Goodie, 78, reveals he had lithium toxicity

Bill Oddie has revealed that he has been close to death this summer.

The former Goodie, 78, told fans that he had lithium toxicity –  symptoms of which can include tremors, trouble walking, kidney problems, and  change in mental status.

Writing on Twitter he said: ‘Just so you know, I have been very ill most of this summer. Lithium toxicity. Almost fatal! 

‘I am still here but very confused about most things! But then aren't many of us. IT fuddles my brain.Confusion. Will I return ? I Really dunno. I do hope so. Please wish me luck. XX"

‘I am nearly 79. My fingers get tangled on a keyboard, and are too clumsy for a mobile. I wont go through all the things I can't do. Just about everything. I am NOT kidding. It is driving me crazy, and that drives my wife crazy too.This is VERY serious. Help!’

Lithium is the main medicine used to treat bipolar disorder in the UK, which Oddie suffers from. He was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2001 and has spoken of how his illness caused him to attempt suicide.

Fans wished him well on social media, Danny Baker tweeted: ‘All the best, Bill. I hope your confusion gets no worse than forgetting a few solos on Little Feat albums and so hear them again for the first time.’

Born in  Rochdale, Lancashire, in 1941, Oddie moved to Birmingham at a young age. He got into comedy while at Cambridge University through the Footlights Club and appeared in the groundbreaking 1963 review  A Clump of Plinths, alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman, John Cleese and others.

After an  Edinburgh Fringe run in transferred to  the West End and Broadway, and spawned the hit radio show BBC radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, where his contributions included the musical numbers.

Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden formed  The Goodies in 1970, and the show ran on TV until 1982. The troupe also  released records, including Funky Gibbon and Black Pudding Bertha. The team also  voiced characters on the 1983 animated children's programme Bananaman.

Oddie has been a lifelong birdwatcher and has hosted a number of successful nature programmes for the BBC including Springwatch and Bill Oddie Goes Wild. In 2003, he was made an OBE for his service to Wildlife Conservation.

Published: 5 Sep 2020