After the show: How Hey Hey It’s Saturday stars’ lives have changed and some lost
They brought us joy but many Hey Hey It’s Saturday stars have suffered tragedy, serious illness, injury and career lows in the years since it ended. And at least five show stalwarts have died.
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Like “the serenity” of Bonnie Doon, something “going straight to the pool room” or telling someone to “get stuffed” because “they’re dream’n”, Hey Hey It’s Saturday was officially anointed an all-Australian classic when it made it into an iconic line in the film, The Castle.
“Dad reckons there is only one show better than Hey Hey It’s Saturday and that’s The Best of Hey Hey It’s Saturday,” says young Dale Kerrigan, of dad Darryl’s TV entertainment of choice.
It was an unofficial Aussie best before that — because “the vibe” was so good.
The recent death of Hey Hey It’s Saturday star John Blackman sparked an outpouring of love from Hey Hey fans across the country, and caused many Australians to reflect on their favourite moments and characters from the long-running television variety show.
Many have also questioned what happened to its cast of stars, after the show finally wrapped up.
While some of the comedy legends have moved on happily and enjoyed continued success and stardom, sadly others have suffered career disappointments, heartache, illness and personal or family tragedy in the years since.
A number have experienced a bit — or a lot — of both.
And at least five stars of the show have now died.
LIVES, DEATHS, DRAMAS OF HEY, HEY STARS
Daryl Somers: Dumped from dancing
Among other gigs over the years, Hey Hey co-creator, executive producer and host Daryl Somers went on to host Dancing with the Stars but has been replaced this season by TV vet Chris Brown.
Just weeks after he was dumped, it was revealed Somers had launched legal action against Channel 7 for breach of copyright, over the network using footage of John Farnham singing on Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
Somers’ company Somers Enterprises Australia filed legal action in the Federal Court on October 17 against the Seven Network claiming Seven breached copyright by using footage of Farnham performing My Yiddeshe Mama with Tom Jones on a 1990 episode of Hey Hey It’s Saturday without approval.
But in happier news, it was revealed in May this year a new look Hey Hey It’s Saturday could be in the works, with triple Gold Logie winner Somers being encouraged by fans to find a way to take the show on the road.
While it is very early days, Somers is understood to be toying with the idea of a Hey Hey tour that would showcase the archive of clips and celebrity moments from the 28 years of the show.
A one-eyed Geelong fan, Somers continues to love his footy and is regularly spotted cheering on the Cats.
Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum: Life-changing brain injury
The 81-year-old Australian music legend, who sadly suffered a brain injury in a fall while putting up Christmas lights at his Richmond home in December 2011, has retreated from the spotlight following incidents at the Elton John and Rod Stewart concerts — for which he has apologised.
Since retiring from the showbiz glare, Meldrum has been enjoying the quiet life with his boyfriend, businessman Yan Wongngam, at home.
But in a rare social media post in April this year, the music guru was all smiles and thumbs-up, giving his blessing to the Stars album, Paradise Revisited, a live recording of an album the Australian band released in 1977.
Meldrum was famous before joining Hey Hey It’s Saturday, hosting Countdown on the ABC. He joined Hey Hey for a regular music segment from 1988 until the show’s end.
Red Symons: Family tragedy
Red Symons — who rose to fame as a guitarist for Skyhooks in the 1970s and combined his role as the guitarist for the house Hey Hey band with his Red Faces killjoy judge one — became well known on radio after the show, even filling in for Neil Mitchell on 3AW at one point.
Since Hey Hey, Symons has also appeared as a judge on Australia’s Got Talent.
But Symons faced family tragedy with the long cancer battle and ultimately death, in October 2018, of his 27-year-old son Samuel.
Samuel’s death continued a horror time for Symons, who spent time recovering from a brain injury after a life-threatening fall in July the previous year.
Symons was walking home from the supermarket when he experienced a sudden lack of consciousness and hit his head on the pavement.
Not long before he had been dumped as host of ABC Melbourne’s breakfast radio show after more than 15 years.
Symons also sold his Fitzroy North family home after he and his wife, Elly, separated.
Russell Gilbert: Heartache and serious illness
The Hey, Hey audience warm-up man, former Comedy Company star Russell Gilbert, was a fan favourite.
He was given his own show The Russell Gilbert Show, which ran for one season in 1998.
But Gilbert has had to rebuild his health and his life after suffering a series of devastating personal and medical issues since the show.
Gilbert’s partner of 19 years, Rochelle Nolan, was found dead in a Crown casino hotel room in September 2015.
Just two weeks later Gilbert was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and then suffered a stroke while undergoing surgery to treat the aneurysm.
In mid 2016 he told the Herald Sun he was slowly piecing his life back together.
“I’ve been down, but I’m slowly getting things back,” he said.
