby team.
Bill said: “Dad was of the generation where it was expected you’d leave school at 14 and get a job to earn your keep, ending up as an accountant.
“Luckily, I never let him down. After achieving good grades at school, I was accepted at Cambridge on a second-division scholarship, with a room in Pembroke College for my entire stay.
“His work ethic was almost puritanical and he was never frivolous. He never denied me anything, but then again I never asked for much either.”
It was at university that his manic energy was channelled at the famed Footlights, the legendary breeding ground for British comedy, where he met future collaborators Brooke-Taylor and Garden.
The three banded together while other members of Footlights formed Monty Python.
The real Bill Oddie was allowed to flourish.
He said: “I had spent eighteen years being a ‘good boy’ at home. Cambridge was my chance to be a ‘bad boy.’
“I discovered that I could be loud and aggressive and people would actually clap.”
He started writing scripts for That Was the Week That Was and started appearing on television and long running radio quiz I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again.
Seeing his talent, the BBC gave Bill, Tim and Graeme their own TV show The Goodies in 1970.
It was an instant success.
A young Prince Charles wrote a letter of praise to Bill: “I remember guffawing like a drain at your antics back in the Seventies, especially the Ecky Thump episodes, to the point where my sister, HRH The Princess Anne, was quite short with me.”
At his musical peak Bill, who wrote and recorded all of the Goodies’ music, mixed with rock royalty, dining with Paul Simon and Mick Jagger.
Not all were fans. Puritanical television campaigner Mary Whitehouse complained when Brooke-Taylor wore a pair of underpants with an image of a carrot emblazoned on the front.
Bill said: “It was the carrot that did for Mary. She sent a telegram to the Director-General, but we didn’t rise to it.
“We never made much money from The Goodies.
“The only big pay day was when ITV made us an offer and we went there and earned as much in one year as we did in three at the BBC.”
He married Jean Hart in 1967 and they had two daughters, Bonnie and Kate. They split in 1976 and seven years later he married Sale of the Century hostess Laura Beaumont, a writer and performer and had a daughter, Rosie.
They split in 1976 and seven years later he married Sale of the Century hostess Laura Beaumont, a writer and performer and had a daughter, Rosie.
The Goodies ended in 1982 after a 12-year run and Bill went on to write for other shows and a series of books on birds and wildlife.
In 2003 he was awarded an OBE for his services to conservation.
The following year he hosted Britain Goes Wild which notched up a record 3.4 million audience and later became Spring and Autumnwatch.
But in 2009 the BBC announced he wouldn’t be rejoining the show as he was taking a breather.
Rumours swirled that the real reason was a complaint about his behaviour.
He has been honest about his battle with depression and now says the signs were there from his early manic performances with the Footlights.
When the BBC axed him, Bill sank into a deep depression and attempted to take his life twice before he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
He said: “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect me really badly.
“The hard thing was that I had been involved with the show from the start.
“Why did they get rid of me? I had a feeling I was regarded as being a bit too bossy and aggressive.
“Now I know I’m bipolar, it was probably a manic phase I was going through.”
He was prescribed a cocktail of antidepressants and therapies but it wasn’t until he was prescribed the controversial drug lithium that he began to feel like himself again.
He said: “I was twice admitted to hospital in 2009 and stayed for a couple of months. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“I’ve taken medication in the past but you never know what is working and what isn’t.
“I was on the classic standard antidepressants for a bit and then, because I was on a real downer, a doctor put me on lithium. In less than a fortnight I was completely fine.
“Fortunately after various forms of therapy and a number of pills which I still take, then, touch wood, it’s been not bad at all.
“I wouldn’t dream of dropping my lithium. It’s the only thing I know does work. I’m going through a decent stretch at the moment, so let’s hope that continues.”
Sadly, it didn’t. In September 2020 he revealed that he had been laid low because of the drug.
He posted: “Just so you know, I have been very ill most of this summer . Lithium toxicity. Almost fatal.
“I am still here but very confused about most things. But then aren’t many of us. IT fuddles my brain.Confusion.
“Will I return ? I Really dunno. I do hope so. Please wish me luck. XX”
Oddie appeared in BBC reality series The Real Marigold Hotel in 2017 where he travelled to India and nearly died after accidentally swallowing a bottle of turpentine. The keen conservationist turned down I’m A Celebrity because it would involve eating live bugs and Strictly left him cold.
More than five decades after The Goodies first appeared he was still stopped in the street by fans.
His legacy is one of laughter and love for the natural world.
In a statement, his agent David Foster, said: “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.
“Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment.
“My thoughts and love are with Bill’s wife, Laura, and his daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie.”
Having battled with depression, Bill found a renewed desire for life in his later years.
He said: “I’m at the age now where a friend or relative croaks it every week and you look at the paper and think, ‘Oh God he is two years younger than me’.
“I don’t want to go. It’s as simple as that – because I do enjoy life.”
