The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show 1978
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- Опубликовано: 17 дек 2017
- On election night 1979, the BBC filled some of the time between the polls closing and the first results with a repeat of Mike Yarwood's Christmas special from the previous year - presumably because it was full of impressions of politicians.
This recording is taken from that 1979 repeat, which is why it opens with about a minute of the election coverage before David Dimbleby seamlessly segues into the light-ent. 
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Who else is now looking on the net for Mike Yarwood? Anyone in their mid 60's grew up with him and still funny. How times were so much calmer as a child in those days.
Very true
When you have ABBA as your musical guest you know you’re a superstar which Mike was in the 70’s
Dude just casually introduces Abba. RIP
R.I.P.Mike..you made so many of us laugh at your amazing impressions.
42 years ago - and a special appearance from ABBA. Incredible.
I haven't seen or heard Mike Yarwood since the 70s. Now I remember why I liked him so much. What a great impressionist, comedian and entertainer he was!
Among the eagerly anticipated Christmas events was always the Mike Yarwood show. Along with the Queen's speech, the obligatory Boxing Night blockbuster movie (which was already years old by the time it got TV syndication) and the Christmas No1. Anybody over a certain age who grew up in Britain will know what I mean. Great memories!
Don't forget TOTP!
You forgot to mention what programme defined the viewers Christmas namely The Morecambe and Wise Show.
I looked forward to all bar the queen's speech
@@kevinjackson292 Yes indeed how could I leave Eric and Ern out!
@@thewomble1509 Yes definitely another one!
Mike Yarwood is king of the impressionists and is as funny now as he was then, absolute gem.
Abba were massive in 1978. This was when the BBC hired quality instead of Joe Public for nothing.
Absolutely brilliant even after all this time I actually laughed at this,not like today’s rubbish
Ye nothing this funny now. I'm 31
same here totally top class and still fresh even in 2021
HEAR HEAR .
Many happy memories of watching Mike Yarwood in the 1970 s.
My condolences to your family and may you rest peacefully.
His facial expressions as Larry Grayson were spot on and so funny 😂
and abba laughing too lol
More Larry even than Larry!
Its all obe flamboyant act
I was immensely impressed with his performances when I was growing up, and seeing this again for the first time since the seventies I can see why. I love the silly jokes that the entire family can groan at, the charm and innocence of the show makes for delightful entertainment.
He was great. What a terrible shame it all went sour.
Mike is better than I remember. This is great. Sustained length sketches too, and janet brown is great. Sharp but gentle, fab
Truly Fab ! Ha-ha ! People do still use that term from the sixties. Good to hear, Pitmirk ! Groovy and Gear, in fact.
That is exactly what I thought👍...Quality..Quality🙏🙏..Today we have cheap amateurish claptrap 🤪...we really do.hardly any shows then but totally professional 👍
A wonderful talent and very influential to many later impressionists. He also influenced me in my brief time as an impressionist. I was lucky enough to meet him at Hull New Theatre in 1980 in a show he did along with the WWII style group Jeep. He will be much missed. RIP Mike ❤️
Thanks Mike! You were brilliant!
Mike yarwood's facial expressions and body movements were brilliant - he became the person not just vocally. Look at the way he turns the corner of his mouth up and rolls his eyes when he's Bob Hope, or the crazy grin and mad eyes as Jimmy Carter - he takes on the entire persona and this applied to all his impressions. He may have been bettered vocally since but no-one else has ever come close to matching that
Yes i had forgotten just how good his facial movements were. Other more modern impressionists may have been tighter vocally but his mannerisms were second to none
You've nailed it with this comment. That's what was so compelling about watching him when I was a kid. Looking at him now, I can't get past how his voice wasn't always that impressive, but it's his non-verbals that are the clever bit.
Vocally spot on with most, every impressionist has difficult ones.
@@gilldanier4129 He paved the way for the likes of Bremner and Phil Cool
Haven't seen this since it was transmitted, Mike Yarwood was superb. Shows like this was what used to make Christmas special, shame there's nothing to watch at Christmas now.
