"Um ... ah ... marvellous!"

If you like cricket and no-holds-barred comedy, chances are you're a fan of The Twelfth Man. If you're any of Richie Benaud, Tony Greig, Ian Chappell or Bill Lawry, chances are you've had your share of club cricketers and college co-eds cracking up at what you say - through Billy Birmingham's skilled impersonation. The Australian satirist who has mercilessly and articulately parodied the idiosyncrasies and character traits of Australia's Channel Nine commentary team tells stuff.co.nz that his popularity is down to the fact that Australians and New Zealanders have two favourite past times - sport and "taking the piss".

"I think that comedy and sport are the great levelers, they're the things that bring people of all socio-economic groups and all age groups together and the Twelfth Man stuff seems to have really hit the mark for many people on many levels and it gives me a sense of great pride to have delivered that sort of enjoyment to so many people over the 25 years. It's been an absolute pleasure to have made people laugh as much as I have."