A list of the 50 most important Spaniards in history, in which only nine women appear and which equates Iker Casillas and Marc Márquez with Goya and Cervantes, causes debates for days. This has been happening since RTVE announced the launch of the website inviting citizens to vote among fifty names already selected. For Silvia Intxaurrondo, presenter of the show, who will analyze the results of this strange referendum in six episodes live and in prime time, the heated debate surrounding this television format is not necessarily bad news. “We aim to spark a national debate that lasts much longer than the live broadcast. “We want it to happen with our family, with our partner, at work, in the bar and of course in the media,” comments the journalist this Thursday on the phone from the set in Villaviciosa de Odón (Madrid). where La 1 will soon broadcast “The Best in History”.
The public broadcaster has not selected the names that compete for the title of the most important figure in the history of Spain. The list is the result of a survey carried out by Sigma Dos throughout Spain, based on a representative sample of the country's population.
“The entire team was surprised that so few female names appeared. It says a lot about us as a country. That's exactly what we'll be discussing these weeks; about who we are, who we were and what moves us. It will be a photo of the Spain of 2024 and the values that these characters inspire us,” defends Intxaurrondo. This negative reaction from part of the audience to the list is already one of the project goals achieved. “The fact that so many people are asking this question should make us proud, because 20 or 30 years ago perhaps no one would have been surprised. Instead, we think about the fact that we don't want to be the country where there is no parity,” he continues.
The presenter of La Hora de La 1 and the winner of Ondas 2023 will be joined by famous collaborators and experts on each topic, who will discuss the career, merits and legacy of the most influential people. Intxaurrondo defines his role in this format as “impartial arbiter” and assures that he has not voted or shared his favorite with anyone, not even with his own family, although he admits that he has already changed his choice several times. And he believes his decision will change when the six episodes of Space air. “We will study each chosen character in depth and in an entertaining way. And maybe that will change our opinion of some of them, for better or for worse,” he says.
For Inxtaurrondo, the idea is worth much more than six deliveries. We propose two new formulas: Could you create an edition that would choose among the women forgotten by history? Or one with characters who are not so well known at the national level, but who were important in some regions of Spain and promoted their plurality? “There is no need to be afraid of debates as long as they are conducted with respect. We will bring smiles and entertainment,” he says. The Basque journalist covered the last general election for La 1 and doesn't believe we should avoid playing with the concept of what it means to be Spanish or the best Spaniard.
The mosaic with the 50 Spaniards chosen to be voted “Best in History”.RTVE
The format, a production by RTVE in collaboration with The Pool, is the Spanish adaptation of the successful 100 Greatest Britons, created by the BBC and having more than 30 editions in countries such as Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Finland , Among other things, Portugal and Argentina.
The La 1 version begins by dividing the 50 names into five groups of ten. You can now enter the website elmejordelahistoria.com and vote for the favorites. The public has until January 30 to express their opinion. According to the public institution, almost 34,000 votes have been registered so far. Every week the room shows live what the rankings are from 10 to 1. Once the top two finishers of each episode are revealed, a new vote will open for the audience to vote between them. You have one week until the next program is broadcast. Every day, a group of employees moderated by Intxaurrondo debate the results, revealing their personal preferences and phobias. And in the last broadcast it will be revealed how the five finalists, the winners of each duel, were divided. It will be “visually ambitious and very close to entertainment,” said Intxaurrondo.
Of the votes received so far from the 50 names in the survey, 63.4% of voters are men, 31% are women and 5.7% are unspecified. In terms of age, the majority of voters are young. 46.5% are between 14 and 29 years old; 23.8%, between 30 and 44 years old; 21.3%, between 45 and 60 years old; and 8.4% are over 60 years old.
Viewers can choose between scientists, artists, communicators, athletes, politicians or writers, from Christopher Columbus to Rosalía de Castro, including Isabel II, Pablo Picasso, Ramón y Cajal, Amancio Ortega, the journalists Mercedes Milá and Matías Prats Jr. or Fernando Alonzo. “Also, what I've noticed from the people I've talked to about this is that it's not so much about judging characters from other eras from a 21st century perspective, but rather about broadening the criteria by which “We classify someone as relevant,” he comments.
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