Denise ‘Ding Dong’ Drysdale: Brain surgery
Denise Drysdale, who was given the nickname “Ding Dong” by her dear, late friend Ernie Sigley, replaced Jacki MacDonald on Hey Hey in 1989 and was on the show for a little over a year, with occasional returns to fill in as host for Daryl Somers.
She had plenty of work after Hey, Hey, appearing on a number of shows, including her own show, Denise.
Drysdale was also a host on The Circle with Yumi Stynes, Chrissie Swan and Gorgi Coghlan, and a regular on Studio 10.
She has also starred as Nance Sluggett on Neighbours.
Most recently, at 75, she headed into the jungle on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
But despite her continued career success, Drysdale has battled with illness and has undergone brain surgery to combat a debilitating, “nightmare” condition.
In mid 2021 she was diagnosed with the nerve condition trigeminal neuralgia, which caused her constant pain.
“It is like electrical shocks in the head, like a lightning bolt across your face, and you have no warning when they come,” Drysdale told the Herald Sun.
“The first time I had one I was walking along the street; they just cripple you.
“It got so bad, when I woke up in the morning I would just lie there frightened because I knew as soon as I sat up it would start. It hurt to breathe. It would hurt when I talked.”
As the indomitable force that she is, Drysdale continued to perform with her band while coping with the TN pain and remains a cheerful presence on Australian TV.
Kamahl: Why were people so unkind?
The famous Malaysian-born Australian singer who featured regularly at a guest on Hey Hey revealed in 2021 that he had often felt “humiliated” by his experiences on the show.
“There were a number of instances where I felt humiliated, but I didn’t want to raise any objections or protest about it,” the ageing crooner said.
“I kept smiling and pretending all was OK.”
Somers responded to Kamahl’s complaints about being subjected to racist taunts on the show, saying he “deeply regrets any hurt” suffered by the entertainer.
“Hey Hey It’s Saturday never set out to offend anybody but always strived to provide family entertainment,” Somers said at the time.
Kamahl said he accepted and appreciated Somers’ apology, and added he had tolerated the racist taunts in exchange for national TV exposure.
“My philosophy has always been, if you’re in entertainment, and you’re not on television, you are dead,” he said.
“Hey Hey It’s Saturday was a landmine, and I trod on it, and occasionally got exploded. I didn’t lose my arm, legs or anything like that, but I lost a bit of dignity. I put my career ahead of my private feelings.”
Known for the catchphrase “why are people so unkind?”, Kamahl explained in 2021 that what he really said was, “why are so many people so unkind”, in a song called What Would I Do Without My Music.
“The original line was, ‘why are people’s eyes so blind?’ So I thought kindness was more important. Kindness is next to kingliness. I think the world is in need of more people with dignity, with conscience, with kindness, less greed,” he said.
In 2022 Kamahl became the brand voice of digital used car dealership Carma.
Jacki MacDonald: Making big bucks on property
The first Hey Hey co-presenter, Queenslander Jacki MacDonald, has mostly stepped away from the TV spotlight since the show ended but that doesn’t mean she’s slowed down, having been a regular on radio as a business commentator, co-founded the popular Eat Street Northshore night market and food venue on the banks of the Brisbane River and most recently emerged as something of a property queen.
In 2022, Macdonald sold her Sunshine Beach retreat for $18.75m after buying it for $535,000 in 1995, a 3500 per cent increase.
Wilbur Wilde: Still rocking
Saxophonist Wilbur Wilde, who became a household name on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, spent 17 years on the show during its run from 1971 until the end of 1999.
He rose to prominence in groups such as Ol 55 and later Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons and starred on the show from 1984 to 1999.
Over the years Wilde made many TV appearances, and hosted several radio shows between 2000 and 2008.
He also toured in the Australian production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, both in the band and in the role of Eddie.
Wilde remains active in the music industry.
Jo Beth Taylor: Environmentalist
Taylor joined the Hey Hey cast in 1995 after the departure of Denise Drysdale and stayed on the show until 1999.
She also presented Australia’s Funniest Home Videos.
Post Hey Hey, Taylor found herself at the helm of the short-lived Saturday night talent show StarStruck, before working on Queensland radio for a time in 2009.
More recently, she has appeared on the reality shows Dancing With The Stars and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Taylor, who once famously called Somers an “egotist” — later saying it was because she was starving on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! and she’d lost her filter — is a passionate environmentalist.
Livinia Nixon
After getting noticed via commercials, Nixon appeared on Plucka’s Place before joining Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
Nixon started on Hey Hey at the end of 1997, filling in for the last four shows of the year, before joining permanently in 1998.
She credits Somers and also Russell Gilbert as incredible and generous showbiz mentors.
Nixon went on to join Channel 9’s Melbourne News team as a weather presenter in 2004, and then to co-host the quiz show Temptation with Ed Phillips from 2005 to 2009.
