Robert William "Bob" Stanley (born November 10, 1954 in Portland, Maine)^[1] is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox. He is currently the pitching coach for the Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League.^[2]

Over his 13-year career, Stanley played only for the Red Sox from 1977-89. Bob was a first-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1974.

A sinker ball specialist, Stanley was the club all-time saves leader with 132 until Jonathan Papelbon passed him on July 1, 2009, but to most Red Sox fans, he is simply known as "The Steamer" (he is also known as "Bigfoot"). He is also the all-time leader in appearances with 637 and is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame since 2000. His best season came in 1983 when he led the Sox with 33 saves and posted a 2.45 ERA.

Stanley was a key member of the 1986 Red Sox team that came within one strike of winning the World Series but ultimately fell to the Mets in seven games. Stanley entered Game 6 with the Red Sox one out away from clinching their first World Series since 1918. But his wild pitch to Mookie Wilson allowed the Mets to tie the score and then New York won it on Bill Buckner's error. Stanley failed to cover first on the play.

In 1987, working as a starter for the first time since 1979, Stanley was 4-15 with 67 strikeouts and a 5.01 ERA.

On September 25, 1989, Stanley announced his retirement. He compiled a 115-97 career-record with 693 strikeouts, a 3.64 ERA, 21 complete games, seven shutouts, 132 saves, and 1707 innings in 637 games (85 as a starter).

Bob Stanley lives in the Seacoast region of southern New Hampshire. On April 4, 2011, he was named President of the Seacoast Mavericks of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL). The Mavs are owned and operated by Dave Hoyt, who owns and operates USA Training Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where Bob gives lessons on a part-time basis. On June 10, 2011, Stanley threw out the first pitch to inaugurate the Martha's Vineyard Sharks of the FCBL.

Highlights[link]

• Twice All-Star (1979, 1983)
• Twice Top 10 Cy Young Award (7th, 1978; 7th, 1982)
• 3-time led the Major Leagues in relief innings (1981–83)
• Set an American League record in relief innings (168.1, 1982)

See also[link]

• Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
• 1986 World Series
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2008)

Dick Beyer
Dick 'The Destroyer' Beyer in June 2010.
Ring name(s)	Dick Beyer The Destroyer Dr. X
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight	265 lb (120 kg)
Born	(1930-07-11) July 11, 1930 (age 81)
Resides	Buffalo, New York
Debut	December 29, 1954
Retired	January 4, 1993

Dick Beyer (born July 11, 1930)^[1] is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.

Early life[link]

As an athlete at Syracuse University, Beyer was a member of the varsity football and wrestling teams. He played in the 1953 Orange Bowl for Syracuse. Beyer graduated with a Masters Degree in education and is a member of the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta's Syracuse Chapter. Beyer is also an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. Beyer was a teacher in New York until he began his wrestling career, and he also coached swimming.

Professional wrestling career[link]

World Wrestling Association[link]

Beyer began as a "babyface" wrestler in the mid 1950s. His career as a "masked" wrestler, The Destroyer, began in 1962 in Los Angeles. He used the “figure-four-leg-lock” on his way to the World Wrestling Association (WWA) championship on July 27, 1962 in a win over Freddie Blassie, who convinced him that the mask gimmick would give him a large "push". Beyer went on to defend the WWA title for 10 months.

In early 1963, Beyer wrestled three sold-out matches against Shohei “Giant” Baba at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. In May 1963, Beyer traveled to Japan for the first time, to wrestle with Rikidōzan, in a match watched by 70 million TV viewers. In June 1964, Beyer returned to Los Angeles and beat Dick “The Bruiser” for another WWA title. Beyer lost the title to Bob Ellis in September, won it back in November, and then lost it for the last time in March 1965 to Pedro Morales.

American Wrestling Association[link]

Between 1966 and 1972, Beyer wrestled as Doctor X while in Minneapolis, although he was known as "The Destroyer" elsewhere. During his time as Doctor X, Beyer had matches with many of the top names in the business including his real life brother-in-law Billy Red Lyons. In fact, it was Lyons who handed "X" his first American Wrestling Association (AWA) defeat on Minneapolis television when he defeated the good Doctor with a figure four leg lock. In August 1970, "X" removed his own mask to get a chance at revenge against his former partner Black Jack Lanza. He stood in center ring with announcer Marty O'Neill, who told the fans that "X" was a former coach from Syracuse University. "X" then removed his mask, handed it to St. Paul promoter Eddie Williams, and wrestled the match as Dick Beyer.

