Bill Oddie, the revered nature presenter who has died at the age of 85, was known for many things: acting, birding, painting and comedy among them.

For fans of Steve Coogan’s comic character Alan Partridge, however, Oddie is also remembered as a perennial point of reference for the fictional Norfolk media presenter.

Oddie was name-checked in every episode of the first season of I’m Alan Partridge, often framed as a celebrity friend of Partridge, and would go on to be mentioned in many later projects, including Partridge’s mock memoir Nomad and the later TV series Alan Partridge's Mid Morning Matters.

The late Springwatch presenter took Coogan’s fascination in good humour, joking to The Independent in 2013: “Anything I can do to discredit the idea that I have even heard of Mr Partridge, let alone befriended him, is most welcome.”

Asked what it’s like to be framed as a thorn in the side of Coogan’s comedy creation, he responded: “Do you know, a good number of people have asked the very same thing! But why should I be upset about it? Some have suggested he is setting me up, but I don't think he is, actually.

“And even if he were, well, it's a compliment. Partridge is a good act.”

Oddie revealed that he had penned a letter to Coogan asking him about his motivations (“twice, in fact”), but had never heard back.

“There wasn't [a response]!” he said. “Bloody typical, eh? When you call his bluff, Alan is not there to respond. I suppose he thinks he's staying in character…”

The references to Oddie across Coogan’s work have ranged from benign mentions – as in one episode of I’m Alan Partridge when a phone message from a B Oddie is misidentified as a prank call due to its similarity with the word “body” – to a sort of morbid whimsey.

In an episode of Mid-Morning Matters, Partridge quizzes a Special Forces expert on what he would do if Oddie spearheaded a terrorist attack by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), likening the presenter to “a bearded Catherine wheel scything through the crowd”.

Writing as Partridge in The Guardian in 2016, Coogan described an incident in which Oddie “pinned [Springwatch successor] Chris Packham to a wall”, only to realise, once putting on his glasses, that he was instead accosting Sue Barker.

Elsewhere, in his memoir, Partridge claimed that Oddie taught him “how to remain still for long periods of time and go completely undetected in undergrowth and shrubbery" – utilising the lesson to spy on his wife Carol’s infidelities.

It may be no surprise that Oddie was able to take the Alan Partridge association in his stride, given his background in comedy: the TV star started out in the Cambridge Footlights comedy organisation, before writing for and starring in programmes including Sorry I’ll Read That Again and That Was the Week That Was.

Alongside Graeme Garden and the late Tim Brooke-Taylor, Oddie was part of the successful comedy trio The Goodies between 1970 and 1982, during which time they fronted their own TV show.

In a statement announcing Oddie’s death earlier today (27 July), friend and agent David Foster said: “It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Bill Oddie, the country’s best-loved birder.

“Bill was a multi-talented celebrity – wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist. Yet it was never fame that he valued. Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment.

“He taught us the wonder of it. He protested, lobbied and campaigned for it. He led the way and people of all ages and backgrounds responded to his call. And such a massive contribution to conservation will never be forgotten.”