What an absolute gem! The show is priceless on its own but then to have ABBA on singing and taking part in the Generation Game, make this true television history. I have been very fortunate to have lived through those marvellous days. Thank you for sharing.
One of the BEST EVER!! We will not see his likes again 45 years old and still as funny as ever!! not like the mainstream rubbish thats on now!! Thanks for posting great fun and memories and Mike is still with us aged 82 Thanks Mike!! you were the BEST!!
He died today
I always loved Mike Yarwood. He was the first impressionist that I remember and his repertoire as shown was brilliant. And remember, it was all live at the time. This is what I call entertainment and that 46 minutes passed so quickly. It was practically a laugh a minute!! They don't do programmes like this anymore because there isn't the talent about. What luck as well that ABBA were on the show. Of course at this time they were at the height of their musical career.
TV wasn't all live when Yarwood was doing it. Some of his earliest appearances in the 60s would have been live, but all his shows from his most successful period in the 70s and 80s were recorded.
@@dunebasher1971 Yes, Yarwood did quite a lot of sketches where he was playing multiple characters in the same skit, indeed he was a trailblazer for that technique which Rory Bremner and the like followed years later, by definition these kind of sketches couldn't have been live.
It was not live
Since Mike Yarwood there has been no other impersonator nearly as good, yes there was Bremner and Culshaw and the like but Mike's depth and material, just making you laugh, that was very special!
Culshaw is on a par I think
McGowan
When the Christmas tv schedule was worth looking forward to and watching!!!
I loved Mike Yarwood when I was a kid, he was a massive star, and a brilliant impersonator. Nothing to touch him nowadays.
Mike Yarwood was pure class. If you compare to the rubbish on tv now , you realise what a great entertainer he was. Miss Mike Yarwood.
indeed he was class
indeed he was class
Mr Mike Yarwood, surely?
We do have ANT and DEC says it all --- lol
I've always said we had better entertainment then. I haven't had TV reception in years and don't miss it. Its just junk. I find better films on U-Tube. Only use the TV occasionally if I want to watch a DVD, but VHS was much better than this digital trash, as they said DVD'S won't scratch
Often wonder what happened to this fabulous comedian so to come across this site was truly something. His impersonation of Larry Grayson had me in stitches - again. And what a talented singer! An all rounder with a talent which wouldn't go down too well today but for us oldies - well we know how to have a laugh don't we? Mike's shows are never repeated. Such a shame for all his fans out here. Miss you Mike!
Doctors in America have found a new way to lose weight… they remove all of the bones in your body… not only do you lose weight… you look a lot more relaxed! 😂😂😂
This was wonderful and so funny. The larry Grayson impression was brilliant!
Yarwood was a massive star at that time. We all looked forward to this show. No VCRs then, so you had to watch it as it went out on the telly. Another world.
VCRs were around in 1978, but they were pretty expensive. The Sony C7 Betamax model was priced at about £750, which would be around £4000 in 2023.
Reliving my days as a kid. I was 6 in 1978 but remember watching him during the 80’s. Such great memories of innocent times 👏👏
What a great impressionist Mike was.
the MASTER
*IS, in 2021...
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Loved Mike Yarwood growing up very good at what he did and even looked like the people he impersonated.
Parky is absolutely brilliant - arguably Yarwoods best impression.
Edward Heath and Harold Wilson were his best impressions. Reggie Bosanquet was good too and Parkinson was very good. The best impression of Parkinson is of course Alistair McGowan
I would go Eddie Waring. Had me in stiches every time he did it
Brilliant memories of a brilliant impressionist. The original and still the best
A really super show. I always watched Mike way back in 60s 70s. HE was a very talented performer. Why do we not have such great entertainment in these days. Thank you Dunebasher 1971 for reliving the wonderful best in entertainment.
