BILL ODDIE: Goodie Goodie glum glum...
STEVE Coogan has
★ returned to Munty!
The comedy actor reprises his role as Malador in the new series, which starts on Wednesday at 10pm on Dave. And the cast were thrilled to have the Alan Partridge star, pictured left with Paul Kaye, back on the set. James Buckley, who plays hapless Brian Weaver, told us: “Having Mr Coogan back was just great. “We’ve got a few good guest stars this series, which is fantastic. “It’s nice for viewers to be surprised. And I like getting to work with different people.”
BILL Oddie has been forced into retirement because he can’t get television work.
For decades the ex-Goodie was one of the busiest stars on the box but he now spends his days sitting at home.
Bill said: “I’d like to do more TV. But whether I like it or not I seem to be retired from making big programmes. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it goes.
“You never find anybody to explain these things. It’s happened to a lot of people.
“What’s been disappointing is I frequently come up with ideas. And I’m often asked for ideas by TV companies. And then it goes quiet.
“You think ‘OK, maybe they didn’t like it’. But they don’t tell you if that’s the case. It’s a bit discourteous. TV is a ruthless industry and getting more so.”
Bill admits he struggled to cope when his telly jobs started to dry up.
He said: “I was quite resentful. I’d say ‘What am I supposed to do now?’ when I was talking to myself. But I’ve come to realise I’m not going to be able to do the same sort of series as I have in the past. It ain’t going to happen. Once I accepted that it was much easier. “Nowadays I do enjoy my weeks a lot. I do have things to do. I’ll finish an article in the morning and then I’ll rush outside to feed the birds. So I am still quite busy. You can fill a day being at home quite easily.” Bill became one of Britain’s bestloved nature experts when he fronted shows including Springwatch.
But these days he finds it too tough to watch the series he used to work on.
He said: “I don’t watch Springwatch. But why should I? I did four or five years on that show. So, with the greatest respect to the people who make it, I don’t want to watch somebody else doing it.
“Also, when a series is going for 10 years or more you’re going to be repeating yourself. I know Chris Packham and he’ll say to me ‘We’re going to do puffins next week’ and I’m thinking ‘Yeah, we did them’. You’re not going to find new things.”
Bill became a household name in the 70s as part of comedy act The Goodies.
The dad-of-three reckons the television industry is worse these days.
He said: “Telly is getting more penny-pinching and cautious. I’m very glad that I had my main time working in TV and radio in the 70s and 80s.
“When I think of the things we did with natural history and comedy shows, you just couldn’t do them now. They wouldn’t do them now for all sorts of reasons.”