R.i.p. The Man Of A Thousand Voices

[Buenchico]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66758400

[JimF]

He certainly blazed a trail for the likes of Colshaw, McGowan et al to follow, but there was always that dreaded moment at the end of his TV shows when he said "And this is me"...

[jno]

still the largest single Christmas Day audience. I suppose in these debased times everyone spends Christmas Day listening to podcasts.

[Lie-in King]

Sad news. I was pretty good at impressions & used to watch him avidly.

RIP Mike.

[Barsel]

Who can/could you do L-I-K?
I used to do a pretty good Ethel Merman.
RI.P Mike.

[JimF]

Just watched the 1973 Christmas Special - it really hasn't aged well...

[Lie-in King]

Barsel - I copied Mike Yarwood (I wasn't clever enough to come up with my own scripts) & was good at quite a few teachers, to their annoyance & the delight of my schoolmates. A bit of practice & I could probably manage the list again quite passably (they're easy in my head...).

Nowadays, I don't really bother trying just for myself to hear :-)

[Barsel]

I used to entertain my parents, they were probably the only ones who could put up with me.

[barry1010]

I enjoyed his shows, Thatcher was the end of his career. I don't think she did it intentionally.
I have no urge to watch his series again, though - very much of its time.
Stanley Baxter is still with us

[andy-hughes]

He was very much of his time, hopefully there won't be a 'tribute' show, which will only expose how limited and dated he actually was, to modern eyes and ears.

[maggiebee]

JimF - //1973 Christmas Special really hasn't aged well// Have any of us Jim? Sure if I looked at a photo of myself taken 50 years I would just shake my head.

[choux]

I find it a little sad that he at one time was a top-line entertainer with an audience of up to 21m (yes, pre all the streaming available now) according to BBC Breakfast today. He underwent treatment for depression and lived alone in Surrey until moving to the Royal Variety's Brinsworth House and it was the Royal Variety who announced his death. I have seen a report where his family ask for privacy at this time. He made 82 though, more than many others.

Of course his material was "dated" - in the same way as will be Jon Culshaw's Ozzy Osbourne in time. From the clips put out by the BBC today, we of a certain age found all his characters immediately recognisable.

RIP Mike Yarwood.

[andy-hughes]

Even though he was hugely popular, at the time I just never found his impressions to be as convincing as everyone else appeared to.

And his awful 'And this is me ...' ending when he sang badly, just seemed to emphasise that his 'actual' voice and face were not at all far from his 'impressions'.

But he was massively popular, and I do join everyone in condolences to his family.

[10ClarionSt]

I agree with the comment about "this is me". But Mike Yarwood did passable impressions, I thought. People always knew who the person was that he was impersonating. I saw him live in 1979 at The Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester when he did a special performance for the Guild of Spar Grocers. Tis true folks. I believe it cost them two grand. He wasn't happy because people in the audience complained that (a), they couldn't hear him and (b) some of them couldn't see him. He wasn't on long, as I seem to remember he was also doing a week at the Golden Garter in Wythenshawe. I thought he was ok and enjoyed his shows. As others have said, he was of his time. Aren't we all?!!