In other AWA cities, he was actually unmasked by both Lanza and Paul Diamond. In these matches, his name was revealed to be Bruce Marshall. The reason for Beyer wanting to be unmasked was that, he and his family were set to go on a world tour, where he would also wrestle again as The Destroyer. It has been speculated that by late August 1970, Beyer had already left the AWA and that it was "jobber" Bobby Jones under the mask. When Beyer removed his own mask on the August 8, 1970 card in St. Paul. During 1972, Beyer had several battles with "Crippler" Ray Stevens. Their last match resulted in Beyer as Doctor X having his leg "broken." This "injury" allowed Beyer to leave the Minneapolis area to join a wrestling tour in Japan.

Japan and Canada[link]

From 1973, Beyer wrestled in Japan for six straight years, in a deal with Giant Baba and NTV of Tokyo. During his tenure in Japan, he had a feud with Mil Máscaras which resulted in a series of seven matches. Beyer also helped promote All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for Giant Baba and established himself as a television personality in a late-night TV show called “Uwasa No Channel.” Beyer held the PWF United States Championship until 1979, when he left AJPW and the championship was abandoned.

From 1979, Beyer wrestled in Toronto and Montreal, against Bob Backlund, André the Giant, Terry Funk, Dory Funk, Jr., Tony Parisi, Nick Bockwinkel, Édouard Carpentier, Mad Dog Vachon, Superstar Billy Graham, and others.

Post-wrestling[link]

Beyer went into semi-retirement in 1984. From 1984 to 1995, Beyer taught physical education in the Akron Central School District in Akron, New York, where he also coached football, wrestling and swimming.

Beyer now lives in Akron, New York. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Cauliflower Alley Club, which holds annual reunions in Las Vegas. He is a member of Toastmaster's International, a public speaking club, and caries the club designation of Certified Toastmaster.

On the March 15th episode of RAW he appeared VIA pre recorded footage, talking briefly about newest WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Gorgeous George.

He also Inducted Gorgeous George into the WWE Hall of Fame on March. 27, 2010.

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Billy Red Lyons
  • PWF United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times)

• American Wrestling Alliance
  • AWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) - with Billy Red Lyons

• American Wrestling Association
  • AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Iron Mike Mazurki Award (1996)

• Central States Wrestling
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Central States version) (1 time)

• Lutte Internationale (Montreal)
  • Canadian International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• NWA Big Time Wrestling
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) - with Golden Terror

• NWA Los Angeles
  • NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version) (1 time) - with Dan Moukian

• NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions
  • NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (1 time)

• Pacific Northwest Wrestling
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Art Michalik (3)

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • (Class of 2005)
  • New York State Award (2003)

• World Wrestling Alliance (San Francisco)
  • WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Billy Red Lyons

• World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)
  • WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dan Manoukian
  • WWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
  • WWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Hard Boiled Haggerty

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

References[link]

• Tenay, Mike. "Dick "the Destroyer" Beyer". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. http://www.pwhf.org/halloffamers/bios/beyer.asp. Retrieved 2008-03-18. 

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• "The Destroyer Story"

Eric Gerald Stanley FBA (born 19 October 1923) is a scholar of Medieval literature, with a particular focus on Old English literature; he was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford 1977–1991, and has been emeritus professor since then.^[1]

References[link]

This article about a British historian or genealogist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Stanley Turrentine
Turrentine in 1976.
Background information
Born	(1934-04-05)April 5, 1934
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	September 12, 2000(2000-09-12) (aged 66)
Genres	Bebop, hard bop, jazz blues, soul jazz
Occupations	Bandleader, composer, saxophonist
Instruments	Tenor saxophone
Years active	1959–2000
Labels	Blue Note, Fantasy, CTI, Prestige, Impulse!
Associated acts	Shirley Scott, Tommy Turrentine, Jimmy Smith, Freddie Hubbard, Kei Akagi

Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.^[1]

Biography[link]

Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family. His father, Thomas Turrentine, Sr., was a saxophonist with Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans, his mother played stride piano, and his older brother Tommy Turrentine also became a professional trumpet player.^[2]

He began his prolific career with blues and rhythm and blues bands, and was at first greatly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. In the 1950s, he went on to play with the groups of Lowell Fulson, Earl Bostic, and at the turn of the decade, Max Roach.

