The new Cifras y Letras set is full of electronic tablets. The huge volume of the RAE dictionary is no longer on his table. In the 28 years that have passed since the competition was last broadcast on La 2, pencil and paper have been virtually abandoned. The show returns to TVE this Monday evening. It's not that analogue aids are banned in this vocabulary and mental arithmetic game, but new technologies help make the program more interactive.
Aitor Albizua replaces Elisenda Roca, the show's well-known presenter in the 1990s, before the competition enjoyed a second life on regional channels. The Basque is already an expert in this genre. He ran another legendary competition at ETB, Lingo, and then made the jump to La 1 afternoons with another question and answer format, El comodín. When the journalist was born in Arrigorriaga (Bizkaia) 32 years ago, “Cifras y Letras” was already broadcast in Spain. He realized how important “the nostalgic component is, how deeply rooted it is in people's memories” when he saw how viewers reacted on social networks when his return was announced, he explained on set this Friday the shipment.
Aitor Albizua continues the legacy of Elisenda Roca as host of “Cifras y letra” on La 2.RTVE
“I expect there will be comparisons with the previous version, but we will use the positive, good criticism that the format has to give it a boost and adapt it for 2024. We must not forget that, nor should society.” “The television series of the 1990s and the television of that time are not comparable to those of today,” defends the moderator.
The new characters and letters, produced by RTVE in collaboration with Atomis Media-Prime Time Media, have a duration of 30 minutes (from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.). Look for a more lively rhythm than the rest of the daily competitions. And create a habit in the viewer so that he stops by La 2 every evening, as the miraculous Saber y Gan does in the channel's afternoons, and gets more than double the screen share in that slot than the daily average. To keep the audience coming back every night, this time the competition features a final test – 12 words on the same topic – and a cumulative jackpot. And there will be no restrictions on where participants can stay. The winner of the evening remains in the competition until elimination. Currently the producer has signed 60 broadcasts, which corresponds to 15 weeks of broadcasts from Monday to Thursday on La 2.
In classical mechanics there were only two simple tests: to reach a natural integer in a certain time (from 101 to 999) or to get as close as possible using six numbers and elementary arithmetic operations. In the language part, participants took turns asking for a vowel or consonant, up to a total of nine letters. With them they had to form the longest word possible in just a few seconds without using a letter more than once. In the event of an error on the part of the participant, the points he would have received were credited directly to his opponent.
In this new version, these two challenges are combined with new games related to general culture or solving complex mathematical operations. These are tests that have already been tested. Despite the long absence from the public broadcaster, those responsible refer to the French original Des chiffres et des Lettres.
The space, created by screenwriter and producer Armand Jammot, has been broadcast continuously on the public broadcaster France Télévisions since 1965 and has gradually adapted to the new times, explains Isabel Raventós, executive producer of Atomis Media. “Our idea is to integrate new technologies and even artificial intelligence when we can,” he continues. Their intention is to create a mobile application, perhaps in the style of the famous Wordle, so that the public can search for the longest word possible using the letters available. But without forgetting the original essence of the format, which Jammot summarized in three concepts: “entertain, participate and learn,” recalls the producer.
Elena Herraiz and David Calle, the experts of the new “Figures and Letters” from La 2.RTVE
Experts and Youtubers
Since he has two generations in his sights, Albizua is accompanied by two experts, like Roca was at the time. But this time they are two YouTube stars with solid academic training: the linguistic popularizer Elena Herraiz (Linguriosa), who will clarify doubts using the RAE's online dictionary, and David Calle (Unicoos), a communications engineer who has been using the Internet for years than uses an educational tool. Both reach millions of views when they explain the use of vos in Latin America or how to create an inverse matrix.
The two experts emphasize that this new generation of participants faces both linguistic and mathematical challenges, as cell phones equipped with calculators and search engines have caused us to lose mental agility in these two areas.
“But on the other hand, thanks to technology, we will now always know what the longest possible word is,” says Herraiz, “and the time gained will be used to search for more information about the word and make it available to the public.” Added value,” adds Calle. “Despite everything, there are still participants who are very quick at mental arithmetic and arrive well prepared. They are able to perform very complex mathematical operations in a matter of seconds. They will leave the viewer with their mouths open,” comments the numbers expert of the new Cifras y Letras.
The competition is proposed as an alternative to television programming in a slot that has become particularly relevant for broadcasters in recent years. In its program, Cifras y Letras coincides with the last part of Telediario 2 on La 2, the end of Antena 3 Noticias and the beginning of El hormiguero, part of First Dates on Cuatro, the end of Informativos Telecinco and the beginning of ¡ There you are! on Telecinco and part of El intermedia on La Sexta. It is a program in which the battle for viewers on other channels is fierce and where La 2, with its alternative approach and away from the fierce battle for viewers on commercial channels, now offers an option that combines culture and entertainment.
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