
Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac channels legendary cartoon character with bold new look
Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac stunned viewers on Friday morning by channelling a legendary cartoon character with his bold new look.
The Channel Seven veteran, 43, turned heads sporting a bold moustache and eye-catching green tee during his morning show appearance, paying homage to Ned Flanders from The Simpsons.
Sam fully embraced the comparison, donning prescription glasses and playfully greeting viewers with Ned's iconic catchphrase: 'Hi-Diddly-Ho, neighbour! Okilly Dokilly.'
He later shared an image of Ned Flanders waving to the camera alongside an image of him doing the same and captioned it with some amusing words.
'After repeated requests to remove the beard... I said okilly dokilly... and here I am back at work making a fresh start (borrowing the emoji's glasses). Ned Flanders? Or someone on a watch-list?,' Sam quipped.
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The weatherman has developed a reputation for his cheeky behaviour both on and offscreen.
Earlier this week, Sam left fans divided after retuning to Sunrise after a month off with a new look.
On Monday, the beloved weatherman appeared on the Channel Seven morning show for the first time since he went on 'dad leave' in May.
The TV regular, who shares Margot, two, and Mabel, ten months, with fiancée Rebecca James, debuted a beard which he had grown in his month away from the show.
Prior to his first day back, Sam uploaded a picture to Instagram on Sunday telling fans that if the snap of his new facial hair got enough likes he would keep it.
'If this photo gets 10 thousand likes I'll keep the beard for my return to @sunriseon7 on Monday #DadLeaveBeard,' he captioned the post, which showed him holding onto his new bundle of joy.
While the Instagram picture failed to garner enough likes before the show, his Facebook post did, resulting in Sam's return to his weatherman gig with a hairy chin.
However, it seems many fans were actually not too pleased with the dad-of-two's new look.
'Very good to see Sam Mac back and showing why he is the best at weather. The beard was an interesting addition,' one person wrote on a Sunrise chat forum.
In May, the TV weatherman took to Instagram to reveal he would be going on one month's leave.
Posting a picture with baby Mabel, he went on to express how excited he was to spend some quality time with his young children.
'This guy is officially on "Dad Leave",' Sam, who welcomed his second child last August, captioned the post.
'So ridiculously excited to have some uninterrupted time with our darling Mabel. I did the same when Margot was a baby and have vivid memories of being there as she took her first steps.
'Now to have more time with her as a toddler is an added bonus (albeit a slightly terrifying one)' he added.
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