When Hey Hey It’s Saturday celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, nobody, not even host Daryl Somers, expected the TV special to draw in millions of viewers.
Fast forward 12 months, and Seven has unveiled the first of three reunion specials of the beloved variety show.
Molly Meldrum, Jacki MacDonald and Daryl Somers at the Molly Meldrum 50 years in music celebration.
(Image: Getty)Daryl, the original Wiggles, Delta Goodrem and Kate Ceberano all took pleasure in remembering the very best of Red Faces and Celebrity Head – but Woman’s Day hears there’s one returning star that’s set to get everybody talking!
TV insiders tell us Daryl is “desperately hoping” none other than former Hey Hey co-host Jacki MacDonald will be enticed to feature in the upcoming second and third episodes – due out later this year.
Daryl is hoping Jacki will join him for the reunion.
(Image: Getty)Despite becoming one of the show’s most beloved stars and an Aussie TV icon, 68-year-old Jacki leads a very private life with her husband Dr Michael Pitney in Queensland.
It’s been more than a decade since Jacki, who joined the iconic series in 1979, made her last appearance on the small screen after taking part in a Hey Hey reunion in 2010 – with some branding the presenter a “semi-recluse”.
Jacki made her last appearance on the small screen after taking part in a Hey Hey reunion in 2010.
(Image: Getty)If there’s ever been a reason for Jacki to return to TV, the upcoming special should be it.
Ahead of the TV event, Seven has promised two emotional tributes –Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne, who was a frequent celebrity guest, and the late Ernie Carroll, the pioneering puppeteer behind the feathered favourite Ossie Ostrich, are set to be celebrated throughout the program.
While insiders say “Jacki’s big return to TV is looking more likely”, the Logie winner has made no secret out of her dislike for the spotlight.
“It’s not so much fun being famous actually – much better to be sort of anonymous,” she revealed in 2018, but insisted she holds no regrets.
“I was lucky,” Jacki explained, adding, “I was just in the right shows for me. Hey Hey It’s Saturday was perfect – because there was no formula, you did whatever you liked.”
