Footage has resurfaced of Daryl Somers’ most shocking moments on classic variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday – and they would never be allowed on TV today.
In one scene, the 69-year-old entertainer appeared to wear blackface as he impersonated Malaysian-born singer Kamahl.
Daryl seemingly darkened his skin with makeup and wore a wig as he performed with the singer on stage.
Bad taste: Footage has resurfaced of Daryl Somers’ most shocking moments on classic variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday – and they would never be allowed on TV today
In another segment, Kamahl’s face was covered with white chalk dust while he sung.
A comment was also made about Kamahl needing to smile so ‘we can see him’.
In one clip, Daryl appeared to make fun of a third-generation Chinese-Australian audience member as he introduced her on camera.
Wouldn’t fly today: In one scene, the 69-year-old entertainer appeared to wear blackface as he impersonated Malaysian-born singer Kamahl
‘I’m originally from Sydney,’ the woman said.
Daryl then asked: ‘You were born and bred in Sydney? I thought you were going to say your background is from overseas somewhere. So no one in the family speaks Chinese?’
In another resurfaced clip, the host arrived on stage late and said: ‘Sorry I’ve just been having a blow with the blokes over there… yes, I had a nose bleed.’
‘You were born and bred in Sydney?’ In another, Daryl (right) appeared to make fun of a third-generation Chinese-Australian audience member (centre) as he introduced her on camera
Controversial: In one segment, Kamahl’s face was covered with white chalk dust while he sung
Rude: A comment was also made about Kamahl needing to smile so ‘we can see him’
The footage re-emerged after Daryl said he does not believe Hey Hey It’s Saturday could be shown on television today.
He told The Daily Telegraph today’s ‘cancel culture’ would shut the program down.
He said: ‘You probably could not get away with half the stuff you could on Hey Hey now because of the political correctness and the cancel culture. It is a shame because showbiz does not get much of a chance.’
Different times: The footage re-emerged after Daryl said he does not believe Hey Hey It’s Saturday could be shown on television today
Daryl said he wasn’t happy about the shift in public taste, but accepts the world is changing.
‘A lot of comics can’t work much because what would have been just tongue-in-cheek previously now can easily get them into trouble,’ he said.
‘I can’t say I am enamoured with it, but it is a changing world in which we live and you just have to work around things,’ he said.
His view: ‘You probably could not get away with half the stuff you could on Hey Hey now because of the political correctness and the cancel culture,’ Daryl told The Daily Telegraph. Pictured on Hey Hey It’s Saturday with mascot Ossie Ostrich
Hey Hey It’s Saturday ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 1971 to 1999, before returning for special episodes in 2009.
A new season of 20 episodes was commissioned in 2010, but the slapstick program did not return in 2011.
During its run, Hey Hey It’s Saturday had its fair share of controversy.
Last year, TV veteran Daryl was called out for performing Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World in blackface on the show in the 1980s.
Controversial: During its run, Hey Hey It’s Saturday had its fair share of controversy. Last year, TV veteran Daryl was called out for performing Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World in blackface back on the show in the 1980s (pictured)
Another incident in 2009 involved a comedy troupe dressed up as the Jackson Five in blackface for Hey Hey’s regular Red Faces segment.
American singer Harry Connick Jr. was a guest judge on the program and gave the performance a score of zero, saying he never would have appeared on the show if he had known it would involve blackface.
Daryl apologised to Harry at the end of the live segment, saying: ‘I think we may have offended you with that act and I deeply apologise on behalf of all of us.
‘Because I know that to your countrymen, that’s an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologise to you.’
Shocking: Another incident in 2009 involved a comedy troupe dressed up as the Jackson Five in blackface for Hey Hey’s regular Red Faces segment (pictured)
Score: Harry Connick Jr. (pictured) was a guest judge and awarded the performance a score of zero, saying he wouldn’t have appeared on the show if he’d known blackface would be involved
Harry responded: ‘I know it was done humorously, but we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons that when we see something like that we take it really to heart.
‘I feel like I am at home here and if I knew that was going to be part of the show, I probably, I definitely, wouldn’t have done it.’
Daryl is now set to host Seven’s reboot of Dancing with the Stars, after hosting the original seven seasons from 2004 to 2007.
Dynamic duo: Daryl is now set to host Seven’s reboot of Dancing with the Stars, after hosting the original seven seasons from 2004 to 2007. Pictured with Sonia Kruger
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