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''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' is a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who later also became
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of the program. The original producer, Gavan Disney, left the program in December 1990 and Somers then formed a production company, Somers Carroll Productions, with comedy writer and on-screen partner Ernie Carroll, the performer of Somers' pink ostrich puppet sidekick Ossie Ostrich. Carroll retired in 1994, and Ossie was no longer featured in the show. On 25 July 2009, the Nine Network announced the show would return for two reunion specials in late 2009 and hinted if they rated strongly, the show could return full-time. The first reunion show aired on 30 September 2009, and the second on 7 October, and both won the ratings on their respective nights. However, the reunion also received negative international attention for a segment featuring performers in
blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
. On 7 December 2009, it was announced that the show was planned to return in 2010 with 20 episodes. Broadcast of the 20 episodes were split into two groups with a break between them, with the revival premiering on Wednesday 14 April 2010. The second group was broadcast on Saturday nights from 16 October 2010 with the season finale on 27 November 2010. Due to falling ratings and high production costs, the show was not renewed for a new season in 2011. A 50th anniversary special, ''Hey Hey It's 50 Years'', aired on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
on 10 October 2021, which is 50 years and one day after the show debuted. The show's website has since been turned into a paid streaming service where people can get access to full episodes and clips from the show for a monthly fee.


Origins

Premiering on 9 October 1971, ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a Saturday morning children's program in which Somers and Carroll provided "top and tail" segments between cartoon episodes. Due to the freedom afforded by its low-priority timeslot, the team was able to develop the comedic aspects of the show and the cartoon segments were eventually phased-out in favour of the live performances. The constant ad-libbing (often laced with
double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...
) of the presenters, including voice-over man John Blackman, soon attracted a cult following among younger and older viewers alike. The show's style was variously influenced by
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
, the American '' Tonight Show'' format, the
Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...
, ''
The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...
'' and ''
Monty Python Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...
''. Somers was also strongly influenced by comedy duo Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton, and it is significant that Carroll wrote for '' In Melbourne Tonight'' (IMT) for many years. Through the early 1970s, as its ratings grew and its meagre budget was increased, ''Hey Hey'' evolved into a freewheeling live light entertainment /
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
variety program. Regular segments included "What Cheeses Me Off" (which aired viewer complaints on virtually any subject), "Media Watch Press" (to which viewers contributed humorous newspaper misprints, almost invariably smutty), "Red Faces" (a '' New Faces''–'' Gong Show''-style talent competition) and "Chook Lotto", a parody of variety show barrel competitions, in which the numbers in a farcical lotto game were chosen using numbered frozen chickens spun in a large wire cage. The team also performed live revue-style send-ups of current TV shows such as '' The Sullivans'', or chaotic parodies of soap operas, police shows and other popular TV genres. Like Kennedy's, the humour was of the wink-wink, nudge-nudge variety—viewers became accustomed to Blackman's voice-over snigger—and the satire was broad and skit-level rather than sharp and disturbing. Like IMT, 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 device that Graham Kennedy had first made famous on his radio show. ''Hey Hey'' also broke the "
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
", frequently turning the cameras around, taking viewers behind the scenes into every area of the studio, out to the studio pool and even beyond the building. Many of the crew (e.g. floor manager Phillip Lambert) effectively became the ''de facto'' supporting cast, either as themselves or as occasional extras in regular segments. During this formative period there was no studio audience, although this later became an integral part of the show. Carroll also occasionally stepped out from behind Ozzie to perform in sketches or as a character, although he usually disguised his voice and/or appearance. The rapid-fire comedic interplay between Somers, Carroll, Blackman and audio operator Murray Tregonning was central to the show's success. Blackman kept up a near-constant stream of jokes and remarks, and he also provided the voice of the show's many invented characters; some were merely voiced, while others were seen in various forms, including "Mrs McGillicuddy" (a stock photo of a toothless old woman); "Angel" (a
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
doll dressed as an angel and
chroma key Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a Visual effects, visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two or more images or video streams together based on colour hues (colorfulness, chroma range). The techniq ...
ed into the scene); "Norman Neumann" (pronounced , like the manufacturer), a talking Neumann boom microphone; "The Man From Jupiter"; and the character that became an icon of the show, cheeky "schoolboy" Dickie Knee (a ball with a school baseball cap and long black-haired wig, stuck on a stick), who would pop up in front of Daryl (operated by a stagehand) and make rude remarks. Meanwhile, Tregonning was renowned for his remarkable ability to select and play appropriate sound effects at a second's notice, and his humorous audio punctuations became another trademark of the series. This was long before the introduction of digital sound recording and digital samplers, and all Tregonning's sound effects were played from a huge collection of tape cartridges. The program went into recess in 1978 when Daryl and Ossie took the bold step of leaving the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
for the rival 0–10 Network to present a primetime show featuring 'comedy, audience participation and novelty games', simply titled '' The Daryl and Ossie Show''. Betty Bobbitt and Monique Daams were co-hosts. Only forty episodes were aired between September and November 1978. Daryl and Ossie then went back to Nine, and ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' returned to air in 1979. The show continued its evolution, beginning with recruitment of popular Queensland TV presenter Jacki MacDonald as a co-host on its return to Nine in 1979.


