In the middle of the afternoon battle, when all eyes were on Ana Rosa and Sonsoles, Better late has come out more than unscathed. He has finished the season with One point more audience than last year and its best figure since 2020. La Sexta’s recipe at that time of day is to approach politics “without drama” and with a well-matched, reliable partner, and above all, with a sense of humor. “It’s not easy to have that connection on television,” she admits. Informalia Cristina Pardowhich has made its relationship with Inaki Lopez the main hallmark of the program. “We are quite similar in that we put politics into perspective”she explains. “I have always believed in approaching current events in a disbelieving and ironic way. It is more effective and more bearable,” says the presenter.
Más vale tarde is at its best and has closed its best season since 2020. Why is this?
I don’t know, because on TV everything is a mystery, but I think it has to do with the good atmosphere on the show. Iñaki and I complement each other quite well and make the current events not sound so dramatic.
Cuatro has omitted political news in the afternoon. Has that been good for you?
I’m not too worried about these things. I think there is room for politics in the afternoons and I also think that the work that La Sexta has done for years is bearing fruit. The viewer knows that when something happens, La Sexta reports on it.
There were other changes in the afternoon this season, such as the arrival of Ana Rosa Quintana. Were you worried about her as a rival?
I must be very strange, but I have never been afraid of a competitor. When I had a programme on Sundays, I faced a Roland Garros final and a Barça-Madrid match. I think that we are all different and that the afternoon programmes are quite defined. I don’t think that Ana Rosa’s content is similar to what we do. And there are people for all the programmes.
But the focus this year was on the afternoon slot, which was where there was the most excitement…
Those who know about television say that the afternoon slot weighs heavily on the network’s average and is very important. And it’s obvious, because there’s a lot of atmosphere (laughs).
How do you manage to talk about politics without it sounding so “dramatic”?
Iñaki and I are quite similar in that we put politics into perspective. My life is certainly not dependent on it. It makes no difference to me. For many people I may be a member of the PP, for others I may be a dangerous leftist… The possibilities we have of making current events less dramatic is because our life is not dependent on whether a political leader does well or badly. In addition, I have always believed in approaching current events in a disbelieving and ironic way. It is more effective and more bearable.
Watching some programs, it seems that talking about politics is an exercise in confrontation.
I don’t believe in that and I would be very sorry if we ended up like that.
Do you think that sometimes the political battle in Congress is transferred to the sets?
I wouldn’t limit it to television sets. I think we’ve all found ourselves in situations where we used to be able to talk about politics and now the situation is more tense. There is more tension, yes, but not only on television, there is more polarization in society.
What do you think of the criticism of the media, especially from Pedro Sánchez, when he talks about the mud?
I don’t believe in mudslinging as a political response. I believe in explanations, especially when they can be given. I covered the PP for a long time and there were many things that had no explanation. They were not given or were given in a clumsy way, such as the ‘deferred compensation’. I don’t believe in mudslinging as an explanation when you are the one at the centre of the news. I would believe in the sincerity of the President of the Government’s argument about mudslinging if he had put it on the table, not when information about his wife was published, but much earlier. If not, it seems forced. So I don’t believe in mudslinging, I only believe in explanations. Self-criticism of journalists? Yes, we don’t do everything right, but there is also information that has been known thanks to the media and you can’t generalise.
Achieving the chemistry you have with Iñaki López is almost impossible on television. Are you aware that this is transmitted to the viewers?
Many people tell us this. I agree with you that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for this to happen. But it is not forced or sought, it just comes out that way. I find his sense of humour very funny. He is very absent-minded and I, as he says, am a Stakhanovite. For me it is very important to have a good atmosphere in a workplace.
You act as presenter and prompter, when you get lost…
Yes (laughs). But this is something we already know and he makes a lot of jokes with his absent-mindedness and I seem like Miss Rottenmeier, without it being my intention. Each one is as he is and it is about making the most of that. We complement each other very well. And that is even though people do not realize even half of the things that happen to us live.
What has been the most surreal situation you have experienced with him?
Once, Iñaki confused the places where the CPI had risen the most with the places where temperatures were going to rise the most. But I also get confused many times. It is true that we are at greater risk, because we do not have cueWe only work with paper scripts.
You participate in the current affairs discussion programme on El Hormiguero. Does the impact of everything you say on that programme give you headaches?
It has repercussions because it is a programme watched by many people, but not headaches. It creates headaches for other people who are more concerned about what happens there. At first, the criticism affects you more, but not now. I value the ones that are argued, but the ones that are not… When I covered the PP, I was considered a very red-blooded politician and now there are people who think I am part of the fascist sphere, but I don’t care. I analyse current events based on what seems most sensible to me based on the information that we journalists have.
If you are being criticized from both sides, you may be in the right place…
I am where I am and where I think it is sensible based on the things that happen. I believe that you cannot please everyone and that is okay. I don’t like many people either (laughs).
El Hormiguero has given you the opportunity to meet Tamara Falcó. Does her reality match the image we have of her? Has anything about Tamara surprised you?
Tamara seems to me to be essentially a good person and from that point of view she has won me over. She doesn’t hurt anyone, she is very funny and she laughs a lot at herself. I am very happy to have met her, but there are people who think that we can only relate to those who are like us, and that is boring. She tells me that her friends ask her about me. And mine about her.
You’ve said you’re not afraid of any rival on television. Are you not afraid of Broncano either?
You should ask Pablo Motos, but I don’t think so. Why? There’s no need to be afraid of competition. Everyone makes their own programme and the viewers decide with the remote control, which is more democratic than comments on social networks, the usual vomiting or the trending topics.
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