Darren "Whackhead" Simpson
Born
Darren Simpson

(1977-04-19) 19 April 1977[1]
Durban, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
Other namesWhackhead
Occupations
  • Radio presenter
  • Comedian
  • Phone prankster
Employer(s)Primedia Broadcasting
(94.7 Highveld Stereo & K-FM)
Known for
  • Radio show presenting
  • Radio phone pranking
  • Stand-up comedy
SpouseSamantha Teixeira (m. 2010)

Darren "Whackhead" Simpson (born 19 April 1977) is a comedian and radio presenter working for Primedia,[2] a broadcasting company that owns the radio stations 947 and 94.5 Kfm in South Africa (among others). He presented the morning show, Breakfast Express, on 947 in Johannesburg between April 2003 and March 2017, before he moved across to the Cape Town based sister station of 94.5 Kfm, to present the morning show, Kfm mornings, thereon.

Radio career

As of Monday 2 August 2010, Simpson has been hosting 94.7's morning show Breakfast Xpress.[3] The show was previously hosted by Jeremy Mansfield under the name The Rude Awakening. The Breakfast Xpress Team changed time slots with Anele Mdoda and the 947 Drive Team on 3 April 2017 and now runs under the name 947 Xpress Drive.[4] In April 2017, Simpson started to host the 94.5 KFM Breakfast Show, hosting both shows for the remainder of 2017. In January 2018, Simpson left 947 in order to exclusively focus on the "KFM Breakfast Show".

Simpson's prank call slot titled Whackhead's Window on the World used to be broadcast on 947 in Johannesburg, during his tenure there, and continued on Kfm Breakfast in Cape Town after his transfer there in 2017. [5] His pranks are available for podcast on a daily basis by the radio stations.[6][7]

Simpson has also co-starred with Mansfield on the M-Net hidden camera show, Laugh Out Loud.[8]

Tom Cruise scam

On 27 January 2009, Simpson scammed Australia's radio breakfast duo, Kyle and Jackie O, making them believe that they were interviewing Tom Cruise about the film Valkyrie.[9] The Australian show had ridiculed some of Simpson's pranks in the past, and he had been planning the prank for about two months. Once on air, Simpson announced that they had been scammed and congratulated the Proteas cricket team on their victory over the Australian side on the day before. The Australian station, 2Day FM, had spent approximately AUD$150 000 on advertising the interview in the preceding weeks. Simpson commented that the entire prank cost him about R 60 for the phone call.

Discography

Between 2004 and 2016, Simpson has compiled a yearly CD compilation of his pranks, as heard on 947. Following is a list of all his releases, as of 2011:

  • The Best of Whack Head's Prank Calls
Released: 2004[10]
Number of discs: 1
  • Oh My Greatness Hits!
Released: 2005[11]
Number of discs: 2
  • Serial Prankster
Released: 2007-11-05[12]
Number of discs: 2
This is the first album to offer bonus tracks from its official website.[13]
  • Off the Hook
Released: 2008
Number of discs: 2
  • Thrown in the Deep End
Released: 2009
Number of discs: 2
  • Phowned
Released: 2010
Number of discs: 2
  • Epic Fail
Released: 2011
Number of discs: 2

Biography

Simpson was born on 19 April 1977,[1] in Durban, South Africa.

On 2 February 2010, he announced his engagement to Samantha Teixeira. The wedding took place on 25 September 2010.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 Presenters: Jeremy Mansfield et al. (18 April 2008). The Rude Awakening. Johannesburg, South Africa. 70 minutes in. 947.
  2. ↑ "Primedia Website". Primedia. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  3. ↑ "Whackhead has own breakfast menu". Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  4. ↑ "Darren "Whackhead" Simpson shifts to the afternoon drive". Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Darren Whackhead Simpson". Jam Ally Entertainment. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  6. ↑ "94.7 Highveld Stereo – Podcast page". 94.7 Highveld Stereo. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  7. ↑ "94.5 KFM – Podcast page". 94.5 KFM. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  8. ↑ "Darren Simpson". TVSA. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  9. ↑ "MSN news article". MSN. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
  10. ↑ Best of WHACK HEAD's Prank Calls, The (Compact Disc). Simpson, Darren "Whackhead". All Tracks C Control. 2004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ Oh My Greatness Hits! (Compact Disc). Simpson, Darren "Whackhead". 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ Serial Prankster (Compact Disc). Simpson, Darren "Whackhead". 2007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ "94.7 Highveld Stereo – Serial Prankster (Official Site)". 94.7 Highveld Stereo. Archived from the original on 14 January 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  14. ↑ Presenters: Jeremy Mansfield et al. (8 February 2010). The Rude Awakening. Johannesburg, South Africa. 75 minutes in. 94.7 Highveld Stereo.
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