Move to primetime

In 1984, the Nine Network moved the show from its morning timeslot to a
primetime Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...
slot on Saturday nights, and it was briefly renamed ''Hey Hey It's Saturday Night'' before reverting to its original name. During this time, ''Hey Hey'' also became one of the most important TV venues for both local and international music, film and TV stars. Many visiting overseas stars including actor
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...
, singer Tom Jones, musician
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (also known as SRV; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (band), Double Trouble. Although his ma ...
, and professional wrestler André the Giant were impressed by the program's zany style (and its wide appeal) and made return appearances on subsequent visits. During its peak years, backed by the full resources of Nine and assisted by the rapid improvement in satellite communication, ''Hey Hey'' regularly travelled to locations all over Australia and even overseas for live broadcasts. In October 1984, in a world first, reformed Aussie 1970s rock band Skyhooks appeared on the same night live from their concert at Melbourne's Olympic Park, where they were performing in front of 26,000 people with Daryl and Ossie appearing with them on a giant screen above the stage. The band traded quips with the ''Hey Hey'' crew in between performing some of their biggest hits. Red Symons landed his ''Hey Hey'' gig as a result of the success of this appearance. The show enjoyed strong ratings and maintained a dedicated following throughout the Eighties, and became a "must watch" program for a generation of viewers, with its popularity augmented by the stellar guest lineup and regular musical performances. 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''. Another noted Australian rock musician who became a long serving cast member was
saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
Wilbur Wilde, who had previously played in Australian bands Ol' 55 and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. The regular cast was further expanded by the addition of former '' Countdown'' host
Ian "Molly" Meldrum Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum Order of Australia, AM (born 29 January 1943) is an Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent coordinator, on-air interviewer, and music news presenter on the ...
, comedian and ex-'' The Comedy Company'' star
Russell Gilbert Russell Gilbert (born 17 October 1959) is an Australian comedian from Footscray, Victoria, best known for his television appearances on programs such as ''The Comedy Company'', ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' and ''The Russell Gilbert Show''; he was a ...
, actor and comedian Maurie Fields, and ex-'' The Curiosity Show'' presenter, Dr Deane Hutton. ''Hey Hey'' retained its loyal following well into the 1990s—at one point between 1992 and 1994 also screening on
TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...
(briefly) in primetime, before later being moved to late Saturday nights due to low ratings—but Ernie Carroll decided to retire in 1994, taking Ossie Ostrich with him. Other characters, including "Plucka Duck", were brought in prior to his retirement to partially fill the void left by Carroll's departure. In the late 1980s, a cartoonist, Andrew Fyfe, was added to the team, offering visual gags similar to Blackman and Tregonning's audio contributions. In 1992, Fyfe started his own children's game show on Nine called ''GuessWhat?''. On this show, he drew picture puzzles in front of two teams of children. A number of Somers–Carroll-produced "Red Faces" and ''Best of Hey Hey'' specials screened and were rescreened with high ratings for their timeslots. The show also had a lane named after it near its studios. In 1998,
Russell Gilbert Russell Gilbert (born 17 October 1959) is an Australian comedian from Footscray, Victoria, best known for his television appearances on programs such as ''The Comedy Company'', ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' and ''The Russell Gilbert Show''; he was a ...
got his own Somers–Carroll 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 Livinia Nixon. Livinia soon went on to co-host the main show. A wide range of Plucka merchandise was released to complement the new program.


