The moment Today show’s Richard Wilkins wasn’t famous enough

HE’S walked red carpets and met the world’s biggest stars, but Richard Wilkins was just “not famous enough” when he appeared on Nine’s new show.

IT WAS the moment Richard Wilkins wasn’t famous enough.

Trying to enter a VIP cocktail party, the Today presenter and veteran entertainment reporter was confronted by a security staffer who neither knew, nor cared, who he was.

“Listen, you’re not on my list,” she said, showing him the way out. “You’re just not famous enough. These people are A-listers.”

Later, Wilkins tried the “don’t you know who I am?” line. It cut no ice, and left onlookers hooting with laughter.

If this all seems a bit staged, that’s because it is.

You’re Back in the Room (although Wilkins, taking part in a skit in the show, certainly wasn’t) is Channel Nine’s latest ratings hope in a year of crushed ratings hopes for the struggling network.

An Australian take on a UK format, it sees Irish-born hypnotist Keith Barry (who also fronts the UK version) hypnotise four strangers who then play a series of games for a cash prize.

Making their task harder is the fact Barry has planted “suggestions” in their heads which divert them — and provide the laughs.

Richard Wilkins gets his marching orders in You're Back in the Room.

Nine has resurrected the prime time television career of Hey Hey It’s Saturday’s Daryl Somers as host, and also recruited other celebs and network talent (Wilkins’ cameo comes in episode two) to help set the scene for some of the tasks.

Nine hopes its April 3 launch will help reverse a dismal start to 2016 which has seen the network trounced by Channel Seven in every official ratings week.

Seven’s My Kitchen Rules has again demolished everything before it. Nine’s catalogue of 2016 misses began with indifferent figures for Australia’s Got Talent and Farmer Wants a Wife, and compounded last week with the dismal failure of Renovation Rumble which launched to first-night figures of 395,000 metropolitan viewers.

You’re Back in the Room’s launch signals the return of official ratings, as well as Somers’ return to prime time.

The 64-year-old hasn’t been seen regularly on TV screens since 2010, when Hey Hey, revived by Nine for two reunion specials in 2009, then given a 20-show run in 2010, was not renewed.

It’s a change of pace for Somers — a prerecorded show is a departure from more than 25 years of adlibbing on Hey Hey. He had to learn to use an autocue to film it.

The pressure of live television may be off, but the showbiz veteran had to put his body on the line wrangling hypnotised contestants.

Daryl Somers, right, and hypnotist Keith Barry.

He’s been manhandled, covered in paint, fought off the amorous attentions of one woman hypnotised to believe she was in love with him, and forced to take refuge behind a couch.

He hasn’t been hypnotised, but discovered he’d be highly susceptible to the process.

“Keith does exercises with potential subjects to see if they will be suitable, and I’m apparently a good candidate,” Somers said.

“Keith was interested in magic from the age of six. Someone gave him a pamphlet on hypnotism when he was about 15. He read it from cover to cover and then hypnotised a kid in his class to become a chicken. He’s not someone to mess with.”

The most-asked question about the show is: ‘is the hypnosis part real?’

“It is,” says Somers, “They’re not actors, and they aren’t harmed by the process.

“When they’re under on the show, they realise there is a quiz going on, but there is also this suggestion diverting them.

“Afterwards, they don’t remember much. — Keith tells them they’ll have no idea what will have happened, but also reassures them it’s nothing to be perplexed about.”

You’re Back in the Room starts on Sunday, April 3 at 7pm on Nine.