Editing Bill Oddie (section)

===Comedy===
While at Cambridge University Oddie appeared in several [[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 Footlights Revue|Cambridge Circus]]'' and transferred to the West End in London, then New Zealand and [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in September 1964. Meanwhile, still at Cambridge, Oddie wrote scripts for and appeared briefly in TV's ''[[That Was the Week That Was]]''.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.dfmanagement.tv/Bill_Oddie.html |title=Bill Oddie |publisher=David Foster Management |access-date=9 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930055058/http://www.dfmanagement.tv/Bill_Oddie.html |archive-date=30 September 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He appeared in [[Bernard Braden]]'s television series ''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]]'', where many of his musical compositions were featured. Some were released on the album ''Distinctly Oddie'' (Polydor, 1967). He was 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]].

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 he 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 (TV series)|The 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 with [[Dave 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 programme ''[[Bananaman (TV series)|Bananaman]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.80scartoons.co.uk/bananaman2.php |title="Bananaman" – 80s Cartoons |publisher=80scartoons.co.uk |date=4 February 2012 |access-date=15 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116115519/http://80scartoons.co.uk/bananaman2.php |archive-date=16 November 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/b/banaman.htm |title=Bananaman – International Hero |publisher=Internationalhero.co.uk |access-date=15 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111065906/http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/b/banaman.htm|archive-date=11 January 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johnnorrisbrown.com/classic-nick/bananaman/index.htm |title="Bananaman" – Classic Nick Online |publisher=Johnnorrisbrown.com |access-date=15 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227163103/http://johnnorrisbrown.com/classic-nick/bananaman/index.htm |archive-date=27 December 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

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 medical doctor), Oddie co-wrote many episodes of the television comedy series ''[[Doctor in the House (TV 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 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 called ''[[Astronauts (television)|Astronauts]]'' for [[Central Independent Television|Central]] and [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]. The show was set in an international [[space station]] in the near future.<ref>{{British Comedy Guide|sitcom|sitcoms/astronauts.shtml|Astronauts}}</ref>