Daryl Somers

At 73 years old, Daryl Somers has this physical status:

Television career

Somers first began professional television work on July 14, 1971, taking over as the host of an afternoon children's show, Skeeter's Cartoon Corner, hosted by James Kemsley (who went on to draw the famous Ginger Meggs comic strip for 23 years). "Hi, I'm Daryl Somers; Skeeter will no longer be with us; and now it's time for a cartoon," Daryl's first words were "Hi, I'm Daryl Somers."

Mr Magoo's impersonation at his audition. In 2022 terms, he was paid $75 ($863.22 per week) a week to do the show.

Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey It's Saturday started later this year, on October 9, 1971. Somers co-hosted with footballer Peter McKenna, but eight weeks later, his co-host became the pink glove puppet Ossie Ostrich, which was owned by Ernie Carroll. McKenna has been on the show for a long time. The service, which began as a Saturday morning children's cartoon display, has since grown in both size and scope. Soon, additional cast members joined, including booth announcer John Blackman, who also sang several (unseen) characters, and former co-host Jacki MacDonald, 1979.

With sound-effects technician Murray Tregonning adding humorous sound bites and sound effects from a massive bank of recorded eight-track cartridges, and security cameraman "Lucky Phil" Lambert's appearances regularly, the program's production crew also began to play a significant part in the film, with sound-effects technician Murray Tregonning adding amusing sound bites and sound effects from a massive bank of recorded eight-track cartridges.

Ian "Krystal" Murray, the props assistant, most notably the "Dickie Knee" figure: the props were provided by props.

The series's distinctive brand of irreverent humor soon attracted a large adult audience, and by 1984, Nine made the bold decision to rename the show Hey It's Saturday Night to a 9:30pm Saturday evening timeslot. It stayed on Saturday night for the remainder of its life, but it eventually reverted to Hey It's Saturday. Hey Hey It's Saturday was one of Australia's most well-known and enduring series, winning several accolades, including three Gold Logie awards for Somers. Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey! on the Nine Network throughout Australia for 30 years (1971–99; 2009–2010), as well as a 50th anniversary special in 2021. The show had become something of an institution by 1999, so it came as a major surprise when the Nine Network announced that the show would be scrapped at the end of 1999.

Daryl took over Tony Barber from the quiz show Family Feud in 1980 and hosted the show for three years and 713 episodes. He was given his own night-time television variety show, without Ossie, in the style of The Don Lane Show, which ran for 18 months. Hey Hey Hey! At the time, Somers were still running Hey Hey! All the hard work paid off with Daryl winning his first Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian television in 1983. Somers was crowned King of Moomba in 1983 with Edna Everage as his Court Jester.

Daryl Somers rarely appeared publicly during Hey Hey It's five-year absence in December 1999, with the exception of a court appearance in 2001 to respond to a brisk-driving arrest (after which Somers admitted to being a "bravest idiot" in that context) and a stint on Network Ten's program Rove Live. "For the contribution that Hey Hey It's Saturday made in providing an avenue for Australian artists to perform their music," he received a Special Achievement Award at the ARIA Music Awards in 2000.

Somers returned to the small screen in late 2004 when he made the switch to join Nine's archrival, the Seven Network, in Dancing with the Stars, a live show in which ten actors compete each week in a dance competition. Somers announced on November 30th that he would leave Dancing with the Stars. Somers were replaced by actor Daniel MacPherson, who was the host from season 8 to season 14.

In 2008, Somers saw another year off television work. In the reformulation of Hey Hey It's Saturday in some capacity, an interest had been considered. Corrine Lawrence and Daryl Somers of ABC Radio Broken Hill talked to Corrine Lawrence and Daryl Somers on July 22, 2009, in relation to the burgeoning interest. The show's return is "not out of the question," he said, and it is likely that one or two reunion specials would be produced in the near future. On September 30, 2009, a reunion special aired. It soared, attracting 3.9 million viewers, but the second show, "The Jackson Jive"), drew international controversies, despite the fact that blackface featured performers in blackface.

The Reunion Specials made its debut in 2009, and the show returned in 2010 as a regular series. With the first thirteen episodes airing from April to July, the 2010 series had twenty episodes airing, with the remaining seven episodes airing in October and November. Hey Hey It's Saturday did not return in 2011 due to poor ratings and high cost of production.

Somers will return to the Nine Network in October 2015 to host an Australian version of the British hypnotism game show You're Back in the Room.

Despite negative reactions on Twitter, the Australian version of You're Back in the Room premiered on March 3rd, 2016, attracting 1.155 million viewers.

Dancing with the Stars was revived by the Seven Network in 2021, with Somers returning as host. Somers was working on a Hey Hey It's Saturday 50th anniversary special that will air on Seven. The special, entitled Hey It's 50 Years, drew in 1.2 million viewers on October 10, 2021.

Music career

Somers released two comedy albums in the mid-1970s, co-credited to Ossie Ostrich. Somers was signed to Brian Cadd's label Graffiti Records in the mid-1980s. The two artists appeared on a pop album that was eventually shelved. "Undoubtedly the hardest working person I'd ever been with in the studio was probably the most enjoyable job I'd ever been with" in Cadd's 2010 autobiography, adding "It was a truly enjoyable project." Nonetheless, there was one major flaw that eventually beat us. Daryl's voice was just too classically trained. He could get it right down to the very edge of pop, but there was always that slight cabaret vibrato that put him away."

In 2005, Somers recorded Songlines, a Sony BMG label.

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