Turrentine received his only formal musical training during his military stint in the mid-'50s. In 1959, he jumped from the frying pan into the fire when he left the military and went straight into the band of the great drummer Max Roach.

He married the organist Shirley Scott in 1960 and the two frequently played and recorded together. In the 1960s, he started working with organist Jimmy Smith, and made many soul jazz recordings both with Smith and as a leader.

In the 1970s, after his professional split and divorce from Scott, Turrentine turned to jazz fusion and signed for Creed Taylor's CTI label. His first album for CTI, "Sugar" proved one of his biggest successes and a seminal recording for the label. He worked with Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, George Benson, Bob James, Richard Tee, Idris Muhammad, Ron Carter, Grant Green and Eric Gale, to name a few. He returned to soul jazz in the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Turrentine lived in Ft. Washington, Maryland from the early 90s until his death. He died of a stroke in New York City on September 12, 2000 and is buried in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery.^[3]

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

Blue Note Records

• 1960 Look Out!
• 1960 Blue Hour with The Three Sounds
• 1961 Comin' Your Way
• 1961 Up at "Minton's"
• 1961 Dearly Beloved
• 1961 ZT's Blues
• 1962 That's Where It's At
• 1962 Jubilee Shout!!!
• 1963 Never Let Me Go
• 1963 A Chip Off the Old Block
• 1964 Hustlin'
• 1964 In Memory Of
• 1964 Mr. Natural
• 1965 Joyride
• 1966 Rough 'n' Tumble
• 1966 Easy Walker
• 1966 The Spoiler
• 1967 A Bluish Bag
• 1967 The Return of the Prodigal Son
• 1968 The Look of Love
• 1968 Common Touch
• 1968 Always Something There
• 1969 Another Story
• 1984 Straight Ahead
• 1986 Wonderland
• 1989 La Place
• 1993 Ballads

CTI Records

• 1970 Sugar
• 1971 The Sugar Man - (released in 1975)
• 1971 Salt Song
• 1972 Cherry (with Milt Jackson)
• 1973 Freddie Hubbard/Stanley Turrentine In Concert Volume One
• 1973 In Concert Volume Two
• 1973 Don't Mess with Mister T.

Fantasy Records

• 1974 Pieces of Dreams
• 1975 In the Pocket
• 1975 Have You Ever Seen the Rain
• 1976 Everybody Come on Out
• 1977 Nightwings
• 1977 West Side Highway
• 1978 What About You!
• 1980 Use the Stairs

Other labels

• 1966 Let It Go (Impulse!)
• 1965 Tiger Tail (Mainstream Records)
• 1960 Stan "The Man" Turrentine (Bainbridge)
• 1976 Man with the Sad Face - Bainbridge (orig. released on Fantasy Recs.)
• 1977 Love's Finally Found Me - Classic World
• 1979 Soothsayer - Elektra
• 1979 Betcha - Elektra
• 1980 Inflation - Elektra
• 1981 Tender Togetherness - Elektra
• 1983 Home Again - Elektra
• 1991 The Look of Love - Huub
• 1992 More than a Mood - Music Masters
• 1993 If I Could - Music Masters
• 1995 Three of a Kind Meet Mr. T - Minor Music
• 1995 T Time - Music Masters
• 1995 Time - Music Masters
• 1999 Do You Have Any Sugar? - Concord Jazz

As sideman[link]

With Kenny Burrell

• 1963: Midnight Blue (Blue Note)
• 1964: Freedom (Blue Note)

With Donald Byrd

• 1964: Up with Donald Byrd (Verve)
• 1964: I'm Tryin' to Get Home (Blue Note)

With Georgie Fame

• 1996: The Blues and Me (Go Jazz)

