Daryl Somers facts for kids

Daryl Paul Somers (born Schulz; 6 August 1951) is a famous Australian television host and musician. He has won three Gold Logie awards, which are big awards for Australian TV.

Daryl became well-known as the host and producer of the popular comedy show Hey Hey It's Saturday. He also hosted the live dance show Dancing with the Stars.

In 2004, Daryl received a special award called the Medal of the Order of Australia for his work. In 2018, Australia Post even put his picture on postage stamps!

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Daryl Somers grew up in Prahran, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne. He went to school at Christian Brothers College, St. Kilda.

He loved music and played drums and sang in bands. One of his bands was called Newbeat Brass. They even played regularly at a restaurant in Melbourne for 18 months! Daryl's band also appeared on a TV talent show called New Faces. They made it to the finals but didn't win.

Before 1970, Daryl's parents and brothers changed their family name from Schulz to Somers.

Daryl's TV Journey

Starting with Cartoon Corner

Daryl began his TV career on 14 July 1971. He was invited to audition after someone saw him. He became the host of Cartoon Corner in Melbourne. He was paid $75 a week, which would be about $863 today.

His first words on TV were "Hi, I'm Daryl Somers." He continued to host Cartoon Corner for several years.

The Hey Hey It's Saturday Years

Soon after starting Cartoon Corner, Daryl began hosting other children's shows. One of these was Holiday Carnival in August 1971. This show led to Hey Hey It's Saturday, which officially started on 9 October 1971.

Daryl hosted Hey Hey It's Saturday with footballer Peter McKenna at first. Eight weeks later, a pink puppet named Ossie Ostrich joined the show. Ossie was voiced and operated by Ernie Carroll.

Hey Hey It's Saturday started as a children's cartoon show, like an expanded Cartoon Corner. But over time, it grew and changed.

In 1978, Daryl and Ossie tried a new show called The Daryl and Ossie Special. They wanted to reach more adults, as many adults were already watching Hey Hey. They then moved to a different TV network for The Daryl and Ossie Show. However, this show didn't do well, so they returned to the Nine Network in 1979. Hey Hey It's Saturday came back on 17 February 1979, with Jacki MacDonald as a new co-host.

More people joined the show, and cartoons were slowly replaced by live performances and funny segments. The show's crew, like sound effects person Murray Tregonning and cameraman "Lucky Phil" Lambert, also became part of the fun.

A famous character called "Dickie Knee" was created by props assistant Ian "Krystal" Murray. It was a funny head that popped up from behind the desk.

Hey Hey It's Saturday's unique humor attracted a large adult audience. In 1984, it became so popular that it moved to a Saturday evening time slot. It was even renamed Hey Hey It's Saturday Night for a while. The show was incredibly popular in Australia, winning many awards, including three Gold Logie awards for Daryl Somers. The show ran for 28 years, from 1971 to 1999.

Hosting Bandstand

In 1976, Daryl also hosted a new version of the music show Bandstand for Channel 9. This show featured music videos and local artists performing popular songs. It was quite successful and popular with viewers.

Family Feud and The Daryl Somers Show

In 1980, Daryl took over as host of the quiz show Family Feud. He hosted 713 episodes over three years.

Daryl also wanted to host his own variety and chat show. In June 1982, he got his wish with The Daryl Somers Show. This show featured many short segments and aimed to entertain a younger adult audience. Even though critics weren't always kind, the show was popular in Melbourne.

During this time, Daryl continued to host Hey Hey It's Saturday as a morning children's show. In 1983, he won his first Gold Logie Award for being the Most Popular Personality on Australian TV.

A Break from TV

After Hey Hey It's Saturday ended in December 1999, Daryl Somers didn't appear much in public for five years. He did make a guest appearance on the show Rove Live. In 2000, he received a special award for how much Hey Hey It's Saturday helped Australian musicians.

Dancing with the Stars Era

In late 2004, Daryl returned to TV, joining the Seven Network. He became the host of Dancing with the Stars. This live show featured 10 celebrities competing in a dance competition each week. Daryl hosted the show until 2007.

Hey Hey It's Saturday Returns!

After a year off, there was a lot of talk about bringing back Hey Hey It's Saturday. Daryl said it was possible, and in 2009, two reunion specials aired. They were incredibly popular, with millions of viewers watching!

Because the reunion specials were so successful, Hey Hey It's Saturday returned as a regular series in 2010. Twenty episodes aired that year. However, the show did not return in 2011 due to lower ratings and high production costs.

You're Back in the Room

In 2015, it was announced that Daryl would host an Australian version of a British game show called You're Back in the Room. This show involved hypnotism. It premiered in April 2016 and attracted many viewers.

Back to Dancing and Hey Hey 50th Anniversary

In 2021, Dancing with the Stars was brought back by the Seven Network, and Daryl Somers returned as the host. Later that year, Daryl worked on a special to celebrate 50 years of Hey Hey It's Saturday. The 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 also had a music career. He released two comedy albums in 1975 and 1976 with Ossie Ostrich. These albums were very popular.

He also released two pop singles in the 1980s: 'What's Forever For' in 1981 and 'Don't Want to Share Your Love' in 1985. He even worked on a pop album that was never released.

In 2005, Daryl released an album called Songlines on the Sony BMG label.

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 Shows Daryl Somers Has Been On

• New Faces (1968, 1970) as a 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 Special Recognition

Daryl Somers has received many awards and honors for his work in television and entertainment.

In 2004, he was given the Medal of the Order of Australia. This award recognized his service to TV, entertainment, and his support for charities and the community. 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:

Logie Awards

Daryl Somers has been a big part of the Logies (Australia's main TV awards) for a long time. He has hosted the Logie Awards ceremony five times and co-hosted once.

Logies Nominated For

• 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 performed in a stage musical called The Hunting of the Snark.

In 2013, it was announced that Daryl would perform in the musical Guys and Dolls in 2014, playing the character Nicely Nicely Johnson.

See also

• Somers Carroll Productions
• Ernie Carroll