# Where Is Mike Yarwood?



## phildwyer (Mar 5, 2012)

Google just turns up some vague stuff about alcoholism and stage fright.  Sounds a bit weird.  He's only 70 years old, I thought he died ages ago.

Anyone know what happened to him?


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## Hocus Eye. (Mar 5, 2012)

Apparently sometime in the '90s he is supposed to have said that couple of people one of which was horrifyingly enough Tony Blair, were 'nice guys'. This of course would have rendered him unemployable and require him to go underground to avoid the embarrassment of explaining himself.


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## Mr Moose (Mar 5, 2012)

He went completely off his trolley a few years back and shot a few youngsters who didn't 'get' his Denis Healey. I think that was it anyway.

Who's a silly billy?


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## marty21 (Mar 5, 2012)

Mr Moose said:


> He went completely off his trolley a few years back and shot a few youngsters who didn't 'get' his Denis Healey. I think that was it anyway.
> 
> Who's a silly billy?


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Mar 5, 2012)

. . . . and now this is me.


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## Bernie Gunther (Mar 5, 2012)

phildwyer said:


> Google just turns up some vague stuff about alcoholism and stage fright. Sounds a bit weird. He's only 70 years old, I thought he died ages ago.
> 
> Anyone know what happened to him?


 
Did he go missing just around 9/11?

(paging Dr Jazz)


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## clicker (Mar 5, 2012)

He never got over Maggie getting into number 10....join the sodding queue Mike.

But I do recall the stage fright being mentioned at the time of his disappearance..he could be the new Lord Lucan....


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## editor (Mar 5, 2012)

Bernie Gunther said:


> Did he go missing just around 9/11?
> 
> (paging Dr Jazz)


Don't forget that Jazzz insisted that there were a crack team of impersonators on hand to perfectly impersonate the passengers on one of the flights during that day.


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## Ground Elder (Mar 5, 2012)

If ever there was a need for Yarwood's razor sharp satire and coruscating wit it is now. I reckon he'd do a killer Len McCluskey, before ending on a nice song.


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## marty21 (Mar 6, 2012)

He could still do John Prescott, and plenty of crusty old Lords and veteran MPs


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## Bernie Gunther (Mar 6, 2012)

editor said:


> Don't forget that Jazzz insisted that there were a crack team of impersonators on hand to perfectly impersonate the passengers on one of the flights during that day.


 
The recollection of your Yarwood-related remarks at that time was precisely what made the connection in my mind.


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## Wilf (Mar 6, 2012)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> . . . . and now this is me.


 That was always the problem, the bland singing where he revealed his own personality at the end of the show.  Mind, the rest of the show that preceded it wasn't that great by modern standards.

In the 70s at least he was quite the superstar.  Partly I suppose the lack of competition on TV at least.  Soon as comedy went a tiny bit edgier under Thatcher he was done for.  Anyway, that's enough of me showing my age.


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## clicker (Mar 6, 2012)

He was probably responsible for me being able to name politicians as a six year old though....


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## phildwyer (Mar 7, 2012)

Ground Elder said:


> If ever there was a need for Yarwood's razor sharp satire and coruscating wit it is now.


 
Actually he was utter crap to judge from YouTube.


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## phildwyer (Mar 7, 2012)

Wilf said:


> In the 70s at least he was quite the superstar


 
His 1977 Christmas Special is the Most Watched Program of all time, God help us.


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## Ground Elder (Mar 7, 2012)

phildwyer said:


> Actually he was utter crap to judge from YouTube.


Clearly you missed the biting satire and coruscating wit in my post. Those of us who suffered him inthe 70s don't need youtube to remind us how crap he was,you silly billy.


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## Orang Utan (Mar 7, 2012)

Have to say I'm not a fan of impersonations in general. Or impersonators, I should say. It's always embarrassing seeing them shoehorning their tired old impersonations on panel shows. Why can't the just be funny?


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## ElizabethofYork (Mar 7, 2012)

He could only really "do" Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, so when they left politics he was rather stuck. 

He was never very good, but I suppose he was the only impersonator around at the time!


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## Mr Moose (Mar 7, 2012)

His show was great and the talk of the playground. 'Ooh Betty the cat done a whoopsie' was a good one. 

Lawd knows what you lot were up to at the time. Too busy with Violin practice I expect.

I'm certainly not going to do anything as daft as watch clips of it to check if I'm correct.


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## danny la rouge (Mar 7, 2012)

ElizabethofYork said:


> He was never very good, but I suppose he was the only impersonator around at the time!


Indeed.  And his gags were terrible.

I remember his House of Common sketch when he impersonated everyone in Parliament.  That was a feat of technology at the time, and memorable for that.

Mind you, I don't find impressionists funny in general.  Most seem to think that doing a voice is a joke in itself.  It isn't.

What happened to Yarwood?  He became dated, and unemployable due to alcoholism.


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## dogDBC (Mar 7, 2012)

clicker said:


> He was probably responsible for me being able to name politicians as a six year old though....


 
Ha! It's funny 'cos it's true etc. Thinking about it though,how bizarre. I was a wee 'un in the 1970s and - fuck me - if we didn't amuse each other in the playground between games of Top Trumps and marbles by doing impersonations of...the _Chancellor of the Exchequer. _

Eh?


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