Daryl Somers facts for kids

Daryl Paul Somers OAM (born Schulz; 6 August 1951) is a famous Australian TV star and musician. He has won three Gold Logie awards, which are like Australia's top TV awards. Daryl became well-known as the host and producer of the popular comedy show Hey Hey It's Saturday. Later, he also hosted the dance competition show Dancing with the Stars.

In 2004, Daryl was given a special award called the Medal of the Order of Australia. This award recognized his great work in TV and his help for charities. In 2018, Australia Post even put his picture on a series of postage stamps! This showed how much he has contributed to Australian entertainment.

Early Life

Daryl Somers grew up in Prahran, a suburb of Melbourne. He went to school at Christian Brothers College, St. Kilda. Daryl was a drummer and joined a music group called "Pasquale and his Mexican Rhythm." Later, the group changed its name to "Somerset." They appeared on a TV talent show called New Faces. They made it to the finals but lost to another singer, John Williamson. Daryl's family changed their last name from Schulz to Somers around 1970.

Television Career

Starting with Cartoon Corner and Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971–1999)

Daryl Somers began his TV career on 14 July 1971. He was discovered by Ernie Carroll, who invited him to audition. Daryl impressed them by doing an impression of Mr. Magoo. He started as the host of Cartoon Corner in Melbourne.

At first, Cartoon Corner in Melbourne used to show the Sydney version. Daryl's first words on TV were, "Hi, I'm Daryl Somers; Skeeter will no longer be with us, and now it's time for a cartoon." He also hosted other children's shows. One of these was Holiday Carnival, which featured competitions and football tips. This show was a bit like a practice run for Hey Hey It's Saturday.

Hey Hey It's Saturday officially started on 9 October 1971. Daryl hosted it with footballer Peter McKenna. After eight weeks, a pink glove puppet named Ossie Ostrich joined the show. Ossie was voiced and operated by Ernie Carroll. The early shows often included old movies.

Over time, Hey Hey It's Saturday grew bigger. It started as a Saturday morning cartoon show, like an expanded Cartoon Corner. But it slowly changed. In 1978, Daryl and Ossie tried a new show called The Daryl and Ossie Special. They wanted to reach more adult viewers. They even moved to a different TV network for a short time with The Daryl and Ossie Show. However, the ratings weren't great, so they returned to Nine in 1979.

When they came back, Jacki MacDonald joined as a co-host. More cast members joined, and cartoons were shown less often. The show became known for its funny and sometimes silly humor. Even the crew members, like sound-effects technician Murray Tregonning and cameraman "Lucky Phil" Lambert, became part of the fun.

By 1984, Hey Hey It's Saturday was so popular with adults that it moved to a later time slot on Saturday nights. It was even called Hey Hey It's Saturday Night for a while. Later, it moved to an earlier evening slot and went back to its original name. At its peak, Hey Hey It's Saturday was one of the most-watched shows in Australian TV history. Daryl Somers won three Gold Logie awards for his work on the show. The show ran for 28 years, from 1971 to 1999.

Hosting Bandstand (1976)

In 1976, Daryl Somers also hosted a new version of the music show Bandstand on Channel 9. This show was created to compete with popular music shows like Countdown. Bandstand '76 showed music videos and featured local artists performing popular songs. Daryl said his show appealed to a wider range of ages and had good ratings. The show was planned to continue in 1977 but did not.

A Break from TV (2000–2003)

Daryl took a break from regular TV shows after Hey Hey It's Saturday finished its first run. In 2000, he received a special award at the ARIA Music Awards of 2000. This award recognized how much Hey Hey It's Saturday helped Australian musicians show their talent.

Hosting Dancing with the Stars (2004–2007)

In late 2004, Daryl Somers returned to TV. He joined the Seven Network, which was a big competitor to Nine. He became the host of Dancing with the Stars. This live show featured 10 celebrities competing in a dance contest each week. Daryl announced he would leave the show on 30 November 2007. Actor Daniel MacPherson took over as host.

Hey Hey It's Saturday Returns (2009–2010)

Daryl had another year off TV in 2008. People started wondering if Hey Hey It's Saturday would ever come back. Daryl said it was possible that some reunion specials could happen. A reunion special aired on 30 September 2009 and was watched by over 3.9 million people! A second reunion show caused some international discussion.

