Just nine years after its premiere on TVE, The Ministry of Time is back in the headlines. That's because the BBC (without which I doubt I would be a screenwriter, I owe them so much) is starting a project with the same name and similar synopsis to the one my brother Pablo and I created back in the day. This happens if the series has not been broadcast for more than three years. And yet the networks are burning. Her supporters (the ministers) defend her passionately, as always. The media is full of news. And with exciting solidarity and unanimity, audiovisual and cultural professionals (including an icon like the Prado Museum) show their unconditional support.
How is it possible that a series that hasn't aired for three years continues to be in the news? I don't have a clear answer: the series and its surroundings have surprised me since its premiere. In the second chapter, a ministry official passed Alonso de Entrerríos and cursed him for having to travel to Atapuerca. Five minutes later, the Atapuerca Foundation invited us on social media to visit the place. In the third chapter, an expert in the field showed me that we had pirate subtitles in Russian, Italian, Chinese, English… In the fifth chapter I receive messages from Spanish Erasmus students in Russia telling me that Irene Larra is a Icon of the world is LGBT movement…
More information
The National Library calls for people to anticipate the season's storylines, document each chapter with images from their collections and, like another ministry, tweet each chapter. The true image of Lorca, Lope de Vega or Velázquez is often that of those who play them in the series (Ángel Ruiz, Víctor Clavijo and Julián Villagrán).
Although the series never led the linear audience, a paradox of the industry, it is a trending topic (worldwide) in every episode and its name is used in popular ways in journalistic chronicles.
The chapters are used in schools and institutes. They are also used in teaching Spanish to foreigners: a few years ago at the University of Salamanca the dissertation “The application of audiovisual media with subtitles in teaching Spanish to Chinese speakers” was read: the case of the Ministry of Time – its author, Lin Jia, has kindly sent it to me.
In addition, the recognition from the media and professionals gave us the opportunity to win almost all possible awards, including a Platinum award and two Ondas in a row. Even in a poll (in 2017) critics – these polls are usually not fair – voted us the best Spanish series in history.
How does a series that isn't renewed and that many say has no audience achieve all of this? How does NBC (Timeless) plagiarize it with writers of the caliber of Kripke and Ryan? How does the BBC announce a series with the same name and premise? How are there clergy around the world?
Nacho Fresneda, Aura Garrido and Hugo Silva in “The Ministry of Time”.
As you can see, the story of the series is a (almost always happy) succession of paradoxes and mysteries. However, I believe that its creation is based on a number of concepts that I do not want to be forgotten. The first is creative freedom: Pablo and I wrote The Ministry of Time as the series we would have liked to see even if we hadn't sold it. No influences. Without algorithms. And with the non-negotiable requirement of being showrunner. And TVE gave us complete freedom. This is how a pop series was created that mixed the fantastic with the adventure… and with our history. Because like Isabel, Víctor Ros and soon Ena, it's about talking about ourselves, our successes and our failures.
I believe that Felipe II is as much history as Emilio Herrera. Lorca as Luis Aragonés. The Hatless Man as Isabel. And we respect our elders: Jardiel, Chicho, Armiñán, Berlanga, Ibáñez… We believe that it is time to end the question of the two Spains, because there is more. That being Spanish is a broader concept than an ideology and that we must be suspicious of ideologies that confer certificates of patriotism or goodness.
Timing is also an important factor. The Ministry of Time was born when all of us who have been making series for many years fought for a change, tired of tired formulas, with creators like – among others – Ramón Campos, Ílex Pina and then Los Javis. ¦, we grew up at home with the television always on. And we love them and will never look down on them. We will never say that a series is “a long film”.
Finally, respect for the viewer, who (whatever one may say) is the most intelligent thing in this industry. What happens is that when you see stupid products, you run away from the screen. We needed direct communication with him (with who else?). The Ministry of Time was a pioneer in transmedia communication. In this way we managed to make each program a party that speaks of the need for high quality free-to-air television, as is common in European fiction. And that requires high-performance public television.
And the party continues. Because even if the series is not broadcast, there is a community behind it that does not forget Alonso de Entrerríos' central motto for the series: honor and reputation.
Javier Olivares He is a screenwriter and creator of series such as Isabel, Víctor Ros and Ena, which will soon premiere on La 1. Together with his brother Pablo Olivares he created El Ministerio del Tiempo.
You can follow EL PAÍS Television on X or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
Get the TV report
All the latest news from broadcasters and platforms, with interviews, news and analyses, as well as recommendations and reviews from our journalists
LOG IN
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
_