It's worth watching it for the impression of US President Jimmy Carter, but the highlight for me is ABBA, singing "If It Wasn't For the Nights", one of their best songs!!
Absolutely loved him. Saw him interviewed by Bob Monkhouse, who loved him, and Mike Yarwood was so humble and unassuming. Pure talent
No one has mentioned the brilliant Janet Brown as Maggie Thatch. Fantastic. Thanks for loading this.
It's a great piece of social history, highlighting how Thatcher was hugely underestimated by the establishment and the media in the late 70s. They painted her as a hectoring suburban housewife who didn't stand much chance of electoral success, which might indeed have been an accurate forecast were it not for the winter of discontent which blew up a few weeks after this programme was shown.
Not always vocally as good as Rory Bremner, Joe Longthorne or Jon Culshaw, but his characterisations are brilliant and the best of his day. Great entertainment and it says a lot about his popularity that he had the biggest band on the planet come to join him. Many thanks for posting this 🙏🏻
Mike Yarwood, Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies, when the BBC was worth the licence fee.
Yeah it was awful lot cheaper then..
The licence fee that is.
RIP Mike
@@cannonfodder6654amen
The license fee is still worth it. Although I concede that the BBC has a slight left lean today it’s still the closest thing to independent non interfered television we have. It should be protected at all costs.
Excellent Show...Happy memories from the Impressive Yarwood.
His impressions were brilliant , Harold Wilson was so accurate RIP Mike you will never be bettered.
Wow, the memories are REALLY flooding back here! I remember vividly getting all excited that this show was going to be screened on Christmas night - a feeling reinforced by the knowledge that my favourite group ABBA were going to be guesting!
Yes. You can use guesting as verb, can't you?
First time I've seen this episode since the broadcast date! And I still love it and remember all of the people impersonated.
I’d happily go back to 1978/1979…great entertainment shows and much happier times , RIP Mike Yarwood ❤
Proper entertainment unlike the 100 plus channels of garbage we get these days.
1979 - when we had just BBC One, BBC Two and ITV. None of them were on the air 24 hours a day (BBC Two barely scraped together 9 hours a day of programming). ITV were the only channel to have a proper schedule running with no close downs from 9.30am each day until around 12.15am each night. BBC One would close down at various times each day to save cash. Different era now in 2019 right?
The first time any of ABBA’s Voulez-Vous material was premiered on British TV. There was no VCR in our house, so we had to rely on the ABBA fan club newsletter and the Radio Times to make sure we didn’t miss it.
Great To see Abba at their Absolute Zenith of Talent. We Still had another 3 years of hits to come at this time. They come across as Very Genuine people.
4 years of hits.
It's so refreshing watching stuff from the 70's, apparently most impressionist claim Bob Hope difficult to do, but Yarwood did a good one
He did a reasonable Jimmy Carter, especially the eye movements
It's not even half as good as Dave Thomas
Merry Christmas to everyone watching in 2019 ❄🎁🎅🎄🎀⛄
July 2021. I needed a good belly laugh! Wonderful. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏👏👏👏👏👏😘😘😘😘🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Wonderful, Christmas Day in the 70's Mike Yarwood, Morecombe & Wise, The 2 Ronnies, Dick Emery, Stanley Baxter, family entertainment, no swearing, no preaching, just laughs. Dec 25 2022 I watched nothing says it all, thank you for uploading this as a memory of when Xmas on TV was worth watching.
Agreed.
And yet Emery's show and probably The Two Ronnies as well would be cancelled for 'homophobia' these days. What a rubbish society we live in now.
Very true
@@staceygrove5976
Brings back such happy memories of watching Mike Yarwood, so many years ago. And what a show this was, with such brilliant sketches from Mike, and supported by ABBA no less.
Given that Mike passed this week, it’s a bittersweet experience seeing him again, but it didn’t stop me smiling throughout the entire show.
