Daryl Somers
Encyclopedia
Daryl Paul Somers OAM
(born Daryl Schultz 6 August 1951 in Geelong, Victoria
, Australia
), is an Australian television personality. The son of a dairy farmer and a cabaret singer, Somers rose to national fame as the host of the long-running comedy-variety program Hey Hey It's Saturday
.
. As a child he helped with efforts to locate missing prime minister
Harold Holt
. A drummer, he joined a group playing music in the style of Herb Alpert
which began under the name "Pasquale and his Mexican Rhythm." Under the name "Somerset", the group appeared on GTV-9's talent quest programme New Faces
, winning their way to the finals, only to be beaten by John Williamson
.
(who went on to draw the famous Ginger Meggs
comic strip for 23 years). Daryl's first words were, "Hi I'm Daryl Somers, Skeeter will no longer be with us and now it's time for a cartoon".
Later that year, on 9 October 1971, Hey Hey It's Saturday started. Somers at first co-hosted with footballer Peter McKenna
but eight weeks later, his co-host became the pink hand-puppet Ossie Ostrich
, who was operated by former In Melbourne Tonight
staff writer Ernie Carroll
. McKenna continued to appear on the show for some time.
Originally created as a Saturday morning children's cartoon show, the program gradually expanded in both size and scope. Soon, additional cast members joined, including booth announcer John Blackman
, who also voiced many (unseen) characters, and, later, co-host Jacki MacDonald
.
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The program's production crew also began to play a prominent role in the series, with sound-effects technician Murray Tregonning
adding humorous sound-bites and sound effects from a huge bank of pre-recorded eight track cartridges, and personnel such as long-serving cameraman "Lucky Phil" Lambert making regular appearances.
Props assistant Ian "Krystal" Murray provided props, most famously the "Dicky Knee" character:
Hey Hey was also notable for breaking the so-called fourth wall
, often turning the cameras around to show what was happening in the studio and on many occasions (as portable cameras came into use) roaming at will through and outside the studios.
The series' distinctive brand of irreverent humour soon attracted a sizable adult audience and by the mid-1980s it had become so popular that Nine made the unprecedented decision to move it to a primetime Saturday evening timeslot, where it remained for the rest of its run. At its height, Hey Hey It's Saturday was one of the most popular and consistently high-rating series in the history of Australian television
, winning many awards including three Gold Logie awards for Somers. In 1983, Somers was crowned King of Moomba
with Edna Everage as his Court Jester.
Hey Hey screened for twenty eight years (1971–1999) on the Nine Network
across Australia. It had by then become an institution, so there was considerable shock when the Nine Network announced that the series was to be axed at the end of 1999.
program Rove Live.
, hosting Dancing with the Stars
a live program where 10 celebrities compete each week in a dance competition.
On 30 November 2007 Somers announced that he would leave Dancing with the Stars.
There has been considerable interest in the reformation of "Hey Hey It's Saturday" in some capacity. ABC Radio
Broken Hill interviewed Corrine Lawrence and Daryl Somers on 22 July 2009 in regards to the growing interest. Daryl has revealed the show's return is "not out of the question" and speculated that one or two reunion specials could be made in the near future.
A reunion special aired on 30 September 2009. It rated strongly, attracting 3.9+ million viewers, although the second show generated international controversy because of a "blackface
" Jackson 5 parody act (called The Jackson Jive) that appeared on the "Red Faces" segment.
With the success of the Reunion Specials in 2009, the show returned in 2010 as a regular series. The 2010 series had 20 episodes airing, with the first 13 episodes airing from April until July, with the remaining 7 episodes airing in October and November.
There is no further comment from the Nine Network if the show is returning in 2011.
Logies won:
Logies nominated:
Somers is a passionate supporter of the Geelong Football Club
and is the Club's #1 ticket holder. Somers has a star on the Caloundra Walk of Stars.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born Daryl Schultz 6 August 1951 in Geelong, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), is an Australian television personality. The son of a dairy farmer and a cabaret singer, Somers rose to national fame as the host of the long-running comedy-variety program Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 27 years , debuting on the Nine Network on 9 October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode on 20 November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later...
.
Early life
Somers, who has an Irish Catholic heritage, was educated at Christian Brothers College, St. KildaChristian Brothers College, St. Kilda
Christian Brothers' College is a Roman Catholic Independent school for boys located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, run under the auspices of the Congregation of Christian Brothers. The College is a member of the Associated Catholic Colleges...
. As a child he helped with efforts to locate missing prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Harold Holt
Harold Holt
Harold Edward Holt, CH was an Australian politician and the 17th Prime Minister of Australia.His term as Prime Minister was brought to an early and dramatic end in December 1967 when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, and was presumed drowned.Holt spent 32 years...
