El Hormiguero | |
---|---|
Genre |
Talk show Comedy Variety |
Presented by | Pablo Motos |
Country of origin | Spain |
Original language(s) | Spanish |
Production | |
Producer(s) |
Gestmusic (2006–2008) 7 y Acción (2008–present) |
Location(s) | Madrid, Spain |
Running time | 120 minutes (2006–2007) 50 minutes (2007–present) |
Release | |
Original network |
Cuatro (2006–2011) Antena 3 (2011–present) |
Original release | September 24, 2006 – Present |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Peliculeros |
External links | |
Website | www |
El Hormiguero (Spanish for "The Anthill") is a Spanish television program with a live audience focusing on comedy, science, and guest interviews running since September 2006. It is hosted and produced by screenwriter Pablo Motos. The show aired on Spain's Cuatro channel from launch until June 2011 and is now broadcast on Antena 3. Recurring guests on the show include Luis Piedrahita, Raquel Martos, Marron & El Hombre de Negro ("The Man in Black") (the scientists), and puppet ants Trancas and Barrancas (from the Spanish expression "a trancas y barrancas," which means "in fits and starts"). It has proved a ratings success, and has expanded from a weekly 120-minute show to a daily 40-minute show in its third season, which began on September 17, 2007. The show won the Entertainment prize at the 2009 Rose d'Or ceremony.
The show is based on an earlier radio program, broadcast on M80 Radio, called No Somos Nadie ("We Are Nobody"). This show continued until June 2007, when Pablo Motos announced that he would be leaving the program to allow the daily production of El Hormiguero.No Somos Nadie returned in September 2007 with new on-air talent, since most of the old show's talent were part of the television show.
Segments on the show included scientific experiments, like a car running on vegetable oil, hangover cures, a superconductivity demonstration, and various chemical reaction demonstrations. Each episode features a satirical rap, commentary on current events, and humorous phrases as spoken by children. Other segments include pitches for viewers to plant trees and "El Kiosco", a section of magazine reviews. The show also airs parodies of other media, which have included Back to the Future, Pop Idol, House M.D., and Mission: Impossible. Each episode feature a celebrity guest, including Boris Izaguirre, David Bisbal,Alejandro Sanz,Paulina Rubio, and numerous international celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Sergio Dalma, Ashley Tisdale or Hugh Jackman. Special guests on the show are sometimes involved throughout the episode, including taking part in the various stunts and science experiments. A number of changes to the show, including new segments such as a webcam call-in portion from viewers, were planned for the upcoming format change in the third season, however this segment and some others like training of wild monkeys were removed, the first one due to the amount of time needed and the second one due to low popularity among the audience.