Mike Yarwood

Dominic · September 2023

I hadn't realised he was still alive but I remember when he was the iconic impressionist

hollywoodrox · September 2023

Oh no ,saw a pic of him with Richard o Sullivan floating about at a home for retired stars ,very sad

rze99 · September 2023

RIP
As a little boy his memorable impressions of big name personalities made me want to do impressions too and I got into a LOT of trouble at schools for taking off teachers which my friends enjoyed a lot. And. I loved it. Thanks Mike.

rze99 · September 2023

PS he was younger than I thought.

blobb · September 2023

Wasn't he responsible for everybody thinking Frank Spencer said Ooh Betty and all that when he never did. An Icon.

axisus · September 2023

He was so big in the 70s, Saturday evening entertainment. We liked him at the time, but I honestly haven’t seen any of his stuff since back then. I’d imagine it’s all pretty tame by modern standards, but good on him for becoming a household name in his era.

scrumhalf · September 2023

Thatcher effectively ruined his career. He mafe a living off the Heath-Wilson years, and when Thatcher and Callaghan were in office that was the beginning of the end.

We've had two cornerstones of 70s Saturday night telly pass in recent weeks, three if you go back a bit and include John Motson.

Dominic · September 2023

rze99 said:

RIP
As a little boy his memorable impressions of big name personalities made me want to do impressions too and I got into a LOT of trouble at schools for taking off teachers which my friends enjoyed a lot. And. I loved it. Thanks Mike.

Me too
As a 12 year old we were told to prepare something for a fund raiser ; some kids made a papier mache model,others baked cakes with their mothers , etc etc ....A few prepared a poetry reading and some did a choral rendition of something or other.
Everybody went to a lot of trouble including one swotty kid who played piano and learnt one of the Chopin preludes
I ,as usual ,did nothing.
The day came and I hoped to slip the net amidst the excitement and general melee......no such luck , Mr Forbes,my nemesis made a beeline for me demanding to see my offering upon pain of a whole term Saturday detention if I had done nothing .
I grimaced ,squirmed and then had an epiphany......I'd never been on a stage in my life but I told him I was going to do a show thinking that it wouldn't make the agenda as I had never shown any drama interest.
He called my bluff along with calling me onto the stage after assembly along with the Wordsworth reciters etc.
I thought on my feet and did a series of impressions which included Kenneth Williams,Frankie Howerd,Frank Spencer and Leonard Rossiter........all inspired by Mike Yarwood, whose show I loved......it went very well and I discovered a hidden talent.I got a bit bold as I ran out of material but egged-on by a good reception I then did about 4 or 5 teachers which had the other kids in stitches .They hauled me off the stage to huge applause from the kids and gave me a one-off detention for 'insubordination'.
I was called to the Headmasters Study at lunchtime whilst basking in my newly found 'Hero' status .....I went fearing the worst but was told that my 'Charade' had generated more revenue than everybody else put together and that my detention was cancelled on condition that I never repeated any of the Teacher impressions again !
It was ,sadly.the finest hour of my young academic life ........and ,the Tuck Shop lady gave me free crisps and Sherbert Dip-Dabs for a week !..........." OOOH MATRON ! "
Thankyou Mike

EricTheWeary · September 2023

Yes a big star in his day and a familiar face from my childhood, I think every child in Britain added Ooh Betty to their vocabulary.
RIP.

Dominic · September 2023

'ooh Betty , the cat did a whoopsie in my Beret '..............to be precise

ESBlonde · September 2023

He suffered a huge loss of confidence and all but gave up performing. Iconic TV star of his day.
RIP

Shrews · September 2023

Another star from my childhood gone. He was never my favourite but my dad liked him and therefore we watched quite a bit of him during the 70's/80's. He was always a good, enjoyable watch.

Headed up Christmas TV on the Beeb in 1978. Those were the days!

https://ukchristmastv.weebly.com/christmas-radio-times-covers-from-1969.html

Chalky · September 2023

I used to go see comedians in cabaret regularly back in the 70s. Saw most of the big names that did the circuits back then. Most did about an hour after the warm-up act. Mike Yarwood did about 55 minutes then went off, no encore. We felt a bit short-changed. Then after a 10 minute break he returned and did another hour! He had so much material and was very naturally funny indeed. Absolutely in his element in a cabaret setting. A wonderful evening. RIP.

Philly_Q · September 2023

Very much a name which will mean nothing to anyone under 50, but I remember watching his shows with my dad, back in the '70s and early '80s. I only recently learned he was at Brinsworth House along with Richard O'Sullivan, sorry to hear he's gone. RIP.

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