. A drummer, he joined a group playing music in the style of Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
which began under the name "Pasquale and his Mexican Rhythm." Under the name "Somerset", the group appeared on GTV-9's talent quest programme New Faces
New Faces (Australian)
New Faces was an Australian talent show that preceded the British show of the same name, produced at GTV-9 Melbourne. The program began in 1963 under the name Kevin Dennis Auditions, sponsored by Kevin Dennis Motors, running on Saturday mornings...
, winning their way to the finals, only to be beaten by John Williamson
John Williamson (singer)
John Robert Williamson AM is an Australian country music singer-songwriter. Williamson has released over thirty-two albums, ten videos, five DVDs, and two lyric books...
.
Hey Hey It's Saturday Era (1971 - 1999)
Somers started professional TV work on 14 July 1971, taking over as the presenter of an afternoon children's program called Cartoon Corner, which was previously 'Skeeter's Cartoon Corner', hosted by James KemsleyJames Kemsley
James Lawrence Kemsley OAM was an Australian cartoonist who drew Jimmy Bancks' original creation, Ginger Meggs.-Childhood:...
(who went on to draw the famous Ginger Meggs
Ginger Meggs
Ginger Meggs, a popular long-run Australian comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Jimmy Bancks. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-class household....
comic strip for 23 years). Daryl's first words were, "Hi I'm Daryl Somers, Skeeter will no longer be with us and now it's time for a cartoon".
Later that year, on 9 October 1971, Hey Hey It's Saturday started. Somers at first co-hosted with footballer Peter McKenna
Peter McKenna
Peter McKenna is a former Australian rules footballer, who played 180 games and kicked 838 goals with the Collingwood Football Club between 1965 and 1975, where he spent the majority of his career...
but eight weeks later, his co-host became the pink hand-puppet Ossie Ostrich
Ossie Ostrich
Ossie Ostrich is an Australian television character, firstly on the Tarax Show, and then on the long-running program Hey Hey It's Saturday which started as a Saturday morning cartoon show for children in 1971. In 1984, he also hosted an after-school children's show called The Ossie Ostrich Video...
, who was operated by former In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight, also known as "IMT", was a highly popular nightly variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970....
staff writer Ernie Carroll
Ernie Carroll
Ernie Carroll is an Australian entertainer and television personality most recognised for his role as the man behind Ossie Ostrich on Hey Hey It's Saturday....
. McKenna continued to appear on the show for some time.
Originally created as a Saturday morning children's cartoon show, the program gradually expanded in both size and scope. Soon, additional cast members joined, including booth announcer John Blackman
John Blackman
John Blackman is an Australian radio and television presenter. He is best known for his voice-over work for the comedy show Hey Hey It's Saturday from 1971 to 2010.-Biography:...
, who also voiced many (unseen) characters, and, later, co-host Jacki MacDonald
Jacki MacDonald
Jacki MacDonald is a former Australian television personality.-Career:...
.
Murray Tregonning
Murray Tregonning is an audio engineer known for his sound effect work on the long running Australian Television show Hey Hey It's Saturday...
adding humorous sound-bites and sound effects from a huge bank of pre-recorded eight track cartridges, and personnel such as long-serving cameraman "Lucky Phil" Lambert making regular appearances.
Props assistant Ian "Krystal" Murray provided props, most famously the "Dicky Knee" character:
Hey Hey was also notable for breaking the so-called fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, often turning the cameras around to show what was happening in the studio and on many occasions (as portable cameras came into use) roaming at will through and outside the studios.
The series' distinctive brand of irreverent humour soon attracted a sizable adult audience and by the mid-1980s it had become so popular that Nine made the unprecedented decision to move it to a primetime Saturday evening timeslot, where it remained for the rest of its run. At its height, Hey Hey It's Saturday was one of the most popular and consistently high-rating series in the history of Australian television
Australian television
Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with stations 3DB and 3UZ using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donal McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisbane in 1934....
, winning many awards including three Gold Logie awards for Somers. In 1983, Somers was crowned King of Moomba
Moomba
Moomba is Australia's largest free community festival and one of the longest running festivals in Australia. Held annually in the city of Melbourne, Australia, Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend , and has been celebrated since 1955...
with Edna Everage as his Court Jester.
Hey Hey screened for twenty eight years (1971–1999) on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
across Australia. It had by then become an institution, so there was considerable shock when the Nine Network announced that the series was to be axed at the end of 1999.
'Television Break' (2000 - 2003)
During the five years after the show's demise in December 1999, Daryl Somers rarely made public appearances, with the exception of a court appearance in 2001 to answer a drink driving charge (after which Somers admitted he was "...a bloody idiot" - a reference to a famous anti drunk driving advertising campaign of that time), and an appearance as a guest on the Network TenNetwork Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
program Rove Live.
