Bill Oddie | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Oddie in 2007 | |
| Born | (1941-07-07)7 July 1941 (age 83) Rochdale,Lancashire, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Political party | Green |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3, includingKate Hardie |
| Website | billoddie |
William Edgar OddieOBE (born 7 July 1941)[2] is an English actor, artist, birder, comedian, conservationist, musician, songwriter, television presenter and writer. He was a member of comedy trioThe Goodies.
Abirder since his childhood inQuinton, Birmingham,[3] Oddie has established a reputation as a naturalist, conservationist, and television presenter on wildlife issues. Some of his books are illustrated with his own paintings and drawings.[4] His wildlife programmes for theBBC includeSpringwatch andAutumnwatch,How to Watch Wildlife,Wild in Your Garden,Birding with Bill Oddie,Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie andBill Oddie Goes Wild.
Oddie was born on 7 July 1941 inRochdale,Lancashire, but moved toBirmingham at a young age. He was raised by his father, Harry Oddie, and grandmother, Emily. His father was assistant chief accountant at the Midlands Electricity Board.[5] His mother, Lilian, was diagnosed withschizophrenia and, during most of his youth, was hospitalised at theBarnsley Hall Hospital psychiatric facility.[6] He was educated at Lapal Primary School, Halesowen Grammar School (nowThe Earls High School,Halesowen) andKing Edward's School, Birmingham, an all-boysdirect grant school, where he captained the school'srugby union team.[7] He then studiedEnglish literature atPembroke College, Cambridge.
While at Cambridge University Oddie appeared in severalFootlights Club productions. One of these, arevue calledA Clump of Plinths, was so successful at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe that it was renamedCambridge Circus and transferred to the West End in London, then New Zealand andBroadway in September 1964. Meanwhile, still at Cambridge, Oddie wrote scripts for and appeared briefly in TV'sThat Was the Week That Was.[8]
He appeared inBernard Braden's television seriesOn The Braden Beat in 1964. Subsequently, he was a key member of the performers in theBBC radio seriesI'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, where many of his musical compositions were featured. Some were released on the albumDistinctly Oddie (Polydor, 1967). He was one of the first performers to parody a rock song, arranging the traditionalYorkshire folk song "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at" in the style ofJoe Cocker's hit rendition ofthe Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" (released onJohn Peel'sDandelion 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 asWilson Pickett orGeno Washington might perform. In many shows he would do short impressions ofHughie Green.
On television Oddie was co-writer and performer in the comedy seriesTwice a Fortnight withGraeme Garden,Terry Jones,Michael Palin andJonathan Lynn. Later he was co-writer and performer in the comedy seriesBroaden Your Mind withTim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, for which he became a cast member for the second series.
Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden then co-wrote and appeared in their television comedy seriesThe Goodies (1970–1982). The Goodies also released records, including "Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me"/"The In-Betweenies", "The Funky Gibbon" (co-written by Oddie withDave MacRae) 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 programmeBananaman.[9][10][11]
In the Amnesty International showA Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick), Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden sang their hit song "Funky Gibbon". They also appeared onTop of the Pops with the song. Together with Garden (who is a qualified medical doctor), Oddie co-wrote many episodes of the television comedy seriesDoctor 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 gameI'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, on which Garden is and Brooke-Taylor was a regular panellist. In 1982 Garden and Oddie wrote, but did not perform in, a six-part science-fiction sitcom calledAstronauts forCentral andITV. The show was set in an internationalspace station in the near future.[12]
Oddie's first published work was an article about the birdlife of Birmingham'sBartley Reservoir in theWest Midland Bird Club's 1962 Annual Report.[13] (He is first credited in the 1956 report, in which reports of his bird observations are tagged with his initials "WEO".[14][15]) He has since written a number of books about birds and birdwatching as well as articles for many specialist publications includingBritish Birds,Birdwatching Magazine andBirdwatch.