With Astrud Gilberto

• 1971: Gilberto with Turrentine (CTI)

With Roy Hargrove

• 1993: With the Tenors of Our Time (Verve)

With Gene Harris

• 1985: Gene Harris Trio Plus One (Concord Jazz)

With Freddie Hubbard

• 1987: Life Flight (Blue Note)

With Duke Jordan

• 1960: Flight to Jordan (Blue Note)

With Diana Krall

• 1994 Only Trust Your Heart (GRP)

With Abbey Lincoln

• 1959: Abbey Is Blue (Riverside)
• 1991: Devil's Got Your Tongue (Verve)

With Les McCann

• 1961: Les McCann Ltd. in New York (Pacific Jazz)

With Jimmy McGriff

• 1969: Electric Funk (Blue Note)

With David "Fathead" Newman

• 1988: Fire! Live at the Village Vanguard (Atlantic)

With Horace Parlan

• 1960: Speakin' My Piece (Blue Note)
• 1961: On the Spur of the Moment (Blue Note)

With Duke Pearson

• 1965: The Right Touch (Blue Note)

With Ike Quebec

• 1962: Easy Living (Blue Note)

With Dizzy Reece

• 1960: Comin' On! (Blue Note)

With Max Roach

• 1959: Quiet as It's Kept (Mercury)
• 1959: Moon Faced and Starry Eyed (Mercury)
• 1960: Parisian Sketches (Mercury)

With Mongo Santamaria

• 1970: Mongo's Way (Atlantic)

With Shirley Scott

• 1961: Hip Soul (Prestige)
• 1961: Hip Twist (Prestige)
• 1963: The Soul is Willing (Prestige)
• 1963: Soul Shoutin' (Prestige)
• 1964: Blue Flames (Prestige)
• 1964: Everybody Loves a Lover (Impulse!)
• 1964: Queen of the Organ (Impulse!)
• 1968: Soul Song (Atlantic)

With Marlena Shaw

• 1997: Elemental Soul (Concord Jazz)

With Horace Silver

• 1968: Serenade to a Soul Sister (Blue Note)

With Jimmy Smith

• 1960: Midnight Special (Blue Note)
• 1960: Back at the Chicken Shack (Blue Note)
• 1961: Prayer Meetin' (Blue Note)
• 1968: Stay Loose (Verve)
• 1982: Off the Top (Elektra/Musician)
• 1986: Go Fot Watcha Know (Blue Note)
• 1990: Fourmost (Milestone)

With Art Taylor

• 1960: A.T.'s Delight (Blue Note)

With Tommy Turrentine

• 1960: Tommy Turrentine with Stanley Turrentine (Time)

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Stanley Turrentine Hard Bop Homepage accessed March 23, 2011
• Stanley Turrentine biography All About Jazz accessed January 6, 2010
• Stanley Turrentine at Find a Grave

Bill Oddie
Oddie in December 2005
Born	(1941-07-07) 7 July 1941 (age 70) Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England
Occupation	Actor, writer, composer, musician, comedian, artist, ornithologist, conservationist, television presenter
Years active	1960s-present
Known for	I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, The Goodies, Springwatch, Ornithology
Spouse	Jean Hart (divorced) Laura Beaumont (1983-present)
Children	Bonnie, Kate and Rosie
Website
billoddie.com

William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE^[1] (born 7 July 1941, Rochdale, England^[2]) is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies.

A birdwatcher since his childhood in Quinton, Birmingham,^[3] Oddie has now established a reputation as an ornithologist, conservationist and television presenter on wildlife issues. Some of his books are illustrated with his own paintings and drawings.^[4]

Oddie's wildlife programmes for the BBC include: Springwatch/Autumnwatch, How to Watch Wildlife, Wild In Your Garden, Birding with Bill Oddie, Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie and Bill Oddie Goes Wild.

Career[link]

Comedy[link]

After attending Lapal Primary School, Halesowen Grammar School (now The Earls High School, Halesowen) then King Edward's School, Birmingham, Oddie studied English Literature at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge, where he appeared in several Cambridge University 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 Circus and transferred to the West End in London, then New Zealand and Broadway in September 1964. Meanwhile, still at Cambridge, Oddie wrote scripts for TV's That Was The Week That Was.^[5]

His first television appearance was in Bernard Braden's 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 (ISIRTA; 1965), where many of his musical compositions were featured. Some were released on the album Distinctly Oddie (Polydor, 1967). He was possibly 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.