Dancing with the Stars era (2004 - 2007)
In late 2004 Somers returned to the small screen when he made the move to sign with Nine's arch rival, the Seven NetworkSeven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, hosting Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (Australian TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a Logie Award-winning, Australian light entertainment reality show airing on the Seven Network and filmed live from the HSV-7 studios in Melbourne...
a live program where 10 celebrities compete each week in a dance competition.
On 30 November 2007 Somers announced that he would leave Dancing with the Stars.
Return of Hey Hey It's Saturday (2009 - present)
Somers had a year off television duties in 2008.There has been considerable interest in the reformation of "Hey Hey It's Saturday" in some capacity. ABC Radio
ABC Radio and Regional Content
ABC Radio and Regional Content is the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for radio output and regional content.-Origins:...
Broken Hill interviewed Corrine Lawrence and Daryl Somers on 22 July 2009 in regards to the growing interest. Daryl has revealed the show's return is "not out of the question" and speculated that one or two reunion specials could be made in the near future.
A reunion special aired on 30 September 2009. It rated strongly, attracting 3.9+ million viewers, although the second show generated international controversy because of a "blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
" Jackson 5 parody act (called The Jackson Jive) that appeared on the "Red Faces" segment.
With the success of the Reunion Specials in 2009, the show returned in 2010 as a regular series. The 2010 series had 20 episodes airing, with the first 13 episodes airing from April until July, with the remaining 7 episodes airing in October and November.
There is no further comment from the Nine Network if the show is returning in 2011.
List of TV programs
- New FacesNew Faces (Australian)New Faces was an Australian talent show that preceded the British show of the same name, produced at GTV-9 Melbourne. The program began in 1963 under the name Kevin Dennis Auditions, sponsored by Kevin Dennis Motors, running on Saturday mornings...
, 1968, runner-up contestant - New Faces, 1970, winning contestant
- Cartoon Corner, 1971-1977 Host
- Hey Hey it's SaturdayHey Hey It's SaturdayHey Hey It's Saturday was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 27 years , debuting on the Nine Network on 9 October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode on 20 November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later...
, 1971–1999, 2009–present, Host & Producer - Bandstand (Australia)Bandstand (Australia)Bandstand was an Australian musical/variety television show which screened from November 1958 to 1972. It was produced at the studios of TCN-9 in Sydney and eventually became a national program as Nine Network expanded into other Australian cities in the early 1960s.Bandstand was created by Nine...
, 1976, Host - King of Pop Awards, 1976-7, Host
- The Graham Kennedy ShowThe Graham Kennedy ShowThe Graham Kennedy Show was an Australian talk show that debuted on 19 September 1972, on the Nine Network.On 23 December 1969, host Graham Kennedy has quit as host of In Melbourne Tonight, exhausted, and rested for two years. In spite of his fame and fortune, he later described that period as...
, 1970s regular artist - The Don Lane Show, 1970s regular artist
- The Mike Walsh ShowThe Mike Walsh ShowThe Mike Walsh Show is an Australian daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nine Network in 1977...
, 1970s regular artist - Family FeudFamily FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, 1980–82, Host - The Daryl Somers Show, 1982-3, Host
- Blankety BlanksBlankety BlanksBlankety Blanks was a popular Australian game show based on the American game show Match Game. It was hosted by Graham Kennedy on Network Ten. It ran from 1977-1978.Regular panelists were Ugly Dave Gray, Noeline Brown, Carol Raye and Stuart Wagstaff...
, Host, 1985 - TV Week Logie Awards, Host, 1988, 1991, 1996–98, 2006
- New Faces, Host & Producer, 1989
- The Russell Gilbert Show, Producer, 1998
- Gonged But Not Forgotten, Producer (199?)
- Dancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars (Australian TV series)Dancing with the Stars is a Logie Award-winning, Australian light entertainment reality show airing on the Seven Network and filmed live from the HSV-7 studios in Melbourne...
, Host, 2004–2007
Logies
Somers has been a part of the Logies since his early days of television, either as host, winner or nominee. He has been host of them 5 times (1988, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998) and co-host in 2006.Logies won:
- Gold Logie - 3 times (1983, 1986 and 1989).
- Most Popular Light Entertainment / Comedy Personality - once (1990)
- Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality - 4 times (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997)
- Most Popular Comedy Personality - once (1995)
Logies nominated:
- Gold Logie - 12 times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
- Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality - once (1994)
- Most Popular Comedy Personality - once (1997)
Personal life
Daryl Somers is a singer and drummer and is married to Julie da Costa, a former principal dancer with the Australian Ballet and is now a Director of The Australian Ballet Company.Somers is a passionate supporter of the Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and is the Club's #1 ticket holder. Somers has a star on the Caloundra Walk of Stars.
External links
- Brief bio
- Will Somers never end? - Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 2006 article describing Somers winning a TV Fugly Award