First cancellation

Nine Network executives decided toward the end of 1999 to cancel ''Hey Hey It's Saturday''. Nine cited various reasons for the axing, including a dip in ratings, an ageing audience and a need to cut costs at the network; however, the program still attracted an average of 1.2 million viewers. Somers had also claimed that he wanted to take the program into a new direction after the departure of Carroll, but the budget to redevelop the show was deemed excessive. The final episode ran for 240 minutes, an hour longer than was scheduled. After a break of a few years, Somers moved on to host ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'' on the Seven Network in 2004. Nine re-aired the ''Hey Hey By Request'' specials in 2005 and June 2006. Also, on Nine's quiz show ''
Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...
'', ''Hey Hey's'' Wilbur Wilde and John Blackman appeared in May 2006 as part of ''Temptation's'' Logies Superchallenge, and both represented the show. Dickie Knee also made a brief appearance. In October 2006, the Seven Network began airing old Red Faces segments as a part of a show called ''The Best and Worst of Red Faces'', which had originally screened on the Nine Network in the 1990s. In June 2007, Daryl Somers received funding from the Seven Network to produce a pilot for a new Saturday Night format. During the 2008 Logies ceremony, Daryl Somers presented an award for the "Most Outstanding Children's Program". Prior to announcing the winner of the award, Somers did a skit with Dickie Knee and Plucka Duck.


Reunions and revival

Since the show's initial demise in 1999, there has been a considerable, on-going interest in the reformation of ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' in some capacity. In 2008, a
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group created by Corrine Lawrence of
Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...
was set up to garner support for a return. In July 2009, the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' ran a story on the campaign, which was subsequently picked up by other media outlets, including the Nine Network itself. Membership of the group skyrocketed as a result, going from 10,000 members to 32,000 members by 22 July 2009. By July 2010 membership exceeded 488,000. ABC Radio
Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...
interviewed Lawrence and Somers on 22 July 2009 in regard to the growing interest. It was reported on 24 July 2009 that Daryl Somers and the Nine Network had agreed to a deal for two specials to air in late 2009 after lengthy negotiations and, if the shows rated well, the two would negotiate the return of the show to its original format. The specials were a mix of old and new content. Graeme Trippett joined Daryl Somers as co-executive producer. The first reunion special aired on Wednesday, 30 September 2009 and was a ratings success. It attracted a peak audience of 2.64 million viewers and an average audience of 2.169 million people, and beat the debut of '' Celebrity MasterChef Australia'' which had a peak audience of 1.92 million viewers and an average audience of 1.36 million. It gave Nine a 40% share of the ratings for that day, topping all other television stations by a massive 20%; it also ranked Number 1 as the highest rating show for that week. The second special aired on 7 October and attracted 300,000 viewers more. The second reunion special once again topped the ratings for that week with an average of 2.3 million viewers, giving Nine its highest share of 2009 at 43.3%. However, it also drew international reaction for the Red Faces segment " The Jackson Jive" (see below), consisting of a
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
impersonator and five backup dancers in
blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
. Following the success of the 2009 reunion specials, the show returned in 2010 after a deal was signed for at least 20 new episodes. The show was set to air on Wednesday nights but retain the title ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' with Daryl Somers returning as host. Ian "Molly" Meldrum had recently signed a deal with Channel 7, excluding him from the line-up. Red Symons was part of the lineup, after his decision to leave '' Australia's Got Talent'' on Channel 7. The show returned on 14 April 2010 with over 1.5 million viewers across the five major cities.


Second cancellation

Despite the initially respectable viewership numbers, ratings steadily dropped after the premiere episode of the new series; in the wake of this, on the 7 July 2010 episode, Somers announced on-air that the current run of episodes would conclude on 21 July 2010 and that ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' would be returning for a seven-episode run in October 2010 and be moved back to its original Saturday night timeslot. The second group of episodes started airing from 16 October 2010, with the season finale on 27 November 2010. However, although still somewhat popular in Melbourne, the ratings of the show nationally were not good enough for Nine to justify the expense of its production, leading to the second cancellation of the show. In early 2012, Somers announced that Somers Carroll Productions had approached other commercial networks in hope for ''Hey Hey's'' return but were unsuccessful despite their best efforts. It was also reported that Somers Carroll Productions were also looking into putting on a live stage version of the show in ticketed venues around the country instead. Beginning in 2014, Somers Carroll Productions started releasing full episodes and highlights videos of the show from year to year on their official website, http://heyhey.tv. The site charges a fee of $6.95 a month to view full episodes from 1977 to 2010, and also features a four-part holiday special from 1974. Much of the early years of the show were not retained by
GTV-9 GTV is a commercial television station in Melbourne, Australia, owned by the Nine Network. The station is currently based at studios at 717 Bourke Street, Docklands. GTV-9 is the home of the Australian Open tennis coverage. History GTV-9 was ...
and so are not available on the site or for DVD release. However, home recordings of some material have been included in retrospectives. In December 2015, Somers announced that he was still in talks regarding ''Hey Hey'' returning "whether it be one or two shows or whatever" in a Christmas video message uploaded to YouTube. Prior to Somers' television return in 2016 as host of '' You're Back in the Room'', he also revealed that the Nine Network had approached Somers Carroll Productions for talks regarding a possible return of ''Hey Hey''.


