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Kylie returns the Hey Hey love

When she was being targetted by music critics in 1989, Kylie turned to Hey Hey to prove them wrong. Now as the show looks for a strong finish, it's time to repay the favour.

Yesterday Daryl Somers and Plucka Duck were there to greet Kylie Minogue at 5am as she stepped off a long haul flight from the UK.

Destined to sing on Hey Hey it’s Saturday this week, Minogue is just the A-List ticket the show needs to round off its first block of episodes. Somers told TV Tonight he was happy to go to such lengths for such a good friend of the show.

“She said ‘I can’t believe you got up so early!’ and I said ‘I can’t believe you look so good from such a long flight,'” he said.

Minogue’s history with the show dates back to the 1980s. One appearance in 1989 was crucial when she sang “Tell Tale Signs” live as way of silencing critics who said she was always miming her songs.

“I remember it being very important at the time and I pushed for her to do a ballad rather than a dance track, and she did it really well. It did make a difference at the time,” says Somers.

“She loves the show. She sent us a message saying she remembers when she was about 8 years old watching Hey Hey.”

Now as the show faces the competition of MasterChef and big names like Susan Boyle have cancelled earlier, Minogue gets to repay the favour.

Singing two songs live and judging Red Faces, she makes the first of several television appearances on the Nine show.

“It’s going to be a big show and she’s doing two big production numbers with 25 dancers,” says Somers.

“They’re flying 25 down from Sydney. I think with Fame, West Side Story, Hairspray and Mary Poppins they’re finding that they need to bring dancers down from Sydney once they learn the routine.

“We’re in a position to be able to do it in the studio, we’re just able to fit the set in. It’s a very big set and a very big number.”

Minogue couldn’t have come at a better time.

Critics have noted sinking figures for the show, and accused it of not reinventing itself. But diehard fans have relished the nostalgia, with the Facebook fansite rising above half a million viewers. Despite the huge figures for the two Reunion shows, a once populist show has suddenly become divisive. Against the might of MasterChef it has been a challenge to defend the show’s reputation.

MasterChef is knocking around every other show they’ve been up against. It’s not just Hey Hey taking the brunt of their success. Nine are very happy with the actual programme we’re producing, so we can’t do much more than what we’re doing,” he says.

“Critics have been saying ‘We know why it’s not working, they haven’t got any new segments.’ But if I came on and said ‘We’re not going to do Red Faces because it’s been on a long time,’ people would think ‘What?’ Or Plucka Duck or Celebrity Head… people really like those segments.”

There is also the question of the network programming a show with a high degree of opt-in, opt-out viewers on a weeknight.

When it returns later this year, Somers is hoping for a return to its Saturday namesake.

“I have spoken to (Programmer) Michael Healy about it and he knows my thoughts. From what people have told me at the Q & A at the end of the show with the audience, they’re all saying Saturday. The Facebook site, which has leapt over the half million point, is pushing for Saturday,” he says.

“It’s based on the fact that people are more relaxed. They don’t have to go to work the next day, the kids can stay up later, they can all sit down and watch the show. So I take those points. I’ve been pushing for the Saturday but we’ll have to wait and see, I guess.

“We’re averaged over 2 hours, often 2 and a quarter, which makes it hard to get the figures high. We came in at 1.521m and the very next week MasterChef started.”

The show is set to return for seven more episodes post-Commonwealth Games.

For now Somers is happy to take a break from the fury of producing and performing in one of television’s only live variety shows, with Kylie’s endorsement as the perfect farewell.

“It will be super-big!”

Hey Hey it’s Saturday airs 7:30pm Wednesday on Nine.

19 Responses

  1. Poor Kylie… That pic above screams desperation . U can see it all over Daryls face. How embarassing gor him to turn up with plucks as well… It’s like he is scared to face criticism and the public by himself .

  2. to all the people and hey hey fans – last weeks show as per statistics had shown hey hey its saturday peaked at 1.3 million viewers so we are over the million mark, mind you some regional areas and tasmania arent able to view so that would affect the ratings also which could take it over 1.3 million viewers. Kylie on hey hey tomorrow night will crack the ratings sideways for hey hey its saturday. way to go!!!

  3. Hey Hey moved to Saturday nights in 1984, and Kylie’s first hit was in 1987, so her success paralelled the Logie winning show for the next dozen years. The nostalgia factor that propelled the reunion shows last year is embodied by Kylie and her extraordinary international success. Her appearance will be a great bonus for the flagging show. For those of us who enjoy her and it, enjoy!!!!
    For those not interested, fine – but allow others to choose their entertainment.
    My prediction – back to a million viewers tomorrow night,

  4. I respect Kylie but loathe her music, don’t respect Somers and loathe his show. Would rather watch whatever SBSTwo has on instead of Hey Hey.

  5. well i’ll watch it to see kylie but i don’t watch masterchef!

    i do think the show would have a better chance on saturday but surely nine are happy with the figures australia’s funniest home videos is pulling in at a fraction of the cost

  6. What a good sport Kylie is to agree to have her pic taken at the airport after such a long-haul flight and such a shameless and desperate ploy by Darryl for publicity for his show.
    This man is never happy – they give him his show back albeit on a Wednesday. Not that it’s under-performing he wants it back on Saturdays.
    It’s an expensive show to make and unless it can pull more than 1.2 mill on Saturdays what’s the point? When you can air clip shows like Funniest Home Videos and old movies at half the cost.
    I agree it’s more a Saturday show but I can’t see it pulling big numbers if it’s moved.

  7. How would Kylie help increase the ratings of this pathetic show? She’s not a reason to watch, mor eof a reason to switch of. First class air travek must be oh so tiring for the little darling.

  8. My bad, Macarthurblack (and David)…must have missed that episode, though she definitely sang Look My Way live back in ’88 hence my memory of her earlier live performance on Hey Hey.

  9. @Nathan

    Yes I reserve my comments from making a comment!

    Although I don’t disagree about putting the show back on Saturday night – where it should have been at the first place.

    If it does go back to that night and rate its socks off I’ll be only too happy to eat my share of humble pie – but only if it tastes good !!

  10. Look, there’s gotta be some interest in Kylie. It’s been a while since she’s been back and I don’t think a lot of people know that she will be on Dancing with the Stars and 7pm Project (which will be pre-recorded) so it should do well. It should at least beat last week’s result of 849,000.

  11. @Patrick – That’s not reserving comments!!

    I hope channel nine see sense and move the show to saturday night. It’s the only free to air show that I watch.

  12. For once I shall reserve comments until this weeks ratings come in……although Hey Hey had better have a big win this time or it’s doomed….

  13. Good on you Daryl, I hope all goes well. Everybody I know wants it back on Saturdays. May you long live on Saturday nights for many years to come!

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