Mike Yarwood RIP

Yes I remember his shows so we'll. R.I.P.

Yes, I'm a couple of years younger than you but assumed he was in his 40s and 50s in his heyday. Maybe I was at an age when everyone seemed old to me, or did 'middle aged' start younger then? He was such a big name in those days when every single person I knew watched certain programmes, like his and Morecambe and Wise's Christmas shows. Must have been tough to cope with losing that huge levels of success.

Here he is looking cheerful at Brinsworth House, from the obituaries it seems his latter days there were far happier than those at the height of his fame which is the opposite of how things often are for performers. Next to him is a big 1970s sitcom star - I hesitate to name him as it will make some of us feel very old.   

The stories told and memories shared in that sort of retirement community must be special. A career in the arts is almost inevitably a fragile one and it is rather lovely that homes like this exist for those who shared those experiences.

I know it wouldn't work for every profession but I am glad it does for performers

Mick McManus was also the "booker"- the person who decided the matches and results for the wrestling promoters for many years too. I wonder if he was an Equity member as he appeared on a lot of "Entertainment" programmes as a guest over the years, I would have thought some membership of Equity at some time might have been needed to get into one of those homes.

The original Captain Birdseye John Hewer lived out his life at that home too.

I think it is associated with the Royal Variety Club charity rather than Equity so I assume McManus was involved with that. Maybe you have read the fantastic book by Simon Garfield "The Wrestling" which chronicles that 1970s era ? It really was a form of working-class theatre with a stage (the ring), participants playing characters, and a plot that was part scripted and part improvised. The added factor was that people could be permanently injured or even die in the ring. It was in the great tradition of working-class theatre from the mystery plays, via early outdoor Elizabethan tragedies, through Victorian music hall and melodramas - theatrical entertainments whose audience was predominantly working class and which was sometimes looked down upon by the middle/upper classes. What fulfils that role today ?  

Yes Mick was involved with the Royal Variety Club or certainly the Lords Taverners he took part in a number of All Star Its A Knockout type events on TV over the years and was as well known as many of the top actors/entertainers back in the day. For many years he was always on the FA Cup Final wrestling shows and he made the most appearances on the ITV/World of Sport Wrestling out of anybody - again because he was the booker for these shows probably helped.

I can remember the Simon Garfield book, it interviewed pretty much everyone who was still alive who had been part of the wrestling glory years. Sadly none of those guys made a lot of money out of it, the bookies William Hill owned the main promoters for many years so were the ones to do well out of it.

Watching the Burton/Taylor Cleopatra a few months ago, I was amazed when a 19 year old Richard O'Sullivan turned up as the pharoah Ptolemy. I'm very glad that he now looks happier than the photos a few years ago suggested

I agree but Pat Roach ran him close - most famously as Bomber in Auf Wiedersehen Pet but he was also in the Indiana Jones films and the Stanley Kubrick classics A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon and several other blockbuster films including a James Bond. I also remember him being very good in the TV film The Last Place on Earth about Scott's polar expedition.  

I rewatched Mike from his surprise appearance on Bob Monkhouse's Last Stand in 2003. Mike seemed a bit nervous but soon settled back into doing some of his most famous voices and it was clear the esteem that Bob and Mike held each other in. Mike also got chance to perform in front some of the younger generation of impressionists who were in the audience that night and in the updated interviews they all said how they had admired Mike's work.

Mike spoke frankly to Bob about his off stage issues and it certainly seemed that he was in a much better place having stepped back and talked about enjoying time with his daughters and grandchildren. Bob sadly died later that year but Mike had another 20 years but I don't think he ever perfomed publically again. But it was wonderful to see the govenors of stand up and impressions having one final meeting and the warm and appreciation the younger generation of comedy performers in the audience gave them.

Bob for many years I always thought of as a game show host who could be very funny. But how funny he was only ever came across when he was on chat shows. Bob could do shows so smoothly that people didn't realise how good he was. Luckily he went back to comedy in later years when we learnt just how many jokes he had written and got to see him as the true comedy great he was.

I haven't read any books about him but have seen in the press that he was supposed to have had a lot of affairs during his first marriage. Why Bob would need to make his autobiography more sexualised I have no idea, he could have made jokes or used his famous one liners about everyday things and it would have still been funny.