Aspects for the week beginning 2 August 2026

Bill Oddie (1941 – 2026)

“He was utterly committed to his work; and in my view, was one of a handful of true geniuses to have graced our television screens.”

~ Stephen Moss (producer of Springwatch)

Comedian and wildlife advocate Bill has died at the age of 85.  He wore many hats, even beside the two main ones: a television presenter, a writer, performer, an artist and a musician among them.

Birth Chart

We do not have a birth time, and therefore are without the Ascendant, but within his noon chart, we can find his many attributes archetypes.  He had the Sun in Cancer, which usually brings a bond with the mother, but in his case, with the absence of his mother due to her mental health problems, the intense feeling brought about a negative – at one stage of his life he was on record as saying he hated her.

The Moon (his ruling planet) at Noon was exactly square to Neptune, so allowing for the distortion of his birth time we can safely say it represents the condition of his mother as having been diagnosed as schizophrenic.  Furthermore, the Moon was square to the Nodal Axis, suggesting the karmic conditions which might have led to an absent mother.

His Sun in Cancer was conjunct Mercury, and this lent the archetype as a communicator, in the shape of the television presenter.

Mercury squaring Mars depicts his temper: he had a reputation for being grouchy. “I’m known as a bit of a bad-tempered bugger” he once said.

Venus in Leo trine Mars conferred many talents; the performer, the artist and the musician among them.

Mars exactly trine Pluto gave him a powerhouse of energy, enabling a prolific output of song-writing, book writing and other activities.  He seemed constantly on the go.

Curiously, Jupiter, the planet which represents Comedy, was unaspected in his chart, but that may have made his comedy especially free-spirited.  Jupiter in Gemini may be a factor in his concentration on bird life within his general care of wildlife.

His Neptune conjunct the North Node (karmic mission) in Virgo accounts for his sensitivity to the environment and the creatures that live on the planet.  In this he was a beacon in his time.  He had a difficult conjunction between Saturn and Uranus [and additionally a difficult psychological conjunction between Pluto and Chiron], but Saturn/Uranus was trine his Neptune/North Node/karmic mission towards the planet, and was able to support and enable it, while registering the anguish (Saturn/Uranus) he felt: the Conservationist Archetype.  He was a member of the Green party.

Life and Career

He was born in Rochdale, but the family moved to Birmingham early in his life.  He was brought up by his father and his grandmother, because of his mother’s aforementioned absence, her hospitalization at the Barnsley Hall Hospital psychiatric facility [represented by the Moon square Neptune in his chart].  When talking about his grandmother later in life, he was not particularly complimentary, but did credit her with inspiring a birdwatching habit from a young age.

At school, he captained the school’s rugby team [the Mars exactly trine Pluto powerhouse of energy].

He went on to study English Literature (a subject associated with the sign of Cancer) at Cambridge, where he also joined Footlights and met fellow comedians he was destined to work with in his career.  At that time, he wrote scripts for “That Was The Week That Was” (remember that?).

After immersing himself in a burgeoning career within radio and television, from 1970 to 1982 he formed a trio with Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor for a comedy series “The Goodies” on television which he co-wrote.  It was madcap, slapstick, zany and quirky.  He co-wrote songs for it, the most memorable being “The Funky Gibbon”, one of their most prominent hit singles.  Astrologically, the period of inception of this trio coincided with his Saturn Return, an important cycle for the structures in life. Tim Brooke-Taylor was a fellow Cancerian, while Garden was an Aquarian.

Bill Oddie had been writing about birds ever since an early published work of 1962, but in 1985 he became the subject of a Nature Watch special, being interviewed by Julian Pettifer.  Taking place on 30th July 1985, Pluto was square his Chiron/Pluto (a challenge) and Mars was conjunct his Pluto/Venus (invigorating his passions) and more harmoniously from the point of view of his total expression the North Node (karma) was sextile his natal Sun in Cancer.  Some of his books were illustrated paintings and drawings of his own [his Venus in Leo trine Mars].

