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I was sad to learn Mike Yarwood died yesterday. I hesitate to say “the end of an era” but it does feel like it. Are any of those big stars of light entertainment from the 1970s and 80s left? I can’t think of any
And Yarwood was a big star in his day. A lot of people under 40 may have barely heard of him or not even heard of him at all but his BBC show drew huge audiences. Over 20 million on Christmas Day in that era of just three channels.
I suppose he was fortunate in he could do good impressions of Harold Wilson and Edward Heath at a time when they were the dominant politicians of the age. Perhaps Yarwood’s light entertainment style was going out of fashion anyway but the rise to power of Mrs Thatcher was clearly not helpful for his career. He disappeared from our screens from about the mid 1980s.
I have not seen any of his material for ages and perhaps there is an element of viewing the past through rose tinted glasses. A glance at some of the 1970s shows on nostalgia channels reveals a lot of them are not as good as they are remembered to be. But Yarwood did have a very successful career for a while.
I knew he had been living in an actors home in Twickenham for several years and was not in the best of health. RIP to him.
I was reading that our Queen liked him, and apparently delayed their Christmas dinner for an hour when he had a Christmas day special.
I haven’t heard of him for years, and assumed wrongly he had already died.
But at his peak on his time on this earth, he was liked/loved by tens of millions.
Shame he just disappeared into relative obscurity, while other populars from yesteryear have been treasured until they passed.
“I suppose he was fortunate in he could do good impressions of Harold Wilson and Edward Heath at a time when they were the dominant politicians of the age.”
CAS just nailed to the word what my Dad said about Mike Yarwood.
He reckoned Yarwood did a cracking Wilson and Heath, Callaghan gave him less scope and Thatcher was the final nail in the coffin.
Yarwood was of his time, but I liked him as a kid as did millions.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"He did a good impression of Denis Healey as well. And, on a less serious note, Frank Spencer. “Some Mothers Do Ave Em” was hugely popular at the time.
It is easy to think of Yarwood as middle of the road but he did cause controversy by impersonating the then Prince Charles. Some people accused him of being disrespectful. I remember my grandfather being furious during those sketches!
I did not realise until seeing it on social media last night that the actress who played Princess Diana in some of those sketches was a very young Emma Freud.
He did a fine Jimmy Carter too, not only the distinctive southern drawl but the moist-eyed hang-doggish face too
A good laugh all round
He always finished by singing in character, “My Way” and always said “And this is me.”
His impersonation of Harold Wilson was good, that in Morecambe and Wise when Harold Wilson guest starred Eric Morecambe said, that great Mike, can’t you do anyone else.
Also did Jimmy Savile, but that was before we knew the truth, so won’t hold it against him.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.Mike Yarwood dies and then Post Impressionist wins at Haydock.
I like to think he would have found that amusing.
Interesting, if brief, article about him. Genuinely a bit ‘before my time’ but it’s clear that many of the impressionists I do know owe him something.
He was so good, that he had the slot, after the Queen’s message on Christmas Day.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.A sample of his performances.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.Reading his obituary, it seems Yarwood began to suffer from terrible stage fright. He also started drinking heavily and his marriage broke up.
I still think the end of that Wilson and Heath era and changing tastes in comedy hurt his career as well but there was clearly a bit more going on than I thought.
It was sad how his career rather petered out.
Strange that a number of performers of the same era had stage fright , I believe Emery had similar issues
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Dick Emery is another one who is probably unknown to anyone under 40. His stage fright got so bad he even underwent hypnosis to try to cure it.
No doubt some people will think the attached clip is “homophobic” but it is worth noting the comments where several gay men say they think it is funny. Because it is:
It’s funny , camp and harmless , John Inmanesgue , I still regularly watch the Mrs Slocombe pussy clips on youtube , never fail to make me laugh
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With the death of Mike Yarwood, I began thinking of other impressionist of his era, namely Janet Brown and Faith Brown.
Faith Brown is still alive, (born Eunice Irene Carroll; 28 May 1944) and
Janet McLuckie Brown (14 December 1923 – 27 May 2011) in my mind the better impersonator.You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.I may not have been the most discerning of viewers being quite young but I thought he peaked in the early seventies. I really enjoyed those early series.I don’t think it was all impressions at that stage. A few sketches and observational humour too. adrienne Posta was a regular co star. The material seemed good to me at the time.
Those who only remember the stuff from the ’80s tend to be highly critical and they have a point.
When watching his David Frost and Malcolm Muggeridge with facial contortions my aunty remarked that it must be a huge strain.Though I thought her a silly cow at the time, she may well have been right.
It must be alarming as a performer to realise the ability is no longer there.
Thanks for the good years Mike
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