Mike Yarwood passed away a few days ago. He was mega popular over a period of about 25 years being a regular on BBC tv through the 60 s, 70 s and 80 s. He was for me, one of the top performers of that period and part of the weekly entertainment dished out when I believe UK light entertainment was at its peak.
Up there with Peter Goodwright as the best mimic ever.
Anyone agree ?
I recalled PM was interviewed on the Beeb by David Frost or Wogan if I recall. Wilson was asked what he thought of Yarwood’s impersonation of him to which Wilson replied “ he’s very good, much better than me “ !
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Hello. I don’t know who Peter Goodwright is. However, although agreeing that Mike Yarwood was a very popular performer, I think that his abilities as a mimic fall well short of several others who have appeared on our screens more recently.
He was a man for his time. But also the essence of a humorous impersonator is not that they exactly reproduce the subject, but that they make them funny. Yarwood had this in spades, but no-one would mistake him for Heath or Wilson.
He stopped being funny for the public in the 80s because his gentle idea of humour was replaced with stuff like spitting image, and mocking instead of laughing along together.
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On the radio they said that he ‘couldn’t get hold of Thatcher’ and that Major held no interest for him, but that the real reason for his decline was alcohol. Apparently he had terrifying stage fright and used it to excess which presumably ruined his talent. That means he started to fade from our screens when he was in his 60s I think.
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There was also the suggestion that he couldn’t cope with going from 20 milion viewers to being just another performer. Or most likely a combination of all the above.
When I think of Mike Yarwood, I think of my grandparents and being at their house as a youngster, with them watching him on the tv - fond memories 
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He was residing in Brinsworth house for around the last two years due to ill health. Its a home for retired and ill entertainers. Richard O’ Sullivan has been a resident for many years due to ill health, another great entertainer from those years when we only had a couple of tv chanels.