DARYL’S CHRISTMAS NIGHTMARE
From an outrageous bar tab to crazy demands… the real reason the TV star is no longer hosting the annual Carols by Candlelightlelight
The townsfolk of Ballarat will have former Sale Of The Century host Glenn Ridge as MC of Carols by Candlelight this year after TV legend Daryl Somers shockingly parted ways with the production!
Well-known in the industry for his legendary diva demands, organisers of the annual Christmas concert got more than they bargained for when they enlisted the help of Daryl, 68, whose expectations for the free charity gig raised eyebrows almost the minute he set foot in the gold mining town.
“He checked into the hotel where he was put up for the night and ran up a bar tab of over $500 with some very lovely wines that were on offer there, [plus] another couple of hundred dollars on food and other expenses at the hotel,” entertainment reporter Peter Ford revealed on his radio show.
According to Peter, Daryl, who’s used to a certain level of luxury from his TV days, took it upon himself to act as “executive producer” for the gig, despite it being unpaid and for charity. Among his “demands” were using his old makeup artist from Hey Hey It’s Saturday for the TV commercial, recruiting former co-star Plucka Duck to appear, using a TV director to check screens while he was on stage – even though it wasn’t being televised – and insisting on having a furnished marquee to serve as his dressing room. “The people involved in the carols were getting more and more nervous and uptight and frustrated with it all. So in the end it was agreed by both parties that they couldn’t proceed even though it was on Sunday week, so they put out an announcement to say that due to personal circumstances beyond his control Daryl would not be hosting it,” says Peter. “It’s the talk of Ballarat! Even as recently as last week he was trying to bring in his Hey Hey It’s Saturday musical director to take over.”
‘The people involved were getting more and more nervous’