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He's no Goodie ...viewers angry at Oddie over dead squirrel joke
Georgina Littlejohn04.11.08
ANOTHER BBC presenter has come under fire after showing a close-up of a dead squirrel on a family programme.
Viewers of BBC2's Autumnwatch complained last night after host Bill Oddie broadcast video film shot at his home in Hampstead. It showed a grey squirrel lying dead next to an electric cable it had tried to bite through. Oddie, 67, was heard laughing as he told viewers: "It's not a sleeping squirrel, he's literally dead," and joked: "You squirrels, don't do it. Better red than dead."
Jane Marshall, 42, who was watching with her three children, said: "It seemed as if Bill Oddie was getting a kick out of filming a dead squirrel."
A BBC statement said today: "Autumnwatch has a duty to show nature 'as it is', which sometimes includes scenes of death."
Reader views (7)
This was a great opportunity to try Gordon Ramsay's spiced squirrel recipe.
- Anthony F, London UK
Bill Oddie was very taciturn and arrogant with a news presenter the other morning when he was very obstructive and offhand in replying to a question about red squirrels rising in numbers. On Autumnwatch he complains incessantly about the cold. Perhaps he cannot find a hat big enough to contain his head?
- John, London
Nothing wrong with a dead grey. Hopefully more people will take to eating them as well. This way we can protect our native reds.
- Charles Britten, Manchester, England
This is nonsense. We're all getting too sensitive. We were right to get upset over Ross and Brand but Bill Oddie? over a dead squirrel? And Jeremy Clarkson was, I think, being ironic. Don't lets get carried away; they did that during the French Revolution!
- Sushi, London UK
It looked like a twitcher to me.
- David, Guildford
Why are presenters so arrogant these days? Come on BBC - get a grip and keep these people in check.
- Ray M, Poole, England
Send him the way of Brand and Ross. And Clarkson too. And Paxman, Bruce and all the others. Then we can shut down the BBC and save ourselves £135 each year, which we can spend on a Sky subscription.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