50th anniversary specials

In August 2021 it was reported that Somers had put out a call on social media for ideas for segments to be filmed for a 50th anniversary special that would air in future, with some segments already having been shot with the participation of key cast members. It was later confirmed that the Seven Network would air the special, titled ''Hey Hey It's 50 Years'', after Channel Nine revealed that it rejected Somers' pitch for the celebration. The 90-minute special aired on 10 October 2021, which is 50 years and one day after the show debuted. It drew in 1.2 million viewers. The success of the anniversary special led to Seven commissioning a second special titled ''Hey Hey It's 100 Years'', which aired in Melbourne and Adelaide on 17 April 2022 and elsewhere in Australia on 24 April 2022. Seven also commissioned two Red Faces specials—''The Best of The Best and Worst of Red Faces'' and ''The Very Best of the Best and Worst of Red Faces''—which were broadcast in July 2022.


Cast


Host


Co-hosts


Other regulars

Notes: * Denise returned to guest host in 1994. * Molly appeared in a 2010 episode via archived footage.


Segments

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


''Red Faces''

"Red Faces" is a segment in which three (sometimes four) 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 the serious talent quest program '' New Faces'' coupled with a
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
as in '' The Gong Show''. The panel consisted of Hey Hey's resident band's guitar player Red Symons along with two of the show's guests from that week. Normally contestants would be gonged by Red Symons well before they finished their performance. Each contestant was then given a score out of 10 by each of the judges. For most acts, Red, always the last to give his score, would usually give his trademark score of 2 along with a pithy and acidic comment. Other times he would give high scores when the performance really was particularly good (or poor)—on several occasions he declared a performance the winning one, even if the others had not been done yet. 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 McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
restaurant chain. In the 2010 revival of the show, first would receive $2000, second received $1000 and third received $500, initially sponsored by Hungry Jack's but later changed to MyFun. Some, but not many, contestants found fame after appearing on "Red Faces". One group of friends known as The Music Men 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 comedian who appeared on '' The Late Show'', had his start on Red Faces impersonating a penguin. The Melbourne-based musical comedy trio
Tripod A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...
also performed a satirical medley of
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentCate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...
also appeared on Red Faces in the late 80s, at the age of 17. "Red Faces" faced its oldest contestant, 96-year-old Dorothy Hayter, in the 80s and Red Faces had its youngest contestant, Kaitlin Elizabeth Millgate (4 months old) on 27 August 1994.


''Chook Lotto''

A longstanding
game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
segment, "Chook Lotto" (or Chooklotto) involved a large barrel of numbered frozen chickens, or "chooks", and was a parody of Tattslotto, one of the National
Lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...
Draws of Australia. This segment ran from 1984, was rested in 1985, then returned in 1986 and went till the end of 1988. Daryl and Jackie McDonald would draw out 4 chickens numbered from 10 to 19. The home viewer would send in their entry and have to circle one of those numbers as a "Super 69" number. Then another cast member would enter the numbers into a computer (Originally an
Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...
800XL, later an
Olivetti Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been owned b ...
Model) and whoever had those numbers would be the winner. Then Daryl would return to the desk and use the Super 69 number on ten paper eggs which had the same numbers as the chickens drawn out. Each of them held a prize. The main prize was a car from Ken Morgan Toyota; or, if the prize card had stars on it, they would win every prize inside the other eggs. This segment was eventually replaced by Plucka Duck (Pluck-a-duck); however, Chook Lotto returned in the 2010 revival of the show, with viewers invited to go to the show's website and select four numbers as well as a supplementary number. Due to gambling laws in Australia, when ''Hey Hey'' was revived in 2009, the game was called "Fake Chook Lotto", and contestants played for no prize whatsoever; however, once the legalities were sorted out, real prizes were offered in 2010. The chickens were provided by Inghams Enterprises, and all 210 finalists would receive a voucher for a free chicken.


