Hey Hey It's Saturday

Hey Hey It's Saturday was a long running variety television program on Australian television. It ran for 27 years (there was a recess in 1978; see below), debuting on the Nine Network in October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode in November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later become executive producer of the program. Somers formed Somers Carroll Productions with Ernie Carroll, who was the puppeteer for Daryl's sidekick Ossie Ostrich.

History

The show originally started as an early Saturday morning children's program,"Cartoon Corner", but its freewheeling style, irreverent ad-libbing and subversive humour soon attracted a cult following among older viewers. Although the show bore the unmistakeable traces of both The Goon Show and Monty Python, Somers was more strongly influenced by Australia's king of television comedy, Graham Kennedy, and it is significant that Carroll had been one of Kennedy's writers for many years.

Like Kennedy's famous variety show In Melbourne Tonight, the earliest years of Hey Hey were marked by a similar "anything can happen" attitude, with sketches and improvisations stretched to the point of absurdity or terminated without warning; sponsors were also laid open to some gentle ridicule, and live 'reads' of sponsor advertising often became part of the comedy -- a tactic that Kennedy had made famous.

Somers and his colleagues also frequently broke the fourth wall between audience and performer, regularly taking the cameras behind the scenes into every area of the studio and even beyond the building. The team also began to develop a series of regular segments, including "What Cheeses Me Off", "Red Faces", "Media Watch Press" and "Chook Lotto".

As the show gained popularity, its budget was increased and it gradually changed format to a light entertainment/comedy variety program. Besides Daryl and Ossie, two other unseen personalities were pivotal to the show's success - voice-over man/announcer John Blackman and sound operator Murray Tregonning.

Blackman provided often satirical and sarcastic remarks, and also provided the voice of many invented characters including "Mrs McGillicuddy", "Angel" and another icon of the show, cheeky "schoolboy" Dickie Knee - in fact a hat and wig on a stick that would pop up in front of Daryl (operated by a stage hand) and which was voiced by Blackman.

Tregonning became renowned for his remarkable ability to select and play the appropriate sound effect at a second's notice and his audio punctuations became another trademark of the series. This was long before the introduction of digital sound recording and the digital samplers, and all Tregonning's sound effects were played from a huge collection of pre-recorded eight track cartridges.

The program went into recess when Daryl and Ossie took a brave step in 1978 and departed the Nine Network to the rival 0-10 Network to present a prime time game show, simply titled The Daryl And Ossie Show. The program had a very short life and very soon Daryl and Ossie went back to Nine, a bit wiser if nothing else, and Hey Hey was returned to air in 1979.

The show evolved over the years, beginning with recruitment of Jacki McDonald as a co-host of the show on its return in 1979.

Other personalities gradually came on board, including ex-Skyhooks guitarist Red Symons, who not only played in the show's house band, but was also infamous for his withering sarcasm and as a judge on the "talent" segment Red Faces. A fellow musician who became a long serving cast member was saxophonist Wilbur Wilde, who had previously played in Australian bands Ol' 55 and Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons.

Other personalities of note who came on board during the show's run included ex-Countdown host Ian "Molly" Meldrum, comedian and ex-The Comedy Company star Russell Gilbert.

Following McDonald's departure, several well known Australian female TV personalities including Denise Drysdale, Jo Beth Taylor, Livinia Nixon and Penne Dennison took her place as co-host, although arguably none succeeded in recapturing the on-camera chemistry between McDonald and her colleagues.

In 1984 the Nine Network took the remarkable step of moving the show from its morning timeslot to a primetime slot on Saturday nights, and it was briefly renamed Hey Hey It's Saturday Night before reverting to its old name. During this time, Hey Hey also became one of the most important TV venues to see both local and international music, film and TV stars. Many overseas stars -- including Tom Jones and Sylvester Stallone -- fell in love with the program's loony satirical style and returned as guests on subsequent visits.

The show enjoyed strong ratings and maintained a dedicated following throughout the Eighties, and became a "must watch" program for many viewers, its popularity augmented by the stellar guest lineup and regular musical performances. It retained its loyal following well into the Nineties. Carroll decided to retire in 1994, taking Ossie Ostrich with him, although there were other characters including "Plucka Duck" to take on the role.

