WHY WE FELL IN LOVE WITH DARYL & OSSIE!
With Daryl hinting at a reboot, our favourite variety show could be back on screens…
It began as a children’s show but the combination of a fast talking ostrich and cheesy host Daryl Somers proved so incredibly popular to kids and adults alike that Hey Hey It’s Saturday soon had much of Australia tuning in.
And if Daryl, 68, had his way, the show would make yet another return to the small screen, with the veteran host insisting devoted fans still beg him to bring back the show, which officially ended its incredible run 21 years ago.
“They keep saying, ‘When are you coming back?’” laughs Daryl, who changed Australian TV forever when he teamed up with comedy writer Ernie Carroll, the genius behind famous pink feathered co-host Ossie Ostrich.
And it was the wacky and at times bizarre skits and ensemble cast, including Dickie Knee and Plucka Duck that made Hey Hey so unusual and enticing for generations of fans.
The show first ran from October 1971 to November 1999 on Nine but had its heyday from 1984 to 1994, when it became one of the most watched shows ever on a Saturday night, attracting an array of big name guests, including Robin Williams, Sylvester Stallone, Mariah Carey and Johnny Depp.
SLAPSTICK HUMOUR
But the main drawcard was never the galaxy of international stars, but rather the electric chemistry between Daryl and Ossie, together with razor sharp barbs from naughty voiceover man John Blackman.
The unscripted and seemingly chaotic show, which regularly attracted audiences in the millions and made staying at home on a Saturday night almost socially acceptable, was loved for its sense of pure silliness and slapstick.
What other show could have had a battered pink ostrich called Ossie as a co-host – or a