He discussed bird-song recordings with Derek Jones in an August 1973BBC Radio 4 programme calledSounds Natural.[16]
In the autumn of 1976, Oddie was involved in the successful identification of Britain's first-ever record ofPallas's reed bunting onFair Isle, Shetland.[17]
One of Oddie's first forays into the world of television natural history was as a guest onAnimal Magic in December 1977.[18] Another early natural-history radio appearance was in October, as the guest on Radio 4'sThrough My Window, discussing the birds ofHampstead Heath.[19]
On 30 July 1985, he was the subject of a 50-minuteNature Watch Special: Bill Oddie – Bird Watcher, in which he was interviewed byJulian Pettifer[20] at places where he had spent time birding, including Bartley Reservoir, theChristopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve atUpton Warren,RSPB Titchwell Marsh andBlakeney Point.[14]
Oddie has since hosted a number of successful nature programmes for the BBC, many produced byStephen Moss, including:[21]
The first broadcast, in 2004, ofBritain Goes Wild set a record for its timeslot of 8 pm onBBC Two of 3.4 million viewers, one million more than theChannel 4 programme showing at that time.Britain Goes Wild, renamedSpringwatch the following year, became a wildlife broadcasting phenomenon, attracting over 4 million viewers.[22]
He became president of theWest Midland Bird Club in 1999,[23] having been vice-president since 1991,[23] and is a former member of the council of theRSPB. Oddie is also a President of theLeague Against Cruel Sports[24] and a vice-president of theBritish Trust for Conservation Volunteers.[25] He practised as abird ringer but allowed his licence to lapse.[14]
In 2003, Oddie set up ahalf-marathon to raise money for various wildlife charities in his birth town ofRochdale.[26]
In 2011, Oddie featured as an investigator inSnares Uncovered: killers in the countryside.[27] The film was an exposé of snaring in Scotland and was commissioned by the animal protection charityOneKind.
Oddie wrote original music atCambridge University for theFootlights and later wrote comic songs forI'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again. He also wrote a number of comic songs forThe Goodies, most of which he also performed.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Oddie released a number of singles and at least one album. One of the former, issued in 1970 onJohn Peel'sDandelion Records label (Catalogue No: 4786), was "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at",[28] performed in the style ofJoe Cocker's "With a Little Help from My Friends". The B-side, "Harry Krishna", featured theHare Krishna chant, substituting the names of contemporary famous people called Harry, includingHarry Secombe,Harry Worth,Harry Lauder andHarry Corbett, as well aspuns such as "Harry [Hurry] along now" and "Harrystotle [Aristotle]" and ending with "Harry-ly [I really] must go now". Both tracks appear on the compilation CDLife Too, Has Surface Noise: The Complete Dandelion Records Singles Collection 1969–1972 (2007). In 1966 he was credited as the vocalist withSpencer's Washboard Kings on "Five Feet Two" (Rayrick LCR1001a). The vocalist on the B-side of this 45rpm single, "If You Knew Susie", was Jean Hart, Oddie's future wife.[29]
He played the drums and saxophone and appeared as Cousin Kevin in a production ofThe Who's rock operaTommy byLondon Symphonic Orchestra andEnglish Chamber Choir at theRainbow Theatre,Finsbury Park, London, on 13 and 14 December 1973. He has also contributed vocals to aRick Wakeman album,Criminal Record.
He recorded a single, "Superspike", withJohn Cleese and a group of UK athletes, billed the "Superspike Squad", to fund the latter's attendance at the1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He co-produced the record with Stephen Shane.[30]
In 1986 Oddie took part in theEnglish National Opera production of theGilbert and Sullivancomic operaThe Mikado, in which he appeared in the role of the Lord High Executioner, taking over the role fromEric Idle.[31] During the early 1990s Oddie was a DJ for London-basedjazz radio station102.2 Jazz FM.[32]
In 2007, Oddie appeared on the BBC seriesPlay It Again.[33] In the episode he attempts to realise his dream of becoming arock guitarist. Initially teacherBridget Mermikides tries to teach him using traditional methods but he rebels: instead he turns to old friendsAlbert Lee,Dave Davies (ofThe Kinks) andMark 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 ofThe Goodies, to rerelease their 1970s hit "The Funky Gibbon" to raise funds for theInternational Primate Protection League's Save the Gibbon appeal.
