Mike Yarwood as Jimmy Saville, BBC, 1981

[Kevo216666]

I'm better than doing Jimmy Savile than he is!

[dilwich123]

This is just bloody awful.

[stanssoapbox]

I don't blame anyone for watching this & saying that Mike Yarwood is rubbish because this impersonation is rubbish. I don't know why it's so bad but I rembember in the early 80's reading that he was fighting alcoholism & depression which badly affected his work, hence his decline into obscurity. That could explain why he just reads the cue cards without even trying, he just wants to get it over with so he can go and get pissed.Compare this to his Larry Grayson, so good I forgot it wasn't Larry.

[stanssoapbox]

Just watched hom doing Larry Grayson with ABBA and he was fantastic but he dosn't seem to be trying on this one. The jokes are good though.

[wilkobangs]

micheal yarshit

[jabberwocky88]

Hehe, Mike Yarwood was shit.

[mandh14]

Honest... this passed for entertainment in the 1970's!

[Andyhinds]

Worst Impressionist ever. I can't believe how big he was in the 1970s. As has been said before, all his impressions sound like Mike Yarwood.

[MrManc55]

sounds like brian clough

[hermankatnip]

Mike Yarwood did some great impressions. This is not one of them.

[dilwich123]

Is this an impression of Mike Yarwood?

[SamphireLover]

Like all impersonators, some they do ok, some good, some great. Mike did just that, he does not deserve the panning I see here. He was required viewing back then, and entertained us all, I think the phrase is 'something for everyone' and did not have to rely on smut for laughs, who can say this now?

[theBESTelvis]

@SamphireLover

this is CRAP thats why he's getting panned lol

[SamphireLover]

@theBESTelvis I've seen from your site you are fond of karaoke etc, you singing meatloaf, well just like Mr Yarwood, you try to sound as close to him as possible, right? then you are no different! I would have thought you'd understand from one entertainer to another, guess not!

Just like him, you can't do everyone brilliantly!

When is your series coming out?

[theBESTelvis]

@SamphireLover

I copy NOBOBY, I'm...ME ! , All i'm stating here is this a rubbish impersonation... like so many others are stating, guess there all wrong eh ! LOL

[SamphireLover]

@theBESTelvis your sung inflection is just like Mr Loaf, so somewhere along the line you are copying him to some degree. Nobody can be wrong if they state an opinion, but it does not mean they are right either, it's opinion.

[theBESTelvis]

@SamphireLover

thank you thats a great compliment, meatloaf sang great at the time of my cover.

cheers X

[whitbyjet65]

He just sounds like Mike Yardwood.

[Sheza58]

@whitbyjet65 ....I agree. He always did. His only half decent one was Jimmy Saville. Although, he was the first do this kind of thing.

[spinout3]

@whitbyjet65 cant believe i used to watch his show in the 70s..you are right, ive seen a few of his "impressions" on here and they all sound the same..

[castlebar67]

is he still with us p b manchester he was good

[fodsaks]

What a quality sketch!

Brilliant writing!

[DN21Media]

His Clough was good but this Savile impression is utterly poor

[fifthof]

Unsure where the jimmy Saville impersonation is, can someone help ?

[Lews026]

bloody awful!

[bigrossy1966]

It's essentially Yarwood's Clough impression slightly reworked. To be fair, Yarwood was untouchable in the 70's, primarily because there was minimal competition and, pre video recorders, no chance to dissect his performances.

Yarwood could never touch Eddie Large's Deputy Dawg impression. The moment those floppy ears went on, I was swept away.

[TheKenfig]

@bigrossy1966 Lol

[LightmanTruth]

Jimmy Savile? Sounded nothing like him!

No wonder Yarwood isn't on telly anymore.

[AngelArtists]

Mind you, the first joke on this clip about times & the end joke about '81 is the age of the train are pretty funny, so I'm upping my star rate to three,,,,,

[AngelArtists]

Mike Yarwood was shit at impressions in the 70s & 80s, & is still shit at impressions now.

