Daryl Somers is bringing back a piece of Australian TV history — but this time, it’s on his own terms
More than two decades after Hey Hey It’s Saturday left Australian television screens, Daryl Somers is preparing to give the much-loved show a new home.
The television veteran has revealed plans to relaunch Hey Hey TV, an on-demand streaming platform designed to reconnect longtime fans with the program — while introducing its unique brand of comedy and nostalgia to a new generation.
And at 75, Somers says he is far from slowing down.
“A lot of people my age are slowing down, but I’ve never been busier.”
A new chapter for a much-loved show
Hey Hey It’s Saturday ended its original 28-year run in 1999, but its place in Australian television history has never really disappeared.
The show returned for two major reunion specials in 2009, attracting more than four million viewers, before Nine commissioned a new 20-episode season in 2010.
Now Somers is taking the next step himself.
He says the decision has been driven largely by the continued enthusiasm of the show’s enormous online following. The Hey Hey Facebook community has grown to more than 850,000 followers, prompting the team to rethink how the show’s extensive archive could be made available.
More than 800 episodes coming back
The revamped Hey Hey TV is expected to feature more than 800 episodes of Hey Hey It’s Saturday, alongside spin-off programs and special episodes.
Somers also plans to record new material specifically for subscribers, meaning the project won’t simply be a trip into the archive.
For fans who grew up with characters such as Ossie Ostrich, Plucka Duck and Dickie Knee, it promises to be a chance to revisit some of the most recognisable moments of their television childhood.
The exact launch date has not yet been announced, although Somers says more details will be revealed later this year through the show’s Facebook page.
The unlikely beginnings of an Australian television institution
Somers’ journey to Hey Hey began long before he became one of Australia’s most recognisable television hosts.
He started playing drums as a child and performed his first public gig at 15 with his school band, the Newbeat Brass, in 1967.
The group later appeared on the talent program New Faces, where they won their heat and finished second in the final.
Somers eventually returned to the program as a solo singer and won with a performance of Jimmy Webb’s Didn’t We.
But television would soon become his defining career.
In 1971, at just 20, he was chosen to host Cartoon Corner. It was there that he began working with producer and performer Ernie Carroll, the man who would become an important influence on his career and the creator and voice behind Ossie Ostrich.
How Ossie Ostrich became a star
When Hey Hey It’s Saturday first began, Somers and Carroll reportedly weren’t convinced the title would become a success.
But the show quickly developed its own identity.
What began with cartoons, competitions and entertainment gradually became a chaotic mix of comedy, music, celebrity interviews and completely unpredictable live banter.
Ossie Ostrich became one of its defining characters, while John Blackman’s collection of voices helped create another world of characters — including Dickie Knee, Mrs Macgillicuddy and The Angel.
Much of the humour came from the fact that the performers were willing to improvise and simply see where a joke would go.
Somers says that spontaneous spirit was at the heart of the show’s appeal.
From Australian stars to Hollywood royalty
Over its long run, Hey Hey It’s Saturday welcomed an extraordinary list of international guests.
Among those who appeared were Tom Jones, Sylvester Stallone, Keanu Reeves, Julio Iglesias, Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme, alongside Australian performers including Tina Arena and Kate Ceberano.
The program also became a launching pad for a generation of Australian television personalities and entertainers, including Red Symons, Molly Meldrum, Denise Drysdale, Jo Beth Taylor, Livinia Nixon and Jacki MacDonald.
Somers also created Red Faces, a comedy segment inspired by the talent show New Faces — the same program that had helped launch his own career.
The show that refused to disappear
Even when Hey Hey It’s Saturday was cancelled in 1999, it still attracted around 1.2 million viewers.
Its return a decade later demonstrated just how strong the connection with audiences remained. More than four million Australians watched the 2009 specials, ultimately leading to the show’s return for a new season in 2010.
In 2016, Hey Hey It’s Saturday was even named Australia’s most popular television program in a survey marking the 60th anniversary of Australian television.
Now, Somers hopes to preserve that connection in a completely different era of television.
“I’m still here”
For Somers, the new streaming service appears to be about more than simply bringing old episodes back.
It is a way of keeping alive the connection between the show and the generations who grew up watching it.
“I want to keep that special connection going with the vast and loyal Hey Hey mob,” he says.
And with a characteristic touch of humour, Somers adds that he sometimes has to remind people that he is “not 105” and is still very much around.
His final promise is perhaps the most intriguing of all:
He says he will soon be back on television — only this time, viewers will have to find him on Hey Hey TV.