''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". An important ingredient of the segment was Wilbur Wilde singing the Plucka Duck theme song to the tune of
Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country hits " King of the Road", "Dang Me", and " England Swing ...
's Chug-a-Lug:
''"Plucka Duck, Plucka Duck,''
''He's not a chicken or a cow,''
''Plucka Duck, that's him right now!"''
Many different versions of the theme song were used over time, based on a number of different tunes and adjusted lyrics, such as ''"Excuse me while I kiss this duck"'', spoofing the
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
song " Purple Haze". (In the reunion shows and 2010 seasons 1 & 2, Livinia Nixon joined in as well) 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. On one occasion a contestant spun the wheel and landed the peg between the wheel's highest prize (a car) and that of a lesser prize. The show was interrupted by a phone call from the head of the Nine Network, Kerry Packer, who directed Somers to "Give her the car." Plucka Duck would often have a female presenter performing alongside him. One of his presenters in the early 1990s was Melissa Hannan who was a popular TV personality at the time, daughter of Jimmy Hannan. Plucka Duck's most recent female presenter was Suze Raymond, who was host of Channel Nine's music video program Eclipse Music TV.


''Molly's Melodrama''

The former talent co-ordinator/interviewer of Australian Television's '' Countdown'',
Ian "Molly" Meldrum Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum Order of Australia, AM (born 29 January 1943) is an Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent coordinator, on-air interviewer, and music news presenter on the ...
hosted a segment titled "Molly's Melodrama". This segment was similar to ''Countdowns Humdrum segment where Molly would review local and international music as well as interview the famous and infamous faces of the musical scene. However, in true Hey Hey fashion, Molly's segment was often taken over by other cast members (Dickie Knee in particular) who often performed cruel and painful pranks on Meldrum. Prior to Molly Meldrum, the music review segment featured Gavin Wood, former Countdown voice-over man, with his segments frequently punctuated with practical jokes targeting him.


''Ad Nauseam''

A quiz where contestants, which usually were either studio audience members or ''Hey Hey'' guests, would answer questions based on television commercials.


''Beat It''

Similar to ''Ad Nauseam'', this was a music quiz. The segment's title was taken from the
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
song of the same name, which was played by the house band at the beginning of each installment.


''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.


''Magic Word''

An audience member would be brought onto the stage and presented with an unusual word. Various ''Hey Hey'' crew members (usually Dickie, Red or Russell) would each give the member a possible meaning of the word, one of which was the word's actual meaning. If that person correctly guessed whose meaning was the right one, that person would win a prize.


''Masterslime''

A parody of ''
Mastermind Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to: Fictional characters * Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters: ** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of the ...
'', where contestants were strapped to a chair and had to answer a maximum of 6 questions. If that contestant got three questions wrong, he or she got "slimed".


''Media Watch''

The ''Media Watch'' segment displayed humorous errors from TV and newspapers, generally sent in by the viewers. As the segment became more popular, it was split into "Media Watch Press" and "Media Watch TV". After the end of ''HHIS'', the concept used in "Media Watch" and "Phunny Fotos" was replicated in the '' What The?'' segment on '' Rove Live''. A similar segment appears on the U.S. TV program ''
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
'' under the name ''Small Town News''.


''The Great Aussie Joke''

The hosts of this segment were Shane Bourne and Maurie Fields. This segment was also featured on the first reunion show, which was fifteen years after Maurie's death, with Maurie being superimposed into the set, and doing the joke with son Marty.


''The Nixon Tapes''

This segment, which appeared during Livinia Nixon's time on the show, featured footage from movies or TV shows sent in by viewers, which contained a mistake or
blooper A blooper, or gag reel, is short clip from a film, television program or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or ...
of some sort (such as a production error). Audience members had to guess what the mistake was.


''Celebrity Head''

In this segment, three contestants would have the name of a celebrity placed on top of their heads where they could not see them. Using a series of questions which could only be answered with either "yes" or "no", the contestants had to try to guess who their celebrity was. The name, like many other parts of the show, was joked upon for its
double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...
. As one of the most popular games on ''Hey Hey'', "Celebrity Head" was adapted into a board game and retains casual interest.