In 2005 to 2008 he hosted Springwatch, and then from 2006 to 2008 he hosted Autumnwatch, a programme he delighted in.

He was married twice, first to Jeanne Hart, with whom he had two daughters, and then to Laura Beaumont-Giles with whom he had another daughter.

Health

Bill Oddie made no secret of his lifelong depression, for which he was officially diagnosed in 2001.  His agent 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.”  In 2010 he mentioned that bipolar disorder was part of the mix.  His illness meant that he spent periods of time unable to work.  During his appearance on “Who Do You Think You Are?” he expressed the view that his depression and bipolar disorder were linked with his relationship with his almost completely absent mother.

Something which brought him especial immense pain was being dropped from Springwatch due to his illness.

He was a self-declared atheist and humanist, and at his death Pluto opposed his natal Pluto (the finality of death).  Saturn also squared his natal Sun, symbolically extinguishing his vitality.  But he had on some occasions in his life attempted suicide, so there may have been an element of blessed relief: shown by Neptune (spirituality) trine his natal Venus/Pluto conjunction (anguish), Uranus trine that point (also part of the Barbault Cradle) and Jupiter on his Venus/Pluto (elevation to bliss…)

The presenter now fronting Springwatch, Chris Packham, left a wonderful tribute, which I feel bound to post in full here, capturing the real man:

“A renegade polymath with binoculars and a beard, Bill was invariably funny and occasionally furious. He loved birds and loathed those who harmed them. He was delightfully unpredictable, sparky, smart and at times a bit spiky. Critically he really knew his stuff, and his passion was true – he didn’t just pick up his binoculars on telly, he went birding whenever he could. So he was genuine and that’s why we loved him, he never needed a script, and took scant interest in any he was given. He didn’t like rules and often neglected to play by them. This may have frustrated the serious and the worthy but it always amused his audience – he was an utter joy to be with. I recall finding a Black Woodpecker in a damp Dutch park with him once, he gazed at it intently, sighed, put down his bins, turned to me and just smiled. A massive grin. No words, just a beautiful childlike bliss. That says all you need to know about Bill Oddie.”

There is often a sadness at the flip side of a comedian, and it certainly was so in Bill’s case.

He even got a mention in the first book of my trilogy, I am proud to say!

May he rest in Peace.

Quoting the annals of the White Rose magazine, May 2006:

“On the following Monday at 4.20 p.m. a new-born woodlouse appeared, hardly bigger than a speck.  Sharon imagined doing a report about it for Bill Oddie.”

~  ”The Quiet Office”, Volume I – The Mundane and the Mystical, by Lana Wooster

Aspects

I only have three featured events for you this week!  The first is Chiron Stationary prior to turning Retrograde tomorrow (Monday August 3^rd).  This will see us start to retrace some steps on our healing pathway.  A particular healing issue may crop up today to highlight this; perhaps you have gone as far as you can with a particular line of healing, and may need to revise or go over old ground for a while.  There may be more understanding to be achieved, for instance, about the emotional component of the healing issue.

We then skip to Thursday (6^th), when Venus enters Libra, making her graceful entrance with a sigh of satisfaction.  She is so at home here…You may be pondering relationships or money issues.  Venus is happy and harmonious in this sign, and that may assist you in finding the sweet words to overcome any tensions.  She will be there until 10^th September, giving you the chance to hone your design skills, whether it be in art, music, fashion or interior design.

Finally, and thirdly, on Friday (7^th) the Sun will be trine Saturn, occurring in the early hours of the morning, so you may find it in evidence the night before.  Dreaming may be constructive in nature, e.g. as in you might find yourself in a lego or Minecraft scenario!  It’s a stabilizing note.  This enables the re-establishment of a foothold on reality, if that is what you might need.  It is a solid and productive aspect.  If you are engaged in creativity, it can help ensure that it works on a practical level.  It is also a good aspect for making plans and laying foundations, and counting your chickens.

The week in bullet points:

• Monday – re-tracing healing avenues
• Thursday – grace and beauty
• Saturday – constructive; laying foundations or even completing plans