A popular and polished TV performer, Nixon has also appeared on Today, Carols by Candelight, Micallef Tonight, co-hosted Weekend Today, Things To Try Before You Die, co-hosted the Logies Red Carpet Arrivals (2008–2012) and co-hosted Test Australia: The National IQ Test with Eddie McGuire.
Nixon has also filed stories for Getaway from Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Samoa, Japan, France, India and around Australia.
In 2017, Nixon authored two books — the educational Discover the Weather and the fictional Henry’s Pirate Adventure.
Of course she is best known as the Nine News weather presenter, where continues to bring Melbourne viewers their nightly reports.
Andrew Fyfe
Artist Andrew Fyfe started his TV career as an on-air cartoonist for Hey Hey It’s Saturday in 1985, with his unique take and spontaneous send-ups enduring on the show for more than 14 years.
His satirical humour also became part of Nine’s The Footy Show.
A Fyfe exhibition called Marvellous Melbourne By Fyfe opened at Sol Gallery in Brunswick last month, with a humorous cartoon of “Karen of Brighton” part of the collection.
Karen (AKA Jodi Grollo) became famous in Victoria during Covid lockdowns for her barbs directed at former premier Dan Andrews.
VALE
John Blackman
The loved Hey Hey voiceover man and voice of puppet character Dickie Knee died on June 4, this year.
Blackman passed away at his Melbourne home after a long battle with illness, with his wife Cecile and daughter Tiffany by his side.
Somers, who knew Blackman for more than 50 years, described him as a dear friend who bravely fought devastating cancer while never losing his sense of humour.
Blackman’s wife has said he died of heart failure, not as a result of the cancer for which he underwent a harrowing jaw reconstruction in 2018.
Blackman was diagnosed with aggressive skin cancer on his chin, which spread to the bone, necessitating many surgical procedures over the years.
“He had skin cancer. He had skin cancer on his chin, on his forehead, on his brain, here and there and everywhere on his face. He had the two removed on Monday and he was quite down after that,” Cecile told the Herald Sun in a raw and moving exclusive interview this month.
“I think it struck home to him that it is not over, I am still drinking with a straw, I still can’t talk properly, I still can’t chew, I still can’t do this, I still can’t do that. He was very down and tired.
“I think his body just went ‘Nuh, I am sick of this’. He died of a heart attack, there was no sign of cancer.”
Ernie Carroll
Ernie Carroll, the man behind Ossie Ostrich, died at his Mornington home in March 2022.
He was best known for creating Oswald Q Ostrich (aka Ossie Ostrich) who became Daryl Somer’s sidekick on Cartoon Corner and then Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
In the 1980s he set up Somers Carroll Productions with Somers, that produced Hey Hey It’s Saturday, along with shows and specials including The Best and Worst of Red Faces, Hey Hey By Request, The Plucka Duck Show, The Ossie Ostrich Video Show and The Russell Gilbert Show.
Somers described Carroll as “a pioneer of television” who had started in the industry when it was “a voyage of discovery as no one really knew how television worked”.
Maurie Fields
Australian acting legend Maurie Fields — a regular on Hey Hey It’s Saturday — passed away in 1995.
Fields was a well-known face on Australian television first thanks to his comic sketches on live programs like Sunnyside Up and later dramatic roles in ABC TV’s Bellbird. He also featured in Cop Shop, The Box, Prisoner and starred as publican Vic Buckley in The Flying Doctors and as Fred Farrell in the situation comedy series Bobby Dazzler.
Along the way Fields did regular comedy segments on Hey Hey It’s Saturday alongside Shane Bourne.
The pair’s son, Melbourne comedy identity Marty Fields, expressed anger and dismay at the damage.
The discreet memorial sits within a flower bed in one of the small public parks in the area that Fields and Jellay frequented during their lives and describes them as “the king and queen of vaudeville”.
The vandals defaced the plaque, which has been at the location for several years, by trying to scratch out the words king and queen.
“This is the plaque at mum and dad’s memorial,” Fields posted on social media.
“Somebody has decided to deface the “king and queen” on it.
“Perhaps they’re an antimonarchist. It’s just an expression.
“Relax. I’m no prince, and they were my parents. Please let them rest. I’m actually quite upset.”
Drummer Des ‘Animal’ McKenna
Drummer Desmond ‘Dezzy’ McKenna died in October 2021 in Thailand.
The talented musician, better known as ‘Animal’ on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, was a regular guest on the show alongside Red Symons, Wilbur Wilde and Daryl McKenzie.
Lucky Phil
‘Lucky’ Phil Lambert, Hey Hey It’s Saturday’s floor manager, died in 2021 aged 71.
Lambert worked at Channel 9’s GTV Melbourne studios for five decades, and was the station’s longest serving employee before his retirement in 2019.
Lambert became an accidental star in the 1970s thanks to his appearances on Hey Hey.
He joined the show as a floor manager but ended up becoming a de facto cast member after being featured in regular on-screen segments.
His stage name ‘Lucky Phil’ was inspired by a drink driving campaign at the time.
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