The series' distinctive brand of irreverent humour soon attracted a sizable adult audience, and in 1984, it had become so popular, Nine made the unprecedented decision to move it to a 9:30 Saturday evening timeslot, and renamed "Hey Hey It's Saturday Night". It remained on Saturday night for the rest of its run, but moved to the 6:30 time-slot in 1985 and eventually also reverted to the name "Hey Hey It's Saturday". At its height, "Hey Hey It's Saturday" was one of the most popular and consistently high-rating series in the history of Australian television, winning many awards, including three Gold Logie awards for Somers. "Hey Hey" screened for 28 years (1971–99) on the Nine Network across Australia. It had by then become an institution, so considerable shock occurred when the Nine Network announced that the series was to be axed at the end of 1999.