Rest peacefully, Mike Yarwood, you brought joy to millions of us. 😢
Out of the Archive's of all light entertainment this has to be one of the best Christmas shows of all time Mike Yarwood's Larry Grayson is perfect,we could do with this back on this Christmas. Just BRILLIANT.
This and Mr. Bean's Christmas special, and Loswine Christmas shows keep me going all year long.😘😘👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I'm Canadian and only familiar with a few of his British impressions but have to admit that he is very good.
This man is an icon!!! ✌🏼
And so, just watched the whole program, absolutely brilliant.
When the TV channels back in the day were less diverse, they were our strength. Even the sheiks visiting town to go to Harrod’s, dine at the Dorchester, may have been left with no choice but to tune into the Mike Yarwood Show. Abba were a handsome band: Frida and Agnetha have never looked so beautiful and classy as right here, on that 1978 show, I believe. The Grayson sketch Yarwood does with the band is light entertainment heaven. It’s the band’s radiance and their lovely choice of stirring songs that strike a chord with the viewer. What a miserable troupe today’s popular singers are! The smiles are absent from today’s roll of singers and bands. Light entertainment dominated the few airwaves back in the day. But there is class to be had in light entertainment. Talent. And a skill it is to make it appealing to a broad range of people and ages.
What’s remarkable about this show, is how it still stands up today - it’s difficult to mock or find risible as is so often the case with 70s / 80s light entertainment. Pure talent
Yarwood Was Huge between 1970 and 1982.The fact He Managed to attract ABBA..Who Were at The Height of their Super Stardom at this time is Testimony to his Popularity.
It was less to do with Yarwood and more to do with the amount of money they were paid.
@@octaviussludberry9016that’s exactly what I was going to say. The show’s producers would have dangled a sizeable carrot for them to be in the show.
An amazing performance of their classic Thank You For the Music on there.
Fantastic.. the impressions were great, Enoch Powell, michael foot, Wilson superb..
quality TV..
Absolutely utterly.... Completely .....'BRILLIANT'....
The magic begins at 1.15. I haven't seen this since 1978 - and it didn't disappoint.
Marvellous entertainment from the golden age of television in my opinion...
I had forgotten how talented Mike Yarwood was.
There is nothing like it on the box today.
Mr Yarwood was one of greatest comedians in England!
Rubbish
Actually it says on the show's ending credits that there were two writers for it. Mike didn't write his own material then. Still, he is an excellent impressionist and can and did make a handsome living from it.
He wasn't really a comedian though, he did impersonations to comedy sketches
One of the greatest impressionists ever .
Mike yarwood was a genius bring em all back
RIP Mike you really did make us all laugh out loud 🙏
Great to see Abba before it all went so badly for both girls, never knew what tragedies they had in their personal lives especially Frida...
When I watched these as a kid I had no idea just how good he was.
You probably did, however we were spoilt with such good quality entertainment at the time so it's only after the event you released what we have lost over the years.
Very good show from the days when TV was classy, fun and enjoyable.
I have always been a fan of Mike Yarwood. He had that extraordinary ability to contort his facial muscles to actually look like the character he was portraying. He also really became the character regarding gestures and body movement. It was a gift. His Parkinson is brilliant and he does a wicked send up of Max Bygraves and Jimmy Carter and slips from one character to another. James Hurn is the brilliant impressionist of today. His Sid James is uncanny and so many others just spot on. My uncle, Ray Alan, started off his career as a magician impressionist. His Max Miller is spot on . I love to do impressions too.
Mike Yarwood was the greatest impressionist that ever lived, no one else will ever come close
his still alive living alone in sussex village his 78 now
@@scilliangecko1641 shows that today's women have no taste.
This was fantastic, especially seeing Abba. Thanks!!
I didn't like the first song they did, whatever it was called. Just a noise. But "Thankyou For The Music" is beautiful.
( No mini skirts though. Darn ! )
That's what entertainment was all about, you could enjoy TV then instead of the rubbish now shown, especially BBC. Brilliant times.
Thanks for this - I haven't seen it since I was a little girl.
