His breakthrough into television was then as a warm-up man on Comedy Bandbox – a revue which was a proving ground for British comedians at that time.

[6] His appearance coincided with the senior political career of Labour Party leader and Prime Minister Harold Wilson, whom Yarwood impersonated.

The shows included a varied mix of comic sketches, guest musicians, and a closing song sung by Yarwood (introduced by the line "and this is me", which became the title of his first autobiography).

[citation needed] The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show on BBC1 in 1977 was watched by 21.4 million people and was the highest-rated British television programme of that year.

A behind-the-scenes documentary called Mike Yarwood: This is His Life was made six years later, also featuring Andrews, alongside contributions from Bruce Forsyth, David Frost and Harold Wilson.

Subsequent attempts to resurrect his television career failed, although he did make an appearance on the satirical show Have I Got News for You in November 1995.

[16][17] In 2003, Yarwood made a rare public appearance at the Albany comedy club in London, at the invitation of Bob Monkhouse.

It was to be Monkhouse's last show, which was filmed for a proposed TV documentary, but ended up airing in December 2016 as a one-off special for BBC Four.

[23] In 2021 it was reported that he was a resident of Brinsworth House, a residential and nursing retirement home for theatre and entertainment professionals in Twickenham, west London.