Billy Birmingham

Birmingham has commented on his relationship with Richie Benaud, stating that he was kind when meeting with him, but a problem he had with his albums was the amount of obscenities he used when impersonating him, and that he thought it didn't reflect him personally. He has also stated that his favourite person to impersonate was Richie Benaud, as well as stating that over the years, things associated with the 12th Man have become conflated with Richie Benaud. Such as, the 12th Man's interpretation of Benaud's Two for twenty two phrase, saying that Benaud never said that, apart from when it was the score.

In December 2012, Birmingham quit the show soon after Mike Gibson's departure, with the incumbents on the show being Matt Shirvington and Tony Squires.

Billy Birmingham launched a new website in October 2011, The12thMan, featuring information about Billy Birmingham and his career as The 12th Man as well as a new range of products, including T-shirts, talking mugs, can coolers and bottle openers. Many of the products feature catch phrases.

Birmingham is famous for being able to find humour amid the hyperbole of world sport. Following Michael Clarke's debut innings of 151 against India in 2004, there was considerable praise for him – including comments that the young man was the new Donald Bradman and that he should captain Australia. Birmingham announced on The Back Page that he was going to nominate Clarke for Australian of the Year: "He's just that good."

Birmingham has also used his impersonation skills on advertisements for KFC, which appeared on Channel Nine's cricket coverage in the summer of 2002/03.

During the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Birmingham also recorded a series of mock-commentaries on Olympic events as the Wired World of Sports, featuring such characters as the American track-and-field representative "Chuck DeWobblee" ("chucked a wobbly" – meaning to throw a tantrum) and the Ukrainian pole-vaulter "Olga Bedjanodgonnagedova" ("bet you're not gonna get over"), while also releasing the single under the 12th Man name, "Bruce 2000", featuring an impersonation of famed commentator Bruce McAvaney during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

In 1997, Birmingham joined as a regular guest on the panel discussion show The Back Page, alongside host Mike Gibson. Ironically, Gibson was sent up by Birmingham in 1987 on his Twelfth Man album Wired World of Sports.

In 1984 he released his first record as The Twelfth Man, titled "It's Just Not Cricket". This went on to become his most successful series of recordings, with eight albums being released between 1987 and 2006. The premise involved Birmingham impersonating and satirising the Channel Nine cricket commentary team, particularly Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry and Tony Greig.

He wrote the pun-laden comedy hit "Australiana" which was made famous by performer Austen Tayshus and reached No. 1 on the Australian charts in 1983.

Billy Birmingham (born 1953) is an Australian humourist and sometime sports journalist, most noted for his parodies of Australian cricket commentary in recordings under The Twelfth Man name.