Kate Humble and Bill Oddie memorably worked together on Springwatch and Autumnwatch when they launched on BBC Two.14:02, 27 Jul 2026Updated 14:03, 27 Jul 2026Bill Oddie’s brilliantly varied career as Britain’s best loved birdwatcher and a seventies TV comedian was celebrated today after his death aged 85. The BBC star was multi talented, finding success with comedy group The Goodies and later pivoting away from comedy and putting a lifelong love of birds into programmes such as Birding with Bill Oddie and later BBC’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch.‌Producer Stephen Moss worked with Bill Oddie on several of his best-known nature programmes and said it was "impossible to overestimate how important" the presenter's impact on birdwatching was.‌Moss said former Springwatch presenter Kate Humble had contacted him following Oddie's death and had called him "brilliant, wonderful, maddening, clever, and infuriating".‌And Humble went on to give a longer tribute on BBC Radio 4's The World At One. Humble said: "No-one could tell a story like Bill. No-one could make me laugh like Bill. No-one could enthuse anyone, whoever they were, to go outside and get excited about a robin."He just had that way of just making the natural world everybody's world, and I think that's what we all loved about him."‌Oddie had many other interests and talents, she said. "He was so interested in so many things. He wasn't just the nerdy birder, or the funny, slightly irascible comedian, or the brilliant musician. He was all of those things. And he was always interested in everything."She added: "Sometimes he'd be fantastically grumpy and would be the last person I'd want to see first thing in the morning, and other times he would just be the best company in the world, and he talked very openly about his struggles with mental health.”He co-presented the first four series of the BBC's annual Springwatch from 2005, as well as spin-off Autumnwatch, but was then dropped and admitted this led to depression and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Humble credited Oddie for speaking openly about his mental health struggles, at a time when celebrities generally stayed silent on the subject.‌"He was one of the earliest, bravest people to say, 'No, this is something that I have, and this is something that I have to deal with, and my family has to deal with,' and it was really tough for him," she said. "I was witness to that, but he was always very honest and straightforward and in the end, as I say, there was no-one who could make me laugh like Bill."A statement from his friend and agent David Foster first announced the death on Monday. 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."He taught us the wonder of it. He protested, lobbied and campaigned for it. He led the way and people of all ages and backgrounds responded to his call. And such a massive contribution to conservation will never be forgotten. As Bill's agent I witnessed close hand his intelligence and wit. He was my friend and it was an honour and a privilege to represent him for so many years. I will miss him terribly.‌"My thoughts and love are with Bill's wife, Laura, and his daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie, who have asked not to be contacted at this sad time. Please respect their wishes."A birdwatcher since his childhood in Birmingham, Oddie was a respected ornithologist. He was a council member of the RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and The Worldwide Fund for Nature. He was also president of The Northumberland Wildlife Trust and represented many other nature organisations.Jo Rowland, chief executive of the RSPCA, said: "I know many of our wildlife rescuers were inspired into animal welfare by Bill's groundbreaking broadcasting work and incredible knowledge of British birds, which brought the wonders of nature into millions of homes across the country.‌"Nature has lost one of its best friends, fiercest champions and most iconic defenders. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the countless people he inspired to spend time birdwatching, to cherish nature, and to build a kinder world for animals.”The twitcher was born William Edgar Oddie in Lancashire on July 7 1941 to parents Harry and Lilian. He was raised in Birmingham by his father and his grandmother, Emily, and has previously spoken about how his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his youth - which led to her being treated in a psychiatric facility.From the age of six he was brought up in the Birmingham suburb of Quinton by his accountant father, and rarely saw his mother before her death in 1990. In the 1960s, Oddie studied English literature at Cambridge University, where he started his career as an actor and comedian, appearing in several Footlights Club productions.‌One of his shows, which was later renamed Cambridge Circus, was highly successful after being performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and was subsequently transferred to the West End and Broadway. During his time at university, Oddie also begun writing TV scripts - having worked on BBC's satirical comedy programme That Was The Week That Was, on which he also made a brief appearance.The actor and comic also featured on BBC radio comedy programme, I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again - and featured many of his musical compositions on the show. He was a recognisable face during the late 1960s due to many TV appearances, such as on The Braden Beat and Twice A Fortnight - where he featured as a performer and a co-writer - and comedy series Broaden Your Mind, where he had the same role.Oddie found fame and became a household name in the UK as well as Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s, when he founded comic trio The Goodies alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden.‌The group co-wrote and starred in the BBC television comedy show, which attracted millions of viewers in its heyday and featured surreal moments including one of its most famous episodes, "Kitten Kong", which saw a kitten given a growth formula which made it into a giant. The show ran from from 1970 until 1982, and also featured Oddie's novelty songs such as The Funky Gibbon and The Inbetweenies - both of which peaked in the top 10 of the UK singles charts.He continued to work with his fellow Goodies on programmes including the animated comic book superhero series Bananaman for the BBC, before turning his attention to nature shows. Fellow Goodie Tim Brooke-Taylor died in 2020.‌Oddie was a keen conservationist and naturalist since his youth, and his first published work on birding was an article about the birdlife of Birmingham's Bartley Reservoir in the West Midland Bird Club's 1962 Annual Report. He went on to write several books about birds and birdwatching.In 1976 he was also involved in the successful identification of Britain's first-ever recorded Pallas's reed bunting on Fair Isle, Shetland.He first appeared on natural history radio and TV programmes in the 1970s such as where he expressed his passion for bird-watching, and in 1985 he was the subject of a Nature Watch special documentary centred around his hobby.‌Oddie continued to pursue his birding passion on-screen and went on to host many natural history programmes for the BBC - including Birding With Bill Oddie and Bill Oddie Goes Wild.For a few weeks over May and June 2004, he presented Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie, in which he, Kate Humble and Simon King spent one hour each evening, describing wildlife and presenting live action from hidden cameras in or near nest boxes across the country. It set a record for its 8pm timeslot on BBC Two, drawing in 3.4 million viewers.The series then returned the following year but was renamed Springwatch, which Oddie presented until 2008 - cementing his reputation as one of Britain's best-loved wildlife presenters.‌Oddie also spoke openly about suffering from crippling depression, and he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2009 after being dropped from the hit BBC show. He was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition where depressive periods alternate with manic activity.An active conservationist, Oddie was also a council member for The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and The Worldwide Fund for Nature. Oddie also appeared on shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, and Would I Lie To You? In 2003 he was made an OBE his service to wildlife conservation.Oddie married to children's TV writer and artist Laura Beaumont in 1983 and they have a daughter, Rosie. Oddie also has two daughters, Bonnie and Kate, from his first marriage, in 1967, to singer and actress Jean Hart.Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.