Oddie appeared as the hapless window cleaner in theEric Sykes' comedy storyThe Plank in 1967. He also presented the live children's Saturday morning entertainment showSaturday Banana (ITV/Southern Television) during the late 1970s. In the late 1980s he was a presenter of the BBC TV showFax (a show about 'facts').
In 1981, he appeared as aTelethon celebrity in New Zealand, hosted byTV1.[34] He voicesAsterix in the UK dub of the 1989 animated filmAsterix and the Big Fight (an animated adaptation of the booksAsterix and the Big Fight andAsterix and the Soothsayer, novelized asOperation Getafix).
In 1992, he was a guest star in the US comedy television seriesMarried... with Children for a three-part episode set in England.[35]
He voiced the chimney sweep in the 1996 filmThe Willows in Winter.
In 1997 and 1998, he appeared on theChannel 4 archaeological programmeTime Team, as the team excavated a Roman villa site inTurkdean, Gloucestershire.[36]
He was the compère of a daytime BBC gameshowHistory Hunt (in 2003); and has appeared in theDoctor Who audio dramaDoctor Who and the Pirates. In 2004, he appeared on the first ever episode of the BBC seriesWho Do You Think You Are?, in which he looked into his ancestry: he was visibly moved by its revelations. In 2005, he took part inRolf on Art – the big event at Trafalgar Square and in September that year was also a celebrity guest along withLynda Bellingham on theITV1 programmeWho Wants to Be a Millionaire. He also gave opinions on 100 greatest cartoons on Channel 4 that year, talking aboutTom and Jerry and cartoon incidents such as the "Asses of Fire skit" inSouth Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.[37]
In 2006, Oddie appeared in the BBC showNever Mind the Buzzcocks,[38] and also appeared on the topical quiz show8 out of 10 Cats. He was also the voice behind manyB&Q adverts throughout 2006/2007. On 25 May 2007, Oddie made acameo appearance onRonni Ancona's new comedysketch show,Ronni Ancona & Co.
Also in 2007, three artists each painted a portrait of Oddie, as part of the BBC programmeStar Portraits with Rolf Harris. One of the artists,Mark Roscoe, later revealed a dislike of Oddie, claiming to have included hidden insults in his work.[39]
He hosted thegenealogy-based seriesMy Famous Family, broadcast onUKTV History in 2007.[40] In 2008, Oddie was a guest onJamie Oliver's television specialJamie's Fowl Dinners, talking about free-range chickens.[41]
He also appeared onWould I Lie To You? in 2011, where he revealed that he was saved from drowning byFreddy from popular children's seriesRainbow andRod, Jane and Freddy while on holiday in theSeychelles.
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In February 2015, Oddie appeared inThe Keith Lemon Sketch Show as the narrator of the sketchEd Sheeran Watch.[42]
He appeared as a contestant on a celebrity edition ofFifteen to One in August 2015[43] and the following month he appeared onThrough the Keyhole.[44]
He has appeared three times on the programmePointless Celebrities, the most recent appearance being in 2016.[45]
In 2017, he appeared in three episodes ofThe Real Marigold Hotel.[46]
In 2018, he featured on the programmeThe Two Ronnies: In Their Own Words.[47] In 2019, he appeared on the showThe Inbetweeners: Fwends Reunited.[48]
In 2020, Oddie appeared in the documentaryCelebrity Britain by Barge: Then & Now.[49]
Oddie undertook an Australian tour during June 2013 in all of the mainland states capital cities –Brisbane,Sydney,Melbourne,Adelaide andPerth – in a series of one-off shows,An Oldie but a Goodie. A video message from Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden was shown during the performances.[50] Oddie made personal appearances on bothThe Project andAdam Hills Tonight TV shows during the tour; he also filmed a guest-programming spot for the ABC-TV's all-night music video showRage.[51]
In 1966, Oddie married Jeanne Hart,[52][53] and from this marriage he has two daughters, one of whom is the actressKate Hardie.[54] The couple later divorced.