In the late nineties, Hey Hey was at its peak of cultural influence. A cartoonist, Andrew Fyfe was added to the team, offering visual gags similar to Blackman's audio ones. A number of Somers-Carrol produced "Red Faces" and "Best of Hey Hey" specials screened and were rescreened with high ratings for their timeslots. The show got a lane named after it near its studios.

In 1998, Russell Gilbert got his own Somers-Carrol sketch comedy show on Nine, The Russell Gilbert Show, which lasted a year. Also in that year Hey Hey went full circle and became a Saturday morning kids TV show again, in the form of a separate show called "Plucka's Place". This was hosted by Plucka Duck and Lavinia Nixon. Lavinia soon went on to co-host the main show. A wide range of Plucka merchandise was released to complement the new program.

Segments

The show became a showcase for comedy and music which was reflected in the show's segments;

Red Faces

Red Faces was a segment in which three amateur performers or groups would present their routine (which was usually singing, dancing, comedy or something utterly bizarre), before a panel of judges. The segment and its name were a parody of serious talent quest program New Faces. The panel was formed by the show's band members Red Symons and Wilbur Wilde, along with a guest to the show that week. The format was similar to that of The Gong Show.

Normally contestants would be gonged by cast member Red Symons before finishing their performance. Each contestant was then given a score out of 10 by each of the judges. Red would usually give low scores such as 2 (or 0 or 1, or even negative scores on occasion), and deliver scathing criticism of the performance. The winning contestant received a $500 cash prize, second received $250 and third received $100. In the final years, the prizes were doubled and were sponsored by McDonald's.

Some contestants found fame after appearing on Red Faces. One group of mates performed their own rendition of I Am The Music Man, and were later hired to perform in a beer commercial as a result. Jason Stephens, a now well-known comedian who appeared on The Late Show, had his start on Red Faces impersonating a penguin.

Chook Lotto

A longstanding gameshow segment, Chook Lotto (or Chooklotto) involved a large barrel of numbered frozen chickens. The contestant would draw a chicken from the barrel, and would win the prize corresponding to the number on the chicken. This segment was eventually replaced by Plucka Duck.

Plucka Duck

Plucka Duck, (at first Pluck-a-duck) was the replacement for Chook Lotto, and was responsible for creating the show's character of the same name. Contestants would spin a numbered wheel with each number corresponding to a prize. After the spin, the contestant was allowed to either elect to keep their prize, or have another go by "plucking a duck".

If the contestant elected to pluck a duck, the character Plucka Duck - a man in a duck costume - appeared and contestants plucked a feather from his tail. Each feather had a number concealed on it which corresponded to a prize, and that would be the prize won.

This was later changed. In the subsequent version of the contest a large mechanical contraption resemblant of a merry-go-round powered by a bicycle - usually ridden by Plucka himself - would be wheeled on. The contestant would have to pick a soft-toy duck (later created in Plucka's image) from the spinning wheel, which would have a number hidden under its vest. This number, as with the wheel, corresponded with a prize.

Plucka Duck (character)

The character of Plucka Duck was created specifically for the segment, but the character's role was gradually expanded out into other parts of the show after the departure of Ossie Ostrich, which left an obvious opening for a wacky puppet. He was a white, human-sized duck wearing a red vest (with his name embroidered in sequins) and a red cap and, unlike Ossie, Plucka did not speak leaving him reliant primarily on physical humour.

Lost for Words

A game show style segment where a number of celebrities would be asked to name a word that started with the last letter of the previous word.

Media Watch Press

Not to be confused with the Australian ABC's program Media Watch, Media Watch Press would display humourous errors in newspapers and advertisements, again sent in by the viewers. The concept used in Media Watch press and Phunny Fotos was replicated after the collapse of Hey Hey... in the What The? segment on Rove Live.

Molly's Melodrama

A musical segment hosted by the former Countdown talent co-ordinator and interviewer Ian "Molly" Meldrum was Molly's Melodrama which was responsible for showcasing and interviewing various musicians and bands, along with discussing recent chart hits and new groups.

The End of Hey Hey...