In one song on I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, Oddie performed "What a Wonderful World" with a voice fully reminiscent of Louis Armstrong. During the course of the song, the rest of the cast attributed the gravelly quality of his voice to a sore throat. In the background, during the rest of the song, it is possible to hear the cast dispense cough medicine, then call for a doctor, the arrival of the doctor and his decision that Oddie should go into hospital, the trip to hospital in an ambulance, and the operation extracting his tonsils. After this, the sound of his voice changed to a sound closer to that of Harry Secombe. He thanked the cast for curing him. 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 Oddie 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. The Goodies also released records, including "Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me"/"The In-Betweenies", "Funky Gibbon", 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.^[6][7][8]

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 doctor), Oddie co-wrote many episodes of the television comedy 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 and Brooke-Taylor are regular panellists. In 1982 Garden and Oddie wrote, but did not perform in, a 6-part science fiction sitcom called Astronauts for Central and ITV. The show was set in an international space station in the near future.^{[citation needed]}

Natural history[link]

Oddie's first published work was an article about the birdlife of Birmingham's Bartley Reservoir in the West Midland Bird Club's 1962 Annual Report.^[9] He has since written a number of books about birds and birdwatching, as well as articles for many specialist publications including British Birds, Birdwatching Magazine and Birdwatch.

One of Oddie's first forays in the world of television natural history was on 30 July 1985, as the subject of a Nature Watch Special: Bill Oddie - Bird Watcher, in which he was interviewed by Julian Pettifer.^[10]

Oddie has since hosted a number of successful nature programmes for the BBC, many produced by Stephen Moss, including:^[11]

• The Great Bird Race (1983; Channel 4)
• The Great Kenyan Bird Safari (BBC)
• Favourite Walks: "A Bird Walk" (1985; BBC)
• Worldwise: "The Bird Business" (1985; Channel 4)
• Oddie in Paradise (1985; BBC)
• Wild Weekends (TV AM)
• Flight to Eilat (Channel 4)
• Bird in the Nest (two series, 1994 and 1995)
• Birding with Bill Oddie (three series, 1997, 1998 and 2000)
• Bill Oddie Goes Wild (three series, 2001, 2002 and 2003)
• Wild In Your Garden (2003)
• Britain Goes Wild (2004)
• "Bill Oddie In Tiger Country" (2004)
• Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife (two series, 2005 and 2006; also on DVD)
• Seven Natural Wonders (London edition) (2005)
• The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs (2005; also on DVD)
• Springwatch (2005–2008)
• Autumnwatch (2006–2008)
• Bill Oddie Back in the USA (2007)
• "Bill Oddie's Top Ten Birds" (2007; BBC Four)
• "100 Years of Wildlife" (2007)
• Bill Oddie's Wild Side (2008)
• "Bill Oddie's Top 10" (2008)

On its first evening of broadcast in 2004, Britain Goes Wild set a record for its timeslot of 8 pm on BBC Two of 3.4 million viewers, one million more than the Channel 4 programme showing at that time. Britain Goes Wild, renamed Springwatch the following year, became a wildlife broadcasting phenomenon, attracting up to 5 million viewers.^{[citation needed]}

He became president of the West Midland Bird Club in 1999,^[12] having been Vice-President since 1991,^[12] and is a former member of the council of the RSPB. Oddie is also a vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports^{[citation needed]} and a vice-president of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.^[13]

In 2003 Oddie set up a half-marathon to raise money for various wildlife charities in his birth-town of Rochdale. Celebrities who have participated in the event include Ray Mears, Catherine Jenkins and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

In 2011, Oddie featured as an investigator in Snares Uncovered: killers in the countryside.^[14] The film carried out an expose of snaring in Scotland and was commissioned by animal protection charity OneKind. During the investigation, Oddie discovered over 70 snare traps and several stink pits.