Spoofs

Spoofs of other programs were a regular feature in the early years. This began with caustic voice-overs of old TV shows, (comparable to the much later American program ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'' and similar to other Australian comedy efforts including the "Europa Films" segments of ''
The Aunty Jack Show ''The Aunty Jack Show'' is a Logie Award-winning Australian television comedy series that ran from 1972 to 1973. Produced by and broadcast on ABC-TV, the series attained an instant cult status that persists to the present day. The lead chara ...
'' and the 1980s live comedy team Double Take). Later, this expanded into ongoing comedy sketches such as ''Division Saturday'' (a parody of '' Division 4''), ''The Sillivans'' ('' The Sullivans'') and ''The Shove Boat'' (''
The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...
''). The rural radio station 2QN ''Radio Deniliquin'' was satirised until official complaints were received, leading to a change over to ''2KW Upper Kumbukta West'', a fictional country town that was also home to the "Mrs Mac" character. The fictitious country of 'Biddleonia' was created as a new home for Irish jokes etc., so as not to offend any actual minorities. Ian Buckland appeared and also performed in sketches including a satire called "The World's Worst Magician". These segments spawned merchandise in the form of magic kits and products. In each of the two reunion shows, there was a "DisasterChef" segment—a spoof of ''
MasterChef Australia ''MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British ''MasterChef (British TV series), MasterChef''. It is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and screens on Network 10. Restaurateur and ch ...
''. In 2010, ''Hey Hey'' spoofed many commercials with Trevor and Russell in them.


Cultural impact

Other Australian sketch comedy programs have satirised the show at one point or another, including '' The Comedy Company'' when it was parodied as ''Ho Hum It's Saturday'' and '' Mad'' magazine which did a parody with the same title. The 1997 comedy film '' The Castle'' memorably portrayed the program as the Kerrigan family's second-favourite television show (with their favourite show being "''The Best of Hey Hey It's Saturday''"). Use of terminology from the show spawned controversy during a Test cricket match between Australia and South Africa in Melbourne in December 2005. Australian bowler
Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter for Victoria, Hampshire ...
referred to South African batsman
Makhaya Ntini Makhaya Ntini (born 6 July 1977) is a South African former professional cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He was the first Black people, black player to play for the South African national cricket team. Ntini was a member of the So ...
, who was batting with an injured knee, as "John Blackman". Warne was claiming that Ntini was controlling his "dicky knee" just like Blackman "controlled" Dickie Knee on the show. But Ntini, a Bantu, interpreted the remark as a racist jibe, and a minor controversy occurred. Eventually Australian captain
Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time and is the most successful captain in international cricket history, ...
explained the situation to South African captain Graeme Smith. Blackman himself had in fact visited the Australian team's dressing rooms not long before the incident occurred. A number of musical guests have written tribute songs to the show, including one by Ricky May.


Criticism

Despite the ongoing popularity of ''Hey Hey'' with viewers during its first incarnation, by the late 1990s some television critics considered the show to be corny and had become "a tired old fossil". Although the 21st-century incarnation of the show also initially rated highly, the show came under renewed criticism for being backward and culturally insensitive. In retrospect, its outlook and many of its jokes are now considered by some commentators to be
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
,
sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
, and
homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
. The international controversy surrounding the Jackson Jive sketch on "Red Faces" led to the show being derided as "old fashioned, out of touch, stale, ndmisguided". In 2021, Somers stated that he believed that some of the content that aired on the show in the past would not be acceptable today due to “ political correctness and the
cancel culture Cancel culture is a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired, often aided by social media. This shunning may extend to social or professio ...
”; his remarks faced additional criticism. Singer and frequent guest Kamahl has stated that his ethnicity and background were often the butt of jokes during his appearances on the show, likening his treatment to being humiliated. A rebuke by John Blackman to Kamahl's claims received backlash on social media. In April 2021, Somers wrote a lengthy apology to Kamahl and to those who found the show's content offensive. Kamahl unreservedly accepted Somers' apology.


