Channel 5 to air Thank You for the Laughs

Mike Yarwood’s daughters are to present a new documentary about his rise to fame and his sudden exit from public life.

The Channel 5 show, Thank You for the Laughs, has been given extra poignancy by the impressionist’s death last month, at the age of 92.

And it will feature never-before-seen backstage material from his shows as well as private family photographs and footage.

Yarwood went from working as a shop assistant in Stockport to topping the bill at the London Palladium as one of the biggest TV stars of the 1970s with up to 21million viewers tuning in to his BBC shows.

 Yet in 1987, he vanished from our screens, gave up his impressions and was rarely seen in public or on television again. Stories of alcoholism, stage fright, and becoming a virtual recluse emerged, along with rumours he feared that he was no longer relevant.

Channel 5 says that in their ‘extraordinary’ film - due to air on October 21 - Yarwood’s daughters Claire and Charlotte ‘are on a journey to get to the truth about their father’s rise to fame and his sudden exit from public life Along the way they discover how his paralysing stage fright and an increasingly serious drink problem saw him constantly battle to even stand before an audience.’

The show also features  contributions from famous faces, including Michael Crawford, Rory Bremner, Robert Powell, Ronni Ancona, Alistair McGowan and  Gyles Brandreth paying tribute to the star.

Published: 12 Oct 2023