It's Saturday TURNS 50!
Daryl Somers and his zany co-stars are back to celebrate a huge milestone for the iconic show
With a pottymouthed pink Ossie Ostrich and the ever playful Plucka Duck at his side, Daryl Somers brought together a mismatched crew to create one of the most successful Aussie TV shows of all time.
Hey Hey It’s Saturday was funny and unpredictable, and almost always politically incorrect. The show’s talent competition, Red Faces, celebrated some truly awful amateur acts, and Daryl told dad jokes before the term was even coined. Meanwhile, his smart alec sidekick Dickie Knee always gave him grief and poured scorn on the big-name guests, who were often a bit bruised by the experience.
Dickie was a puppet whose face the fans never saw – just a mop of curly black hair beneath a blue cap, and his quick-witted cutting comments were given life by TV and radio voiceover man John Blackman.
But Dickie’s star was eclipsed by Ossie, the much-loved pink ostrich puppet, who was the creation of Ernie Carroll, and effectively Daryl’s co-host. Ossie, Dickie and Plucka, who created mayhem while presenting a chocolate wheel-style competition segment, were all puppets, but there was an ensemble cast of motley characters who also helped make the show a hit.
CO-HOSTS & STARS
As well as John, whose famed voice was heard firing pot shots at Daryl and co. from the background, there was Red Symons, who presented Red Faces, along with Wilbur Wilde, Russell Gilbert and Countdown legend Molly Meldrum, who attracted some of the world’s biggest musical acts to the show. Jacki Macdonald and Livinia Nixon also made their name on Hey Hey.
With its constant ad-libbing, laced with double entendre, and outrageous skits, Hey Hey attracted a cult following among viewers of all ages and ran for 28 years on Nine from October 9, 1971, with more than
500 episodes going to air. And while the show was recently mired in controversy over racist skits and jokes – and an attempt to revive it 10 years ago fizzled out – it still holds a special place in the hearts of many Aussies who grew up laughing at the characters.
“Huge congratulations on your 50th anniversary,” gushed pop princess Kylie Minogue, who was among the Australian and international stars who regularly appeared.
Hey Hey was even given the ultimate accolade in cult movie The Castle when it was revealed that it was the Kerrigan family’s second-favourite TV show. Their favourite show was The Best Of Hey Hey It’s Saturday!
Daryl was embroiled in controversy earlier this year when he admitted that “you probably could not get away with half the stuff you could on Hey Hey now because of political correctness”, and said it was a “shame”.
When old footage of racist skits featuring singer Kamahl resurfaced, it sparked more outrage and Daryl was left to apologise for any offence caused, though it didn’t seem to dint the enthusiasm of fans, who have contributed their own memories of the show for the anniversary special.
THOUSANDS OF FANS
“It’s hard to compress the highlights of 30 years into one show,” Daryl admitted in a post to the 500,000 plus fans on the show’s official Facebook page.
“We’ve only scratched the surface but there’s something for everyone in our Seven special, Hey Hey It’s 50 Years. Trawling back through the vast archive has been almost as much fun as doing the show in the first place, so I hope we can offer a few laughs, not only to the diehard fans but to all Australians, as we desperately need a touch of levity now.”
The nostalgic special reunited Daryl with Wilbur and John in the studio, and will feature classic clips and live crosses to other cast members.
Fan Amanda Bernard gushed, “One of my all-time favourites.”
“The best show ever. Saturday nights haven’t been the same,” added fan Marina Ernst, who echoed the thoughts of many who grew up with the show.
Hey Hey It’s 50 Years, Sunday, 7pm, Seven
‘It’s hard to compress 30 years into one show’