BBC 1 Xmas Promo 1981 & Mike Yarwood Xmas Show

[Planetoxo]

Very good how he can switch between the two.

[peterpeterxxo]

and now on bbc1 val sings bing,, lol.

[goffer43]

And so a legend begings - the first time 'Only Fools & Horses' was shown at christmas!

[cylon6]

You had to wait a long time for movie premieres in those days. Gone With The Wind got its first showing on UK TV in 1981!?! Blimey!!

[peterpeterxxo]

@cylon6 he must have made a mistake or the vid was spliced together.. a film out in 1939 not on telly until 1981..dosnt sound right at all.

[reeceindie]

@peterpeterxxo No mistake here, MGM were so intent on re-releasing it in cinemas every few years (remember this was before video) that they didn't want their cash-cow on TV, I don't think it was shown on US TV till 1977... back then a film on Tv was something close to a major event esp if it was the 'most successful of all-time'

[Cool2BCeltic]

Why in those days did the BBC always without fail show a war movie over the season of goodwill.

[Huffy1001]

I liked the Christmas Special with ABBA, Mike was a class entertainer!!!!

[DebraFromHull]

I'd love to see these type of Christmas specials released on DVD.

[lesterroberts1]

k9 & company lol Christmas back was better even if we did'nt have the stuff we got today , i got a pair ofv blue & yellow roller skates & an Adam Ant tape & the world was a happier place.

[KarloR27]

Love the way mike changes to characters that quick

[stinkalloy]

Bring back Mike Yarwood - entertainment par excellence! What a wonderful performer he was, brightening up our Saturday nights for years on end.

[oldmacisback]

My God, it took 42 years for the British premiere on TV of Gone with the wind? I remember Jaws being televised for the first time around then too and it was a massive TV event!

[MITOGEN]

2:29 onwards great memories :)

[MrHawksmoor]

I remember watching K9 and Company. They had to stop some Devil worshippers, If I remember correctly? What i'd do to feel the excitement of those long gone Christmases.

[Nickyootoob]

Interesting sequence in the trailer for Only Fools and Horses. Was that an abandoned title sequence?

[7299MM]

In those days Mr Yarwood was the be all and end all of the impressionists.

Looking back - if we are honest - he wasn't really any good at all. He was all tv had in that department.

Rory Bremner and John Culshaw are a million times better.

Thanks for the 'memories' though, Mike.

[YORKIE230557]

Dont pick on Mike-If you want to look back THAT far you,ll see EVERYTHING seems to look pathetic in those days right down to the clothes we wore-but we thought they were good at the time-EVERYTHING has excelled since then-and in another 30 years time?will you look back at TODAY and say the same about NOW?

[7299MM]

I agree ; most of tv in those days WAS crap, though I will never tire of watching Fawlty Towers, Porridge, Open all hours, Reggie Perrin, Rising Damp...etc.....

We DID think it was good THEN.....

BUT in 20 years time I will NOT be looking back to now with nostalgia because all tv really IS crap now!

[Vericacious]

Can't agree with that. By '81, the strain was beginning to take its toll, but most of his impressions were still very good. (Try viewing today's impressionists with the same critical eye.) In the seventies, he was one of the TV's biggest stars, on a par with Morecambe and Wise. (Whatever happened to light entertainment ?) His 1977 Christmas Show was the highest rated programme ever shown on British television.

[RatPackTributes]

Excellent - from Mike Yarwood to K9 to Val with Vic Damone these were the great days of Christmas TV!

[dlamiss]

the last moments from his last show on the BBC-went to thames the following year and his career hit the buffers

[LuthansaTerminal]

His career started to hit the buffers 2 years earlier when he couldn't impersonate the Prime Minister any more!

[hollybird11]

love him 10 *s x holly

[Dunl33r]

That will be 27 years ago this Christmas. Thanks for posting.