Daryl Somers: Hey Hey It’s Saturday would not survive on television today due to ‘cancel culture’ 

Television host Daryl Somers says he does not believe his classic variety show, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, would be shown on television today.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the 69-year-old said 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.’ 

These days: Television host Daryl Somers (pictured) says he does not believe his classic variety show, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, would be shown on television today. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph , the 69-year-old said today’s ‘cancel culture’ would shut the program down

Daryl admitted he is not thrilled with the shift in public opinion 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.

‘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. 

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.' Pictured onu00A0Hey Hey It's Saturday with mascotu00A0Ossie Ostrich

 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.’ Pictured on Hey Hey It’s Saturday with mascot Ossie Ostrich

He added:u00A0'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. Pictured on Hey Hey with Kylie Minogue in 2010

He added: ‘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. Pictured on Hey Hey with Kylie Minogue in 2010

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 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. 

Controversial:u00A0During its run, Hey Hey It's Saturday had its 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)

Controversial: During its run, Hey Hey It’s Saturday had its 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 episode and gave the performance a score of zero, saying that he never would’ve appeared on the show if he had known that it would involve blackface.

Host Daryl apologised to Harry at the end of the live segment at the time, saying: ‘I think we may have offended you with that act and I deeply apologise on behalf of all of us.

Shocking:u00A0Another incident in 2009 involved a comedy troupe dressed up as the Jackson Five in blackface for Hey Hey's regular Red Faces segment (pictured)

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

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

‘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.’

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 next set to host Dancing with the Stars, returning for the reboot after hosting the original seven seasons from 2004 to 2007.  

Dynamic duo:Daryl is next set to host Dancing with the Stars, returning for the reboot after hosting the original seven seasons. He hosted Dancing with the Stars from 2004 to 2007 alongside Sonia Kruger (right). Pictured in 2006

Dynamic duo:Daryl is next set to host Dancing with the Stars, returning for the reboot after hosting the original seven seasons. He hosted Dancing with the Stars from 2004 to 2007 alongside Sonia Kruger (right). Pictured in 2006