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Hey Hey It's Saturday
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 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 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.
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 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.
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) 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, the American Tonight Show format, the Marx Brothers, The Goon Show and Monty Python. 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 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.
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Hey Hey It's Saturday
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 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 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.
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 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.
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) 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, the American Tonight Show format, the Marx Brothers, The Goon Show and Monty Python. 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 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.