The Jackson Jive

International controversy was caused by an act during the "Red Faces" segment during the second reunion special on 7 October 2009 called "the Jackson Jive". The sketch featured six performers: five dressed as the Jackson Five in matching
blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
outfits and wearing large
afro The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...
wigs, with their teeth made extremely white; and one as an adult
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, his face painted white, with Jackson's portrayal being performed by a man of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n heritage. They sang the Jackson Five's hit "
Can You Feel It Can You Feel It may refer to: Albums * ''Can You Feel It'', a 1989 album by Angel (American band), Angel * Can You Feel It? (EP), ''Can You Feel It?'' (EP) by Highlight, 2017 * ''Can You Feel It'', a 1972 album by S.O.U.L. * ''Can You Feel It'', a 1 ...
" in a jive style. During the act, a cutaway showed a caricature of Kamahl with a caption reading "Where's Kamahl?". Red Symons eventually gonged the act off. The group had performed the same act in "Red Faces" in 1989, without incident, during ''Hey Hey's'' original run. This was not the only act to do blackface on the show — a woman using the alias of Mammy Smith (a reference to
Mamie Smith Mamie Smith ( Robinson; May 26, 1891 – August or September 16, 1946) was an American singer. As a vaudeville singer, she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues history as the first African-American a ...
) wore blackface to do a cover of
George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
's " Summertime" in an episode in 1993, while Somers himself had also appeared in brownface or blackface on multiple episodes, including a tribute to the late Ricky May in 1988 and in blackface to make fun of Kamahl. American musician Harry Connick Jr., who performed on the show, was serving as a guest judge at the time and strongly expressed his disapproval of the skit when asked to give a score, and also later on in the show, and gave the performers a score of "0". He appeared visibly uncomfortable throughout the skit. He said, "If they turned up like that in the United States, it'd be like ''Hey Hey There's No More Show''." He later said that he would not have agreed to be on the show had he known beforehand about the sketch. Somers apologised to Connick on-air after a brief station break. He said that nobody had intended to deliberately offend the viewers, the guests, or the audience, and he described the sketch as a "bit retro". The incident drew some negative response within Australia, but it drew heavy negative reaction from commentators around the world, including in the US and the UK, and it prominently highlighted significant differences between the cultural acceptability of blackface in Australian culture compared with American culture.


Programming history


Movie

In 1992, ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' broadcast an episode from Australia's latest theme park, Warner Brothers Movie World, situated in
Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the list of Australian capital cities, state capital, Brisbane. It is ...
. During their time there, the ''Hey Hey'' crew made a 45-minute feature film in just seven days. The film was titled "Silence of the Hams" and featured all the current cast members of the show. The movie's premise was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the film ''
Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
'' and starred Daryl Somers as a private investigator named Rick Shaw, who is attempting to track down who is responsible for trying to destroy the world's movie business. The announcement was made on the following episode that they had made a movie and, after editing, that it would appear on the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
. It was first broadcast on 15 June 1992 and was only ever repeated once on television. The movie has never been transferred to any form of official home media, but the entire movie was uploaded to YouTube on the official ''Hey Hey'' channel.


Awards

Hey Hey It's Saturday won 19 Logies during its 29-year run. Awards the show has won include: The show and cast have been nominated for various Logies over its run. Awards nominated include:


See also

*
List of Australian television series Future shows Seven Nine *''The Golden Bachelor'' (reality, 2025) *''The Floor'' (game show, 2025) *''Château DIY Australia'' (lifestyle, 2025) Network 10 * ''Airport 24/7'' (reality, 2025) * ''Ghosts Australia'' (comedy, 2025) * ...
*
Television in Australia Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisb ...
*
List of longest-running Australian television series Below is a list of all the longest-running Australian television programs, both past and present, that have been broadcast for a minimum of 6–10 years or 6 seasons (or both). All data is updated as of 22 September 2024. Note: Programs with a ...


References


External links

* * {{Cite web, url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/heyheyits/heyheyits.htm, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013191745/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/heyheyits/heyheyits.htm, title=Hey Hey It's Saturday, archive-date=2009-10-13, website=Museum of Broadcast Communications
Hey Hey it's Saturday at the National Film and Sound Archive

Hey Hey it's Saturday Facebook site

Hey Hey it's Saturday official site
Nine Network original programming Australian television series revived after cancellation 1971 Australian television series debuts 1999 Australian television series endings 2009 Australian television series debuts 2010 Australian television series endings 1980s Australian comedy television series Television shows set in Melbourne 2000s Australian comedy television series Australian variety television shows Australian television shows featuring puppetry Australian children's television series Black-and-white Australian television shows Australian English-language television shows Saturday mass media