Daryl Somers brings Hey Hey It’s Saturday back after decades — but there’s a catch for fans who want to watch
For generations of Australians, Hey Hey It’s Saturday was more than a television program. It was a weekend ritual, filled with unforgettable characters, chaotic comedy and some of the biggest names in entertainment.
Now, almost three decades after the original series ended, Daryl Somers is bringing the Hey Hey world back in a very different form — and this time, viewers will need to pay to be part of it.
The 75-year-old television legend has announced plans to relaunch Hey Hey TV, a subscription streaming service that will combine hundreds of classic episodes with new material created especially for fans.
A familiar show is returning — but not quite as fans remember it
Rather than simply repeating old episodes, Somers is creating a new home for the Hey Hey brand.
The revamped platform is expected to offer more than 800 episodes from the show’s extensive archive, along with specials, spin-offs and newly filmed content.
Somers has also been recording exclusive videos for subscribers, giving longtime viewers something new alongside the nostalgia.
The exact launch date has not yet been announced, with further details expected to be shared through the show’s social media channels later this year.
The price of returning to the Hey Hey couch
There is, however, one significant difference from the days when Australians could simply turn on the television and watch.
Hey Hey TV will operate as a subscription service.
Premium membership is listed at $6.95 a month, or $59.95 for a full year, giving subscribers access to the archive as well as new content.
That means the return of one of Australia’s most recognisable television brands comes with a modern streaming-era price tag.
The service is essentially offering fans the chance to revisit decades of Hey Hey memories while also following whatever Somers creates next.
“I’ve never been busier”
At 75, Somers says slowing down is not necessarily on his agenda.
In an interview with Woman’s Day, he reflected on the extraordinary response the program continues to receive online.
“I guess a lot of people my age are slowing down, but I’ve never been busier.”
The show’s Facebook following has reportedly grown beyond 850,000, something Somers says helped convince him there was still a huge appetite for Hey Hey.
For Somers, the project is not simply about replaying old television.
It is about keeping alive the relationship between the program and the audience that grew up with it.
From Ossie Ostrich to Plucka Duck — the memories that refuse to disappear
Hey Hey It’s Saturday began in 1971 and eventually became one of Australia’s defining variety programs.
Somers remained at the centre of the show throughout its original 28-year run, which ended in 1999.
Along the way, audiences were introduced to characters and segments that became part of Australian television history, including Ossie Ostrich, Plucka Duck, Dickie Knee and Red Faces.
The program also welcomed an extraordinary list of Australian and international stars, including Kylie Minogue, Will Smith, Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Its ability to mix celebrity interviews, music, comedy and unpredictable live television helped turn it into a cultural institution.
It has already proved that Australians still care
The Hey Hey story did not completely end when the original series left the air.
The program returned for reunion specials and later enjoyed further revivals.
Its 50th-anniversary special in 2021 attracted more than 1.2 million metropolitan viewers, with the total audience climbing even higher once regional viewers were included.
That response appears to have reinforced something Somers already knew: the affection for Hey Hey had survived long after the original broadcasts stopped.
Now he is betting that nostalgia can be transformed into a new digital audience.
A very different Hey Hey era
The new venture also carries an emotional significance for fans who remember the original cast.
Several familiar faces have moved into different chapters of their lives since the show’s heyday.
John Blackman, one of the most recognisable voices associated with Hey Hey, passed away in 2024 after serious health battles.
Others, including Red Symons, Livinia Nixon, Wilbur Wilde and Jacki MacDonald, have continued their own careers away from the original Saturday-night format.
That makes Somers’ new project feel less like a simple television revival and more like an attempt to preserve a piece of Australian entertainment history.
“I’m still here”
Perhaps the most revealing part of Somers’ announcement is his determination to remain connected with the audience that has followed him for decades.
He joked that he sometimes has to remind people that, despite what some may think, he is not “105” and is still around.
And his message to the Hey Hey faithful is clear: the show may have changed platforms, but the relationship with its audience is not over.
“And yes, I’m soon going to be back on TV – only this time, Hey Hey TV!”
For fans who spent their Saturdays watching Somers, Ossie, Plucka and the rest of the Hey Hey family, the comeback offers something both familiar and entirely new — a chance to return to the couch, almost 30 years after the original curtain came down.