Music[link]

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Oddie released a number of singles and at least one album. One of the former, issued in 1970 on John Peel's Dandelion Records label (Catalogue No: 4786), was On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at,^[15] performed in the style of Joe Cocker's With a Little Help from my Friends. The B-side, Harry Krishna, featured the Hare Krishna chant, substituting the names of contemporary famous people called Harry, including Harry Secombe, Harry Worth, Harry Lauder, and Harry Corbett, as well as puns such as "Harry [Hurry] along now", "Harrystotle [Aristotle]" and ending with "Harry-ly [I really] must go now". Both tracks appear on the compilation CD Life Too, Has Surface Noise: The Complete Dandelion Records Singles Collection 1969–1972 (2007).

He played the drums and saxophone and appeared as Cousin Kevin in a production of The Who's rock opera Tommy at the Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London on 9 December 1972. He has also contributed vocals to a Rick Wakeman album, Criminal Record.

Oddie took part in the English National Opera production of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Mikado, in which he appeared in the role of the "Lord High Executioner", taking over the role from Eric Idle. During the early 1990s, Oddie was a DJ for London-based jazz radio station 102.2 Jazz FM, but was dismissed after criticising the management on air after they told him he was playing too much jazz on his show.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007 Oddie appeared on the BBC series Play It Again.^[16] In the episode he attempts to realise his dream of becoming a rock guitarist. Initially teacher Bridget Mermikides tries to teach him using traditional methods but he rebels: instead he turns to old friends Albert Lee, Dave Davies (of The Kinks) and Mark 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 of The Goodies, to re-release their 1970s hit The Funky Gibbon to raise funds for the International Primate Protection League's Save the Gibbon appeal.

Other television and audio appearances[link]

Oddie appeared as the hapless window cleaner in the Eric Sykes' comedy story The Plank in 1967. He also presented the live children's Saturday morning entertainment show Saturday Banana (ITV/Southern Television) during the late 1970s. In the late 1980s he was a presenter of the BBC TV show Fax (a show about 'facts').

In the 1990s he became better known as a presenter of birdwatching, and later wildlife-related, programmes such as Springwatch. Although he remains almost unknown to US audiences, in 1992 he was a guest star in the US comedy television series Married with Children for a 3-part episode set in England.^[17]

In 1997-98 he appeared on the Channel 4 archaeological programme Time Team, as the team excavated a Roman villa site in Turkdean, Gloucestershire.

He was the compère of a daytime BBC gameshow, History Hunt (in 2003); and has appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama Doctor Who and the Pirates. In 2004, he appeared in the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?, in which he looked into his ancestry – he was visibly moved by its revelations. In 2005, he took part in Rolf on Art – the big event at Trafalgar Square. and later that year was also a celebrity guest along with Lynda Bellingham on the ITV1 programme Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

In 2006 Oddie appeared in the BBC show Never Mind The Buzzcocks,^[18] and also appeared on the topical quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats. Bill also is the voice behind many B&Q adverts throughout 2006/2007. On 25 May 2007, Oddie made a cameo appearance on Ronni Ancona's new comedy sketch show, Ronni Ancona & Co.

He hosted the genealogy-based series My Famous Family, broadcast on UKTV History in 2007. In 2008, Oddie was a guest on Jamie Oliver's television special Jamie's Fowl Dinners, talking about free-range chickens. He also recorded a voice for Lionhead Studios' Fable II.^{[citation needed]}

He also appeared on Would I Lie To You? in 2011 where he revealed that he was saved from drowning by Freddy from popular children's series Rainbow while on holiday in the Seychelles.

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Oddie's mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia.^[19]

Oddie is married to Laura Beaumont^[20] (Beaumont-Gilles),^[21] with whom he has worked on a variety of projects for children, including film scripts, drama and comedy series, puppet shows and books. They have a daughter, Rosie,^[21][22] and live in Hampstead, London.

Oddie also has two daughters from his first marriage (1967 to Jean Hart):^[23] Bonnie, and the actress Kate Hardie, plus three grandchildren, Lyle, Ella and Gracie.