In 1983, Oddie married Laura Beaumont-Giles.[54] The couple have worked on a variety of projects for children, including film scripts, drama and comedy series, puppet shows and books. They have a daughter, Rosie, born in October 1985,[54] and live inHampstead, North London. Rosie Oddie is a musician, also using the nameRosie Bones.[55]
Oddie has experienceddepression for most of his life before being diagnosed withclinical depression in 2001.[56] In March 2009 he was reportedly admitted to Capio Nightingalepsychiatric hospital inMarylebone for treatment. His then 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."[57] In January 2010 Oddie spoke to the media, revealing that he had two separate stays in different hospitals, only being discharged "in time for Christmas". He said that he was dealing with depression andbipolar disorder, describing the period as "probably the worst 12 months of my life". Oddie stated that he was planning to meet BBC executives to discuss his return to television work.[58]
His illness meant that Oddie did not appear in the 2009 and 2010 series ofSpringwatch, although he made a guest appearance in the penultimate episode of the latter. He subsequently said he wasdismissed fromSpringwatch and that this had caused the depressive illness.[59]
Oddie presented theBBC Radio 4 Appeal programme on 10 August 2014 on behalf of the charity Bipolar UK. He revealed that as a consequence of his bipolar disorder he had attempted suicide during one of his depressive episodes.[60] On the UK TV programmeWho Do You Think You Are? he attributed his depression and bipolar disorder as an adult to his minimal and painful relationship with his mother.[61]
Oddie supports theGreen Party.[62][non-primary source needed] In October 2014, on the BBC'sSunday Morning Live, he stated that he wanted a limit on the number of children that British families can have, saying that he was "very often ashamed" to be British, calling them "a terrible race".[63][64]
In 2002, Oddie became the third person to decline to appear onThis Is Your Life but changed his mind a few hours later.[65][66] On 16 October 2003 Oddie was made anOBE for his service to wildlife conservation in a ceremony atBuckingham Palace. He wore a camouflage shirt and crumpled jacket to receive his medal. In June 2004 Oddie andJohnny Morris were jointly profiled in the first of a three-partBBC Two seriesThe Way We Went Wild, about television wildlife presenters. In May 2005 he received theBritish Naturalists' Association'sPeter Scott Memorial Award, from BNA presidentDavid Bellamy, "in recognition of his great contribution to our understanding of natural history and conservation."[67][68] He is a recipient of theRSPB Medal.[69]
On 30 June 2009, he was proposed for inclusion in theBirmingham Walk of Stars, with the public invited to vote.[70]
(incomplete list)
Bill Oddie also co-wrote the Springwatch & Autumnwatch book withKate Humble andSimon King.
Co-written with the other members ofThe Goodies:
Co-written with Laura Beaumont:
| Year | Title | Label | Cat No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Distinctly Oddie | Polydor | 582 007 |
| Year | A-side | B-side | Label | Cat. No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Nothing Better To Do | Traffic Island | Parlophone | R 5153 |
| 1965 | The Knitting Song | Ain't Got Rhythm | R 5346 | |
| 1966 | I Can't Get Through | Because She Is My Love | R 5433 | |
| 1969 | Jimmy Young | Irish Get Out | Decca | F 12903 |
| 1970 | On Ilkla Moor Baht'at | Harry Krishna | Dandelion Epic | - |
| 1976 | Superspike (Part 1) | Superspike (Part 2) | Bradley's | BRAD 7606 |
In the fictional world of comedy characterAlan Partridge, Oddie is an unseen presence in Alan's life, buying him dressing gowns for Christmas and being part of a radicalisedRSPB.[72] He has also been referenced, often humorously, by the hosts ofTop Gear.[73]
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