Nuff sed........

[j43ms]

that's hanwell station is that

[Corrupt5358]

I remember this!

[nathanielbagshot]

I suspect this is meant to be an impersonation of Cloughie somehow morphing into Jimmy Saville. Hence the reference to Derby; a place where these days Brian Clough's son attempts to impersonate a football manager.

[Kevinasp]

Yarwood used to impersonate Brian Clough... they had a few things common... both became alcoholics... and the 1970's was the peak of both men's careers.......

[Kevinasp]

I wonder if anyone ever tried to impersonate Mike Yarwood?

[UBIQUEROL]

@Kevinasp

Just dress up as a huge cock.

[bugland23]

Blinking 'eck! Jimmy Saville has so much material to lampoon "Now then, now then" "As you know..." "Showaddywaddy" Puffing on lit cigar "eeeeeeeugggugghhhhe" and looking rather smug. In this sketch, Yarwood makes a real hash of impersonating Saville, it's embarrassing.

[capitalsho]

Is Mike Yarwood dead? I thought he died ages ago but I cannot find confirmation.

[Kevinasp]

No he's not shuffled off this mortal coil.... still alive though its very rare you hear of him or see him on the box nowadays..

[rowley1950]

Clever guy, but liked the pop too much so I heard, always coming to shows pissed up....

[redredreds100]

i never liked mike yarwood, and 25 years later, sorry, i stil don't

[FMTCH]

Mike Yarwood was not very good this sounds nothing like Jimmy Saville

[StanPomeray]

....and when Mike Yarwood did his closing song, starting with the phrase "...and this is me", we all thought "...but it still sounds the same!".

He was indeed a crap impressionist. Very nice bloke though.

[kenfig]

DUFF one this Mike....a bit too Brian Clough

[exxyeddie]

totally agree with hirsute

i thought it was Brian Clough!!!!

dreadful, but then i always thought Saville was a pae...

[kenfig]

Oh i just noticed what you said ; see my comment

[THALIDO]

JImmy Savile was the first ever chav!!

[Hirsute63]

Eminem's Dad he is! ;O)

[kratzenbourgII]

Brilliant.

[newmark401]

Before they became "fashionable", Jimmy Saville often wore tracksuits to work!

[ATVmidlands5581]

thats a really funny sketch there. i enjoyed that and it made me LOL. thanks

id like to see more of mike yarwood on youtube.

cheers for making me smile tonight.

ATVmidlands UK

[7299MM]

'Travel like Saville - run all the way' should have been the motto!

Thanks for letting us see Mike's 'impressions'.

Not as good as we used to THINK he was.

'Ooooooohhhh! Betty!'

[Hirsute63]

can't find it! But can it be any better than Rory Bremner? Or me?

[Hirsute63]

uh? Who was he tryin to do, Brian Clough? Harold Wilson? Frank Sinatra? Eric Morecambe? Larry Grayson? How DID he get away with such poor impersonations for so long!

[dunkiep]

Its funny how I remember his impressions as being so much better than this. Maybe in that era impressionists tried to be more realistic and less 'charicaturing'. I like a lot more 'jangle jangle goodness me, ahyee ahyee aaa" in my Jimmy Saville!

[Hirsute63]

Now then now then now then, yes Professor Sir dunkiep Sir, I agree with you 100% owsabout that then ahyee ahyee aaahyee ahha! ;O)

[dunkiep]

... but I've just noticed how much better his Prince Charles was (also on youtube). All together now... uuyyyyyyyyyyyyyy one does ones best.

[TheMarkRoberts]

yeh i know wot your sayin, when we were kids every impression seemed unbeleivabley good, but they must have been cos he was sed to be the best impressionist in the world at the time

[Vericacious]

He did a much better impression of Jimmy Savile than this- though it was always more 'real' and less exaggerated than most impressions of Sir Jim- but by '81 the strain was beginning to show.

[spittingimage4005]

a bit plain

[diddydeltic]

brilliant