Ezio Greggio and Enzo Iacchetti are back. Punctual as the end-of-year celebrations at the helm of Striscia la Notia, which hit the mark immediately on Monday evening best result of the season: 4 million 564,000 viewers, 20.81% share, peaking at 25.5%, making it again the most watched program of the day. With that, the ‘goal twins’ of Striscia la Notia, who have conducted a combined 2,581 times in 28 seasons since 1994, are back and ready to challenge the final stages of the World Cup in Qatar as well. However, three and a half decades have passed since 1988, with Ezio Greggio conducting the satirical news anthony ricci, even with partners other than Enzino, 4235 times.
Mr. Ezio, what do you think of Striscia La Panikia and “your partner” Enzo Iacchetti?
«Striscia represents my house, the house I’ve lived in for 35 years, more than half of my life. I’m a globetrotter, but like Lessie, I always come home. And it’s nice to know that millions of friends are waiting to see me from their home in my house in Striscia when I come back. And with me is my partner Enzino: 29 years of joint broadcasting, but we prove 28 because the new edition has only just begun. For me Enzo is a brother… but what do I say brother, a sister, yes rather a brother-in-law!».
What great comedy couple inspires you or do you feel a natural connection to?
«We are more inspired by Celentano and Claudia Mori because… we are “the most beautiful couple in the world”. We are Ezio and Enzo, two friends who enjoy themselves both on stage and in private life».
More “members” for Striscia or more friends?
«The boundary between partners and friends does not exist with us. Sometimes we tell each other things on air that we didn’t tell each other in the dressing room. In addition to partners and friends, we are also brothers or twins, even though he was born before me and then had to wait a few years for my birth. There is a great symbiosis, but what do I say symbiosis … “osmosis” between us».
Do you think there is true friendship in the entertainment world?
“Yes, absolutely. There was also a great friendship with Gianfranco D’Angelo, who died a little over a year ago. There are colleagues who argue and colleagues who like to work together and pull the wagon in the same direction”.
What does Ezio, Antonio Ricci represent for you?
«First and foremost, Antonio is a dear friend: in 2023 it will be 40 years of cooperation. We started Drive In in 1983. Then Paperissima, Odiens, Striscia. He was a mentor, a great advisor and I never betrayed him. He is the genius of television, I believe few know the medium of television and how he can make the most of it.”
If you want to tell us, what was the most difficult time for you to voice your scripts?
«Never happened, if it happens I’ll send you a telegram. Sometimes there are difficult services, very difficult subjects, burning investigations, but Antonio and his writers are great professionals. I and the others who take turns managing the counter interpret what they write contractually».
Remember the best day on the Strip in 34 years? And the most exciting thing?
“Every day on the Strip is unforgettable. See, I love this show as long as it always has a high content weight, a professionalism of writing and interpretation that’s hard to emulate. When Striscia’s theme song begins, this episode, this evening, becomes the most important, most exciting broadcast ».
Schlein, Boschi, Gelmini, Meloni: who would you choose among them as a handkerchief?
“No, they don’t. I would like to have Luigi Di Maio and Danilo Toninelli as showgirls: since they are unemployed, I would offer them to be citizenship showgirls ».
Why did the “Velini” last so little?
«Because Iacchetti and I are the physical Velini: we have sculpted bodies, squealing biceps and Colt knuckles!».
In addition to being a TV showman, you are also a cinema man. How did your partnership with the great Mario Monicelli, with whom you founded the Monte Carlo Film Festival, come about?
«The legendary and unforgettable Mario Monicelli helped me found the Monte Carlo Film Festival, which will celebrate its 20th edition next April. When I told him that Prince Rainier and Albert of Monaco had accepted my proposal to organize a festival in the principality entirely dedicated to comedy, he hugged me. He always said when he came to the festival: “Finally comedy, the most popular genre, has its own cathedral to celebrate it. Bravo Ezio!”. Almost every issue came up. He was one of the greatest storytellers and picture tellers of our post-war history.”
Solidarity and social issues are two other cornerstones of his life as a person and as an artist. Where is help needed most urgently today?
“Solidarity is in demand in many countries around the world. Like my international association Ezio Greggio from Monaco, I have always dealt mainly with premature births in Italy and in many other countries. Last year, during our annual meeting, the SIN Italian Neonatology Society announced that my incubators, which have donated to over 70 Italian hospitals in almost 28 years, have helped save over 18,000 babies. The best result of my career. The list of donations can be viewed on my website in the area of association solidarity. Now we are helping the Community of Sant Egidio by bringing medicines to Ukraine, because the situation in this country is really dramatic.”