After a long absence, Jesús Vázquez has returned to Telecinco recovering one of the formats with which, he confesses, he has been happier. ¡Allá tú!, better known as the program of the boxes, stopped broadcasting 12 years ago and returned last Sunday with audience success: it brought together almost 1.3 million viewers and had a 12.3% share. “We have worked hard to recover the essence of the program,” explains the 57-year-old presenter who wears, on the advice of his stylist, “a banker-type image, with suspenders and a tie, as if he were on Wall Street,” in homage to the enigmatic character called The Banker who offers possible economic barter to the contestant if he renounces the contents of his box and those that remain to be opened.
Was there you! The program that made you most excited to recover?
One of my bosses called me to ask me which program I had presented I would like to present again tomorrow. I told him two. I’m not going to say the second but the first was there you! .
Because?
I have done larger, more spectacular formats, with more budget, but the program in which I have had the most fun is this one. And in the end, after so many years working, what I want is to have fun. Large formats have too many elements that confine you. Your work as a presenter is limited because you have to be aware of many things, especially if it is live.
What do the television formats of the past have that always come back?
TV is experiencing a cycle change again. And now it has become fashionable for the chains to launch to recover classic formats that they liked a lot and that they want to try again. And it benefits me because I have many great programs that could come back (laughs).
Did you see the editions of ¡Allá tú! What did Silvia Jato and Arturo Valls present?
I saw something but I’m not very keen to see what others do and what I did before. I haven’t seen much of The Voice either because it gives me a lot of courage. They are programs that I love very much, that have given them part of my life, my soul and my heart and I don’t like to see how others do it. I suffer a lot.
Would you like to see a daily version of the contest like before?
Yes, but if it continues in prime time I’m delighted. But it is true that the daily strip is very cool, more casual and informal and a little faster because you have to solve the program in 45 minutes and not in two hours like now.
In France a live version triumphed. Would you do it too?
If it has to be done, it is done, but that is the most complicated version of all because you have time playing against you. You can have three minutes left of the program and six boxes to open. It’s crazy. In France it worked like a rocket because to the adrenaline of gambling money was added the emotion that time is running out and you have to make decisions very quickly.
The Banker is a fundamental part of the program, right?
He alone does half a contest. When I pick up the phone another program starts. The Banker and I have a very human relationship: we get angry, we argue, we hang up, we get angry, we make up and all of that is in front of the cameras because it’s a vital part of the show.
And who is behind The Banker?
He is the same person as 12 years ago, so there is still the same chemistry between us as then. But I can’t say anything else.
As the face of Mediaset, how are you experiencing the changes in the chain, especially the cancellation of Sálvame?
At this stage of my life I live everything with great discretion. In addition, since Christmas, when Paolo Vasile left as CEO of Mediaset España and the arrival of the new leadership, the first thing I do is there you! and I’m going to do it from Barcelona [it is recorded on a set in Sant Just Desvern]. So, I have been calm in my house attending everything as one more spectator. And I don’t think, on the other hand, that any of us who work in the company should put up any arguments or add comments that aren’t going to help.
Have you met the new CEO Alessandro Salem?
We have had a cordial dinner but we have not sat down to talk about work. I can only say nice things about a man who is very educated, smiling and who listens to you when you speak. I made myself available to Mediaset and he thanked me.
Have you spoken with Jorge Javier Vázquez? Have you ever experienced a situation similar to yours?
I have spoken with him and we write to each other but they are private conversations. We all have difficult moments in our careers, of not finding the format that suits you. I was now at a point where I was wondering which way to go. I’ve done a bit of everything and, honestly, now I wasn’t very excited about another talent. I did them because of my trade and because it’s my job, but I’ve always said that if you lose enthusiasm for what you do, it’s better to leave. I was left with that little thing that I love TV and I told myself to wait a few months until a format that I wanted would arrive again. And there you arrived! like a miracle.
