John Blackman, the announcer and voiceover man whose wisecracks on “Hey Hey It’s Saturday” kept generations of Australian TV viewers glued to their seats, died Tuesday (June 4) following a battle with cancer. He was 76.
Always heard, but rarely seen, Blackman’s gags were the backbone of “Hey Hey” during its heyday, a staple on the Nine Network from the early 1970s through the late 1990s.
It was Blackman who voiced Dickie Knee. For a time, the character, nothing more than a puppet’s head on a stick, was a national icon, and the bane of “Hey Hey’s” celebrity guests. Dickie Knee would appear unannounced with the back of his head to the camera, crack a joke, and leave, often before the guest could process what had just happened.
Blackman launched his career in radio in the late 1960s, cutting his teeth at 2GN in Goulburn in 1969 as an announcer and copywriter. Two years later, in 1971, he joined 3AW as an evening announcer. In the same year, he segued into “Hey Hey,” then a Saturday morning show aimed at kids. Decades on, he returned to “Hey Hey” for reunion specials in 2009 and in 2021, and participated in a brief relaunch in 2010.
Blackman’s health took a turn with a skin cancer diagnosis in 2019. As the condition spread, Blackman underwent surgery to remove part of his lower jaw, and he withdrew from public life. Later, in 2022, Blackman faced another battle — a brain cancer diagnosis for which he underwent a six-hour cranioplasty operation.
“Hey Hey” host Daryl Somers led tributes, remarking that he was “devastated” at the loss of his “beloved” friend. “He used to say his mission on ‘Hey Hey’ was to break me up and at times I’d be crying with uncontrollable laughter,” comments Somers. “Sadly today, I’m just crying.”
Speaking to 9Honey Celebrity, Nine’s entertainment editor Richard Wilkins described the late entertainer as a great ”family man” and “a really important part of the family that was ‘Hey Hey It’s Saturday.’” The long-running show was “was just so hilarious. It was like organised chaos and it fitted together and he was very much the glue that held it all together with his beautiful voice, wit and characters he bought to the table.”
Radio host and politician Derryn Hinch remarks, “Shocked and saddened by death of John Blackman. He handled his illnesses so bravely. We had some huge rows but he was the fastest ad lib man ever. Vale.”
Shocked and saddened by death of John Blackman. He handled his illnesses so bravely. We had some huge rows but he was the fastest ad lib man ever. Vale.
— Derryn Hinch (@HumanHeadline) June 4, 2024