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John Blackman defends Hey Hey humour

Hey Hey It's Saturday's John Blackman has hit back at entertainment reporter Peter Ford who questioned the inclusion of a Red Faces act this week.

Hey Hey It’s Saturday‘s John Blackman has hit back at entertainment reporter Peter Ford who questioned the inclusion of a sketch on Red Faces this week.

In one of his regular 3AW radio spots, Ford questioned whether a sketch with a man performing an Elvis Presley song in the style of Porky Pig might offend people who suffer from stutterering.

But Blackman, appearing in a later radio show hosted by Bruce Mansfield and Phillip Brady, said Hey Hey was being unfairly targetted by Ford and that the act was in good humour.

Peter Ford rang into the radio station and a fiery discussion took place in which Ford questioned the show’s comic tone in 2010 and said the show was tanking outside Melbourne. Blackman defended the show as “good old fashioned fun.”

A small number of complaints on the sketch had been received by Nine and on talkback radio.

You can hear the exchange at the 3AW website.

50 Responses

  1. Well to Peter Ford, thank you for replying to this discussion but I think you need to make a correction in your reply. I have no idea what you mean by this: “7. And to bundynelle who felt it was important to know – yes I am an aussie”.

    What are you talking about Peter??? I made No statement about your place or birth or where you come from. I think you meant to answer Chris at 9.51am who did question if you were an Aussie. I certainly didn’t question your country of birth at all. Thank You.

  2. Sorry.. meant to say point 3, and not point 2 (with regards to Peter supporting Hey Hey). Need to re-read my comments before submitting them! 🙂

  3. Yeah, when I saw this all I thought of was Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig! Didn’t think of anything else and it was quite a good performance too.

    Thanks for coming by though Peter Ford, and it is good to know that you do support the show (point 2 and point 6). We need Hey Hey! What is the other alternative for live variety TV? Nothing. Closest to it is The Footy Show and when they are mostly about that (football) it isn’t good enough (as well as the fact they make two different versions, so not everybody sees the same thing at the same time, they have to wait until midnight for the other version to air).

    We also need a place for local and overseas artists/celebs to appear on in prime time and the only place they can currently is Hey Hey (before it came back all they had was about a minute or so if they were lucky enough to be on 7Pm Project – and that still doesn’t allow performances like The Panel used to).

  4. For god Sake, GTFOver it Ford, you and your mission are a failure. It was the best act of the night, it was funny, and it had nothing to do with stuttering, it was a Porky Pig Imitation.

  5. Peter Ford – he knows his s**t, but can be completely blinded by his own inflated opinions sometimes….

    I didn’t see the act (in fact I’m over the Hey Hey comeback already – it’s nice to have around, but don;t expect me to tune in weekly), but ffs Pete, have a sense of humour rather than create a headline.

    1. Mikeys… in fairness to Peter Ford he did not ‘create a headline.’ He gave an opinion as part of his regular showbiz commentary, which is well-known for breaking stories. It became television newsworthy in my view only when one of the cast hit back, but I don’t think it still qualifies as a headline a la Jackson Jive.

  6. Hello, thanks for feedback both good and bad. It’s great that a TV show can generate such spirited discussion. Just to clarify a couple of things raised:.
    1. I never said I was offended. I wasn’t. But I was suprised a producer would include the act after the outcry over the blackface sketch. The fact remains some people, admittedly a small number, were upset by it.
    2. I have seen all eps of Hey Hey since it’s return,except last week when I was overseas.
    3. It is true I have had a real focus on this show because it is an iconic show that has been revived. That makes it of particular interest for segments like mine. Please don’t misconstrue this as some sort of vendetta.
    4. It is absolutely true that these days no matter what you say or so there is always someone who’ll complain about you. Most especially in world of comedy.
    5. If I am actively trying to destroy Hey Hey it clearly isn’t working as in Melbourne, where the ratings are terrific. I appear on the top rating breakfast show on 3AW. It’s the rest of the country that show tanked in last Wednesday.
    6. I want the show to work. I love live TV. We need more of it.
    7. And to bundynelle who felt it was important to know – yes I am an aussie!
    8. I am of the belief there are inherent problems when the host of the show is also the EP. And I think this may be part of the current problem with the show.
    9. It is true I had been doubtful about the show coming back, for the reasons stated, but it did and I went on record as saying I enjoyed the reunion shows. Yes I am curious to see if the show can be relevant in 2010. That’s my job. The outcome of that will not be decided by me but the ratings figures.
    10. If you really want to write truly vile things about me why not put your real names? Just as I do every time I go on air. It’s about standing up and being counted.
    Thanks.
    Peter Ford

