When El hormiguero started, one of its first signs of identity was the section on experiments. Pablo Motos, his collaborators and even the guests underwent tests that brought tension to the set and to the houses, which caused priceless television moments. Well, yes: they were paid by Motos and his partner, Jorge Salvador, who never skimped on means and resources. Those of us who are dedicated to television production often asked ourselves the same question: how much did this cost them?
This week El homiguero, surely without intending it, has proposed the most difficult yet. The program has experimented with an entire country, which at the end of June was paralyzed to see two interviews with the two politicians who are competing to be president of the government. Never in The Anthill had he risked so much.
In a country polarized and confronted by the media as we have rarely seen, Pablo Motos has risked his life. This time yes. All of Spain pending his questions. Of his gestures. From his grimaces. Of his rictus. Because for some time now, in interviews, not only the interviewed politician is examined, but also the interviewer. In fact, the two programs may have been the cheapest that El Hormiguero has done in its entire history. Two interviews without cache for the guests. Spot. But Pablo Motos was well aware of how expensive these programs could be.
From the interviews, only two conclusions. First, a greeting to all those who repeat daily that “TV is finished.” Television continues to be the only means of communication capable of congregating at the same time, at the same time and on the same channel, a larger audience in front of a screen. Without a doubt, for Sánchez and Feijóo, going out in El hormiguero is going to be their biggest electoral spot until face to face arrives.
For this reason, these could become the elections of El hormiguero, as those of 1993 were those of the debates between Felipe González and José María Aznar; like those of 2004 were those of the jihadist attacks, or those of 2015 those of the end of bipartisanship. In these elections there is a before and after going through the set of Pablo Motos.
The second conclusion. Another greeting to all those who repeat that there will be little participation. The pull that most of the programs dedicated to politics are having and the exponential increase in the number of citizens who have requested to vote by mail do not portend that participation will be low, even though July 23 is a date unprecedented for a general election.
I have known Pablo for 25 years, when Juan Ibáñez and Damián Moya still had no idea that they would end up under a table handling plush ants. We were able to enjoy a mythical night at the Calabuch awards ceremony in Peñíscola.
If I have to comment on something about your interviews, I will do it personally, especially considering that in this country, apart from a national soccer coach, this week we have discovered that we all also have an interviewer for presidential candidates. That of journalists who have never done an interview on television in their lives but knew perfectly well the questions to ask and the attitude to have.
What I have felt has been envy: I would have loved to interview Feijóo, as I did with Sánchez. But it seems that the Galician is more to hide than to show himself: now he does not want to go to the debate to four of TVE. May his campaign not end up being long and may these elections be remembered for the debates with an empty lectern.