This is Brilliant. I thought it wasnt going to be still funny.
But im laughing like the 8 year old i once was .
i would rather watch repeats like these than the garbage they put on tv these days
Me too
Go ahead then.
I agree. Today its just filth from such as Live from the Apollo
Yep
Yeah, I tend to prefer the old rubbish to the new rubbish, as well.
Soo funny, I used to watch this as a child and it really made me laugh.
this is brilliant
Huge thanks for this.
Wonderful memories.
Forgotten how good Mike was, remember him way back in my youth, great days.
20:42 - Mike got Reginald Bosanquet's weird pronunciation style so well here with one simple word "behalf".
RIP Mike, thank you for all the brilliant laughs 😊. Is that Janet Brown as Anna Ford, terrific stuff 👏 👍.
RIP Mr Yarwood. You were a very funny and very talented man.
Oh BBC what went wrong?.The days when you could roll out ABBA as your special guests instead of todays wannabe celebs.Not seen this for decades and it just reiterates how good Mike Yarwood was.The mannerisms and voices are spot on.Some of todays comedians are about as funny as a burning orphanage.
My sister and I both loved Mike Yarwood especially his Prince Charles. Brilliant. Thank you.
the original MASTER OF IMPRESSIONS the great mike yarwood who to this day is still hard to beat .
Marvellous and brilliant
Very talented guy. The million ways he can morph his facial expressions to become his muse is amazing.
His Dave Allen voice is spot on 👌
Rest In Peace Mike Yarwood. Your shows are and were priceless.
Abba ... remember the '78 Xmas Show. Brilliant ...
His Larry Grayson impression had me in stitches! Thanks for the upload.
Yarwood was brilliant, but then he had the benefit of working at a time when people were genuinely famous and known by everyone. You couldn't do that now because different members of the family would keep saying, who's that!
Too right. If a new impressionist based his act on Geordie Shore or towie I wouldn't have a clue who they were doing
Spot on. Entertainment is just a different beast nowadays.
Such a brilliant impersonator, definitely one of the best.
Wow..his impressions at the end are amazing. You can see who he is..and then the voice is perfect. 10 out of 10.
Takes me right back to my childhood when we had glamorous, big budget Christmas entertainment shows from Mike Yarwood, Morecambe and Wise, the Two Ronnies, Dick Emery etc. I have to say though watching this. impressions were always going to go out of fashion at some point. Loved his catchphrase "This is me" - just in case viewers were puzzling over which celebrity Mike Yarwood was supposed to be, lol! Imagine having superstars ABBA as your guest artist - amazing!
A comedy legend, rest in peace. ❤
thankyou for sharing this 🙂
A great comedian indeed 👍
R.I.P. TO MIKE YARWOOD . THOSE WERE THE DAYS OF FUN & LAUGHTER !!!!!🤣🤣🤣😂😂!! FROM,U.K. (2023).
What a genius! And being able to watch at least some of his shows from back then again has brought it all back again... We went to see one of his shows at the London Palladium too! They really don't make 'em like him and so many other artists of his day anymore... No swearing and still so wonderfully funny! Dave Allen and Eric Morecambe too! Just brilliant! And ABBA? Such beautiful people too! And with such great talent! Thank you for sharing all this with us here!
Hello from England
Watching some of these videos now of Mike and Janet as Mrs T it brings back so many memories as a kid growing up in the 70's. I agree with you. There was no profanity and we would all laugh at the jokes. These videos also make me think so much more of the years that have passed - 40+ OH MY
I read somewhere earlier this year that Mike is now a resident of Brinsworth House in the London area. it takes care of entertainers from the past who are not too well and need looking after. Richard O'Sullivan has been a resident for a number of years
Its sad but MIke is 80 and Richard is 77
1978 definitely better Musicians and Comedians , really miss Abba❤
41 years years ago, I would have been 11 yrs old, wouldn't have appreciated it at the time, but how entertaining was that.