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Hey Hey: confirmed cast

Here's who is officially on board for Hey Hey's return so far. And it doesn't include Jon Cryer.

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Nine has confirmed its cast for the first episode of the returning Hey Hey it’s Saturday.

Daryl Somers will be joined by John Blackman, Red Symons, Russell Gilbert, Wilbur Wilde, Livinia Nixon, Ossie Ostrich and Plucka Duck.

Media has speculated that Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson will replace Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum, who is unable to return due to contracts with Seven and Foxtel.

There has also been discussion that Jacki MacDonald had been invited to return. Producer Graeme Trippett this week told TV Week both Ossie and Jacki “might not be a weekly proposition but when they feel it’s right, they’ll come down.”

Meanwhile Nine has also cut together a joint Hey Hey / Two and a Half Men promo in which Jon Cryer opens his front door to be greeted by Russell Gilbert, Wilbur Wilde, Red Symons, Livinia Nixon, Dickie Knee and Plucka Duck as their new (timeslot) neighbours. Cute idea.

Hey Hey it’s Saturday on Wednesday returns April 14 at 7:30pm.

28 Responses

  1. I wouldn’t consider Mr Somers down for the count just yet – he may be many things, but foolish is not one of them, and he will make sure that the returned show ticks as many boxes as he can. I think it will find an audience – an older one most probably. The internet and reality tv is not necessarily favoured by older viewers – and Hey Hey is variety – like the Seinfeld of light entertainment – it looks like it is hastily thrown together and about nothing – but very carefully straegized – it will find a groove!

    I still don’t get the Wednesday night for Hey hey its Saturday – reminds me of the Gina Riley Fast Forward sketch sending up the ABC’s Saturday Show, where one caftan wearing Eleanora Lagore would pop up and say “It’s Tuesday night so wlecome to the Saturday show”

  2. I will go out on a limb & say it will be a success because there is not enough variety tv on the box.Old style variety that is.Viewers are showing that reality tv is old hat which makes me wonder why The Block is returning.Masterchef will be the big hit of the year again.

  3. While I don’t disagree that the demand was there for a few “one off’s” last year, especially with 9’s cough ahem stellar stable of entertainment. I really don’t see it being “the one to watch” for 20 episodes. 20 episodes of what may I ask…

    I remember Hey Hey, back before easy access to online content, downloadable shows, media savvy teens and general media options. Back then, it served as a platform for OS guests to showcase their wares, the odd big celeb to perform a number and Molly to possibly bring some big news or catch ups with big pop stars. Comedy was thin and on a Saturday night, after dinner or during, there was little on the box, bar The Bill – and so it seemed like a good waste of space to fill with some banal and product placement shennanigans. Odd men in suits, tacky talent quiz’s and banter between the crew made it watchable or in my era, good background fodder while I dressed for a late supper.

    With You Tube, blogs, torrents, endless talent quests and banter on far better tailored shows, I question if Hey Hey 2010 can hit the mark. Sure, it’s improv, but the writers must be thinking “How do we turn those jokes from the 90’s into jokes that will work in 2010″I shudder at the thought…

    All in all, it seems like one of those crazy ideas you have one day to try on some old pair of pants or a shirt you got in London 15 years ago from some uber cool shop (back then) and once on, you look in the mirror and realise, they never looked that good, they look awful now and what a bad idea it is to go back in time.

  4. Sounds truly awful. The Pacific will kill it off in the first few weeks – it wont establish an audience and Nine will get rid of it, saying they responed to audience demands and gave it a go. They don’t really want it.

  6. A funny promotion particularly using Livinia Nixon as it was Cryer and Sheen that replaced Her and Ed Phillips as Channel Nines 7pm offering from 2009 of Temptation with those overexposed 2.5 men.

  7. Loved it in it’s hey day (hey… a pun) but the specials just showed me how tired the show is today with a much aged cast – Agree with Evan, it will crash and burn after a few weeks. Using that over shown 2.5 men to promote it also does it no service…

  9. Will be interesting to see how this goes – should get some excellent figures for the first few eps, but I don’t think it will hold up consistently – remember the reason why why it was axed originally.

  10. @Ren Exactly! There just aren’t enough viewers on a Saturday. That’s why it got axed in the first place – that and the bloated cost of making the show. And everyone having had a gutfull of Daryl (ahem). It got such massive numbers on a Wednesday, Nine obviously don’t want to mess with that.

  11. Well Ossie may be back although the publicity doesn’t necessarily say Ernie Carroll will be doing Ossie – I mean anyone can do that. If it is Ernie doing it then I would assume it would be only for a limited run rather than the whole 20 episodes.

    I still think Hey Hey should attempt to bring in a new cast rather than using the same gang. Yes they were a hit the first time around, but any show wanting to last the distance needs to freshen up occassionally.

  22. The promo sounds cool can’t wait to see it.

    Also can’t believe Ossie is back as a regular!!! All the regulars back except Molly..but Dicko is not a bad replacement.

    And Jackie..well if she only makes the odd appearance that would be awesome,better then none at all.

  24. I cannot believe – but I’m very pleased – that Ossie is coming back.

    Meanwhile, woeful promo. I do agree it was a cute idea … I just have no words for the outcome.

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