#bill oddie

[zippocreed501]

Bill Oddie

Bill Oddie: Comedian who found nature a welcome refuge from mental illness

Comedian and former Goodie who became a noted ornithologist and TV presenter.

[soulful-baby-again]

Goodbye Bill, you were always my favourite 💕

[scavengedluxury]

RIP Bill Oddie.

[elvisomar]

Bill Oddie (1941-2026)

I just learned that comedian and nature presenter Bill Oddie passed away today. He was one of three writer/performers on a British comedy sort-of-sketch programme in the 1970s called The Goodies. I don't remember when I first saw it, but at some point the series was included on my local PBS channel, along with many other British shows. It was very silly, and when I was middle school age, I perceived it as a grown-up show for kids, or maybe a kids show for grown-ups. It was written and performed by Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, and Tim Brooke-Taylor, and they were peers to, and colleagues of many of the guys from Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Thanks for the laughs, Bill. Please say hello to Tim for us.

[xenagabrielleforever]

Bill Oddie RIP

[kayartbants]

sketchbook stuff

extreme sleep deprivation is no joke

[dinoboyo66]

Rest in Piece Bill Oddie

It brings me even more sadness to share that actor, conservationist, television presenter and writer Bill Oddie has passed away. I remember growing up watching him host Springwatch (and all the seasonal shows), with his genuine passion for the animals he was talking about being an absolute joy to watch. His work on The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs, from the show itself to The Baryonyx Mystery game, also made just as massive an impression on me as a kid as the Walking with series did. Thank you for all the memories, Bill. You will be deeply missed. Rest in Peace.

[luthienebonyx]

Bill Oddie RIP

So, Bill Oddie is dead and I am sad.

Bill was known for many things, including his work as a TV presenter and a birdwatcher in the UK, but if you grew up in Australia in the '70s and '80s, he was famously one-third of The Goodies.

The Goodies was created as a slapstick/surrealist comedy show for adults, featuring three pretty hopeless blokes, representing three different strata of society, whose slogan was "we do anything, anywhere, anytime." (Yeah, you could just get away with that in the '70s.) It was shown late in the evening in the UK, but in Australia The Goodies aired at 6.00 in the evening on weeknights, followed by Doctor Who. That line-up was repeated countless times, so while (grown up) people in the UK rarely got the chance to see Goodies episodes again after their first airing, kids in Australia saw them over and over and over again.

There's an entire generation that can recite favourite lines from the Goodies episodes that Bill wrote with Graeme Garden, and can sing the variations of the theme tune that Bill composed and performed.

Like most TV comedy of the 1970s, some of the skits from the Goodies have not aged particularly well, but there's still a lot in there that remains hilarious and timeless. The Goodies getting about on their trandem bike, Twinkle the giant kitten, flattening London, Ecky Thump, Frankenfido, 2001 and a Bit, string, string, string, string, everybody loves string... (Thanks for that earworm, Bill.) A friend I used to share a house with would sometimes just start making dodo noises until I joined in, and eventually we'd end up in fits of laughter, remembering that episode.

About twenty years ago, I saw the Goodies live at the fabulously Art Deco State Theatre in Sydney. I went with a bunch of friends who had all grown up watching The Goodies, and it's a memory we all treasure.

So now Bill is gone, and we are all sad.

Take care, Bill, and say hi to Tim when you reach the other side.