Depression[link]

Oddie has suffered from depression for most of his life, being diagnosed with clinical depression in 2001.^[24] On 11 March 2009, it was reported that he had been admitted to Capio Nightingale psychiatric hospital to deal with his depression. His 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."^[25] In January 2010, Oddie spoke to the media, revealing that he had in fact had two separate stays in different hospitals, only being discharged "in time for Christmas". He said that he was dealing with depression and bipolar disorder, describing the period as "probably the worst 12 months of my life". Oddie stated that he was planning to meet with BBC executives to discuss his return to television work.^[26][27]

His illness meant that he did not appear in the 2009 and 2010 series of Springwatch, although he made a guest appearance in the penultimate episode of the latter.

Honours[link]

In 2001, Oddie became the third person to decline to appear on This Is Your Life. He changed his mind a few hours later and agreed to appear on the show. On 16 October 2003, Oddie was made an OBE for his service to Wildlife Conservation in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. He played down the event, choosing to wear a camouflage shirt and crumpled jacket to receive his medal. In June 2004, Oddie and Johnny Morris were jointly profiled in the first of a three part BBC Two series, The Way We Went Wild, about television wildlife presenters. In May 2005, he received the British Naturalists' Association's Peter Scott Memorial Award, from BNA president David Bellamy, "in recognition of his great contribution to our understanding of natural history and conservation."^[28][29] He is a recipient of the RSPB Medal.^[30]

On 30 June 2009, he was proposed for inclusion in the Birmingham Walk of Stars, with the public invited to vote.^[31]

Bibliography[link]

(incomplete list)

• Bill Oddie's Introduction to Birdwatching (Subbuteo Books, 2002)
• Bill Oddie's Colouring Guide to Birds (Piccolo, 1991)
• Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book
• Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book (paperback with additional material)
• Bill Oddie's Gone Birding
• The Big Bird Race (with David Tomlinson; Collins, 1983)
• Follow That Bird!
• Gripping Yarns
• Bird in the Nest
• Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife
• One Flew into the Cuckoos Egg (Autobiography)

Bill Oddie also co-wrote the Springwatch & Autumnwatch book with Kate Humble and Simon King.

Co-written with the other members of The Goodies:

• The Goodies File
• The Goodies Book of Criminal Records
• The Goodies Disaster Movie

Co-written with Laura Beaumont:

• The Toilet Book (or 11 & 1/2 minutes a day and how not to waste them) (Methuen, 1984, ISBN 978-0-413-56910-3)

Contributions[link]

• Confessions of a Scilly Birdman, David Hunt; Croom Helm, 1985. ISBN 0-7099-3724-5 (foreword and postscript)
• Bird in the Yorkshire Museum, Michael Denton; North Yorkshire County Council, 1995. ISBN 0-905807-10-3 (foreword)
• Bird Brain of Britain, Charles Gallimore & Tim Appleton; Christopher Helm, 2004. ISBN 0-7136-7036-3 (foreword)
• Blokes and Birds, Stephen Moss; New Holland Publishers. ISBN 1-84330-484-8 (foreword)
• The New Birds of the West Midlands, Graham and Janet Harrison (West Midland Bird Club, 2005) ISBN 0-9507881-2-0 (foreword^[32])

In popular culture[link]

In the fictional world of comedy character Alan Partridge, Oddie is an unseen presence in Alan's life.

He has also been referenced, often humorously, by the hosts of Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson even used a mask with Bill Oddie's face to escape speed cameras while racing the Nissan GT-R against the Bullet train in Japan in the 4th episode of Top Gear's 11th series. James May also raced in Finland against a Bill Oddie lookalike, who won the race.

References[link]

• Wilmut, Roger (1980). From Fringe to Flying Circus — Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980. London: Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-46950-6. 
• Hewison, Robert (1983). Footlights! — A Hundred Years of Cambridge Comedy. London: Methuen. ISBN 0-413-51150-2. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• Bill Oddie at the Internet Movie Database
• Bill Oddie at the Internet Broadway Database
• Bill Oddie at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Bill Oddie's family history at the BBC website for the programme Who Do You Think You Are?
• Bill Oddie Goes Wild – on BBC's Science and Nature website
• In-depth interview, The Telegraph, 28 April 2005
• Gigrin Farm chapter from Gripping Yarns
• Oddie on UKTV