Because the reunion specials were so popular, Hey Hey It's Saturday came back as a regular show in 2010. They aired twenty episodes that year. However, the show did not return in 2011 because the ratings started to drop, and it was very expensive to make.

You're Back in the Room (2016)

In 2015, it was announced that Daryl Somers would return to the Nine Network. He would host the Australian version of a British hypnotism game show called You're Back in the Room. The show started on 3 April 2016. It attracted many viewers, even though some people on social media had mixed reactions.

Back to Dancing and Hey Hey 50th Anniversary (2021)

In 2021, Dancing with the Stars was brought back by the Seven Network, and Daryl Somers returned as its host. Later that year, it was reported that Daryl was working on a special show to celebrate 50 years of Hey Hey It's Saturday. This special, called Hey Hey It's 50 Years, aired on 10 October 2021 and was watched by 1.2 million viewers.

Music Career

Daryl Somers released two comedy albums in 1975 and 1976. These albums also featured songs by Ossie Ostrich. Both albums were very successful.

In the 1980s, Daryl also released two pop singles. The first was 'What's Forever For' in 1981, but it didn't sell well. His second single, 'Don't Want to Share Your Love', came out in 1985.

In the mid-1980s, Daryl signed with Brian Cadd's record label. They worked on a pop album together, but it was never released. Brian Cadd later said that Daryl worked incredibly hard in the studio. However, he felt Daryl's voice was "too classically trained" for pop music.

In 2005, Daryl released an album called Songlines with Sony BMG.

Albums

• Hey! Hey! It's Daryl & Ossie – Hammard (1975)
• Keep Smiling With Daryl & Ossie – Hammard (1976)
• Songlines – Sony BMG (2005)

Singles

• "What's Forever For" / "Can I See You Tonight?" (1981)
• "Don't Want To Share Your Love" / "You Look Just Like A Heartache To Me" (1985)

TV Credits

• New Faces (1968) as Runner-up contestant
• New Faces (1970) as Winning contestant
• Cartoon Corner (1971–77) as Host
• Hey Hey it's Saturday (1971–99, 2009–10) as Host / Producer
• Bandstand (1976) as Host
• King of Pop Awards (1976–77) as Host
• The Graham Kennedy Show (1970s) as Regular artist
• The Don Lane Show (1970s) as Regular artist
• The Mike Walsh Show (1970s) as Regular artist
• Family Feud (1980–83) as Host
• Countdown (1981) as Guest Host
• The Daryl Somers Show (1982–83) as Host
• Blankety Blanks (1985) as Host
• TV Week Logie Awards, (1988, 1991, 1996–98, 2006) as Host
• New Faces (1989) as Host / Producer
• The Russell Gilbert Show (1998) as Producer
• Gonged But Not Forgotten (1999) as Producer
• Dancing with the Stars (2004–07, 2021–23) as Host
• You're Back in the Room (2016) as Host

Awards and Recognition

Daryl Somers has received many awards for his work in television. In 2004, he was given the Medal of the Order of Australia. This award is for people who have done great things for Australia, especially in entertainment and charity work. In 2018, Australia Post honored him by putting his picture on a series of postage stamps. This was to celebrate his unique contributions to Australian entertainment and popular culture.

Mo Awards

The Mo Awards were annual awards for live entertainment in Australia. Daryl Somers won one of these awards.

Daryl Somers has been a big part of the Logies (Australia's TV awards) since he started in television. He has hosted the Logie Awards ceremony five times (1988, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998) and co-hosted in 2006.

Logies Nominated

• Gold Logie – 12 times (1984–85, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1993–98)
• Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality – once (1994)
• Most Popular Comedy Personality – once (1997)

Other Work

In 1990, Daryl Somers acted in a stage musical called The Hunting of the Snark (musical). He played the role of the Billiard Marker.

In 2013, it was announced that Daryl would perform in the Harvest Rain Theatre Company's 2014 season. He played the character Nicely Nicely Johnson in the musical Guys and Dolls.

See also

• Somers Carroll Productions
• Ernie Carroll