  7. Ummm…it’s called humour…because it’s funny and makes us laugh. Maybe we don’t say or do anything anymore just in case we offend someone. Maybe there needs to be legislation governing what we are allowed to think and say, that might make for a better world yes?Give me a break…we’re not getting any smarter by being too paranoid to say anything. Some people still have the ability to see the funny side, and often those people are the very ones you’re worrying about offending.Lighten up!

  8. Peter Ford seems to be on a mission to get “Hey Hey” off the air. For years he stated “Hey Hey will never come back because all the crew members hate Daryl”. Then when the show made its return, he still had words to say about it, causing Daryl Somers to bite back, calling Ford something very unprintable.

    Since Daryl’s not-so-nice words, Peter Ford has been gnawing at Hey Hey like a dog with a bone. He appears on Radio 4BC in Brisbane at 11.50am and every Thursday on queue he critizes “Hey Hey” but states ‘oh, I didn’t watch last night’s show’. How can one complain about a show every week when one doesn’t even watch the show????

    I used to enjoy Peter’s segments on radio but seems he has an agenda to get “Hey Hey” off air and until he succeeds he will continue to critize it. Get back to reporting on All stories of entertainment Peter, not just one show you don’t seem to like.

  9. I haven’t been watching Hey Hey much recently, but this latest “controversy” sounds like a load of nonsense. Seriously? Offensive to stutterers? Give me a break.

    This is the reason Australian Comedy has died – pointless whingers and their politically correct rubbish. Peter Ford needs a reality check.

  10. Peter Ford needs to take a chill pill. Crikes this world is so PC now it is stupid. You can’t say anything these days without insulting somebody. There was nothing wrong with the act, it was very funny. If we should be offended by anything it should be that TV Networks insult us by trying to pass off old eps of show as new.

    Who is Peter Ford anyway?

  11. Alrighty. So Porky Pig… offensive. That’s another one added to the list.

    Next up: Mickey Mouse making fun of people with big ears.

  12. Mel Blanc, the famous voice of most Warner Bros cartoon characters – including Porky Pig – always insisted he wasn’t stuttering so much as he was immitating the way pigs grunted.

    This should be contrasted with the original voice actor for Porky who did indeed stutter. Apparently his real, uncontrollable stutter cost the studio too much in film to record his audio.

    But generally I think it’s sad that Porky Pig is in himself so un-PC that “entertainment” reporters are taking pot shots. Better get the Boomerang Channel/Cartoon Network/where ever Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies are airing these days to pull him…

  13. God people are precious! You don’t see them banning Porky Pig do you? Maybe the woman singing Let’s Get Physical offended people who don’t exercise. Maybe the juggler offended the people that make all these complaints because they don’t have any balls!

  14. Peter Ford is well known for his catty comments towards local shows and in particular Hey Hey. It’s not everyones idea of cutting edge humour but there was nothing in the skit Ford tried to make a controversy of.

  15. For god sake Ford…grow up. That was funny. Why is it everything these days could be classed as offending someone. Has he an agenda to get rid of Hey Hey. No matter if you like or hate it (turn if off) it provides old style entertainment for many and sure its figures are low in other states but other show still survive on such low figures (NRL Footy Show).

    Ford if you are concerned about your ratings so having a go at shows might boost them, think again mate.

    I suppose you thought the vegemite kid was offending blacks and I am sure you were really offended on the jackson skit. Are you an aussie? We true aussie have always enjoyed taking the mickey out of things and people and remember this guy was taking the mickey out of Porky Pig. An icon in cartoons.

    Get a life.

  16. I thought that Red Faces act was one of the funniest i’ve seen since ‘Crash Dummies Revenge’.

    ..I wonder what those hippocrites would’ve thought about Mel Blanc (the original voice of Porky Pig)

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