The departure of Carroll created a gap in the show that fans said could never be filled, and coupled with the show's apparent decline in humour, its popularity would never again reach the peaks of the '80s. Although it did not rate poorly, Nine Network executives decided at the end of 1999 to cancel the program. Somers claimed that he wanted to take the program into a new direction, but the budget to redevelop the show seemed too much for Nine Network executives, who were on a cost-cutting exercise at the time. The final program was, needless to say, an emotionally charged affair but the moving last moments were handled with great dignity by Somers. It also went long overtime, about four hours.

1999 also saw the beginning of another variety show on Nine, "Rove" featuring Rove McManus. Newspapers reported Kerry Packer's relative closeness to Rove and distance from Daryl during the year. Surprisingly, Rove's show was also axed at the year's end, but it was quickly reborn in 2000 on Network Ten as Rove Live. Notably, Daryl was a major guest on the fourth episode of the reborn program - the only interview he gave for some time. Rove Live instantly became the talk show of choice for visiting celebrities, as Hey Hey had been before it. The program is in many ways similar, but is cheaper and targets young adults rather than families.

During the five years after the show's demise in November 1999, Daryl Somers rarely made public appearances, with the exception of a court appearance in 2001 to answer a drink driving charge (which Somers admitted he was "...a bloody idiot" - a reference to a famous anti drunk driving advertising campaign of that time), and his Rove Live guest appearance.

In 2004, Somers made his comeback to Australian television hosting the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars on the Seven Network, which was a surprise ratings success. (Immediately previous to this was his first major discussion of Hey Hey's axing with the press). At present, Somers is hosting the 4th season of the show.

Cultural significance in Australia

The impact of Hey Hey It's Saturday on Australia should not be underestimated. The Australian comedy movie The Castle famously made a reference to the show. Many other Australian sketch comedy programs have satirised the show at one point or another, perhaps most infamously on The Comedy Company when it was parodied as Ho Hum It's Saturday. Even today, it is still joked about, with the SBS sitcom Pizza recently parodying Ossie Ostrich as "Woggy Ostrich".

Some people have criticised the show for everything from Somers' ability as a host, to the so-called "live" performances of the show. But then again, it was a source of entertainment and light hearted relief for many Australians over its three decades on Australian television. Its segments, especially Red Faces, attracted their own following and in fact the Nine Network aired quite a few Best of Red Faces specials on primetime television. The significance of Hey Hey... on Australian culture cannot be questioned.

A New Beginning?

Daryl made a return to Nine in late 2005 hosting the Melbourne Carols by Candlelight telecast. Plucka Duck also featured. This combination, plus the recent finishing of Daryl's "Dancing with the Stars" contract caused some to speculate about a Hey Hey return. However given Nine's current profitability rather than ratings dominance focus, the old Hey Hey is unlikely to come back to Nine. (That said, in June 2006 Nine began to re-air the Hey Hey By Request specials.)

Also, on Nine's quiz show Temptation, Hey Hey's Wilbur Wilde and John Blackman appeared in May 2006 as part of Temptations Logies Superchallenge, and both represented the show. Dickie Knee also made a brief appearance on the show.

After Hey Hey, Rove Live became the staple Australian late-night variety show. Its ratings are not strong. ^* Were it to be axed at the end of 2006, it is likely that a network would commission a new variety program.

Programming History

**Programming History**
Name	Dates	Day	Timeslot
HEY HEY IT'S SATURDAY	October 1971-September 1973	Saturday	8:30am-11:30am
HEY HEY IT'S SATURDAY	October 1973-December 1977	Saturday	8:00am-11:00am
HEY HEY IT'S SATURDAY	March 1979-December 1983	Saturday	8:00am-11:00am
HEY HEY IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT	March 1984-May 1985	Saturday	9:30pm-12.00pm
HEY HEY IT'S SATURDAY	June 1985 - November 1999	Saturday	6:30pm-8:30pm

Awards

Hey Hey It's Saturday won many Logies in its 28 year run. It has won the Most Popular Light Entertainment Program 9 times (1987 - 88, 1993 - 95, 1997 - 2000) and for the Most Popular Comedy Program twice (1985, 1999).

Daryl Somers won the Gold Logie in 1983, 1986 and 1989 for his role in the show, and also won the Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality in 1990, 1993, 1995 - 97. He has been nominated several times more for these two awards.

Other cast to be nominated have included Russell Gilbert in 1996, and Plucka Duck in 1997 - both for the Most Popular Comedy Personality.

External links

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