“I felt like I was letting him down and there were tears in his dressing room”

The videos I edited German Gonzalez in Save me were the best and most viral of the program. The journalist represented better than anyone the ingenuity of a team that for 14 years accompanied Telecinco viewers until its cancellation. Afterwards he went through Chinese tales and finally ended up in Jorge’s diaryHe was a scriptwriter for this program when he decided to audition for The grand prize of cookingthe programme that La 1 premieres today at 2:15 p.m. He was selected and had to leave Vázquez, with whom he has a great friendship. “I felt like I was failing him”explains González, with whom we spoke just a few days ago at the FesTVal in Vitoria.

The journalist debuts as a television presenter paired with Lydia Boschwhom I saw as a child when he presented The Great Game of the Goose“I’m from 1986, at that time I was taking my first communion. One of the nicest memories I have is watching that program on Sunday mornings with my grandmother, because they didn’t let me stay overnight,” she tells us. She also followed Lydia on Family doctor. “For me she was Aunt Alicia,” he recalls. And now it turns out that they are presenting hand in hand the new TVE project with which the public channel will try to lift the access after-dinner show and fight against Roulette.

You said that TVE had “appealed to you” for other projects before ‘El gran premio de la cocina’. What was that for?

I had auditioned for other things on TVE, they had contacted me and, unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

Something like this?

Similar.

A show where cakes were made?

I’m not going to say anything. But yes, we had been in contact for other things and they hadn’t quite worked out… in general.

How do you face the challenge of making your debut as a presenter?

I’m very happy and surprised, because I’m the first one who sometimes distrusts myself. But when I’ve seen myself, I think I’m fine and that I’m working. I may seem arrogant, but that’s how it is. I feel good and that’s positive.

Until a few weeks ago you were working with Jorge Javier on ‘El diario de Jorge’. What advice did he give you?

I combined the casting process of this with Jorge’s diary. It was a complicated two weeks because I wanted to be hired here but I had to say goodbye to a company and I felt like I was letting Jorge down. I get on very well with him and he is very excited about the programme. It scared me. When they called me, I was euphoric, I went up to the dressing room to tell him and he already knew because it had been leaked in half an hour. He wished me luck, congratulated me and told me that I had to go even though he was going to miss me. There were tears, because I am a softie. We have a very good relationship and we talk a lot.

How were the first weeks of El Diario de Jorge?

Good, but intense because it is starting a format from scratch and it is complicated. I always realize how difficult it is to make television and make everything work. It was intense. I worked in the newsroom looking for testimonies, then shaping the stories…

How did you handle the audience issue? Did you think you would have more support?

I knew that we were going out at a difficult time because of the Olympics. I think that time and space are being given to it. The channel is confident. The idea is for the programme to grow little by little and I see that Jorge is having a lot of fun. It is a very funny and entertaining format.

How did you see Ana Rosa’s interview with Jorge Javier with that exchange of ‘zascas’?

I haven’t seen it, because we’re filming all day long, I don’t even have time to look at my phone. I’ve seen some random things. On a television level, I thought it was really cool. I think they love each other a lot, they respect each other and they admire each other. And then they also have that game that is funny, like what happened with María Teresa Campos in Save me.

Have you seen your former colleagues from Sálvame in Ni que fuéramos?

Not much now, because we’re filming from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. But last season, yes. And I think it’s wonderful.

Have you received congratulations from them?

Are you going to ask me about The Grand Prix of Cooking? (Laughs) I have been congratulated, even by Kiko Matamoros, who surprised me by tweeting me. Also María Patiño, Gemma López, Lydia Lozano, Chelo…

¿Terel?

No, because I haven’t talked to her.

I could have sent you a WhatsApp message…

I’m not that friendly with them, eh? But no, not as far as I know. But I’ll tell you one thing, there are people who found out too late, like Lydia Lozano, who wrote to me because she saw a promo on TVE.

Did you have the chance to work on ‘Ni que fueramos’?

Yes. I was offered to go to NQFSThe position was a bit undefined, they offered it to me a month before the premiere, but I was doing something else and I said no. But with all the good vibes in the world, because I get along very well with them.

What do you think of the signing of Aida Nizar?

I think it’s great. Given the format it is, I think it’s wonderful.

One of your last jobs at Mediaset was ‘Cuentos chinos’. Would you have liked them to have had more patience with that programme?

Yes, of course. But with all the formats I’m in that fail, you always think that. If they had given him more time… Or not. That’s like couples. Maybe it would have been prolonging the agony.

Are you worried about the ratings for ‘El gran premio de la cocina’?

But not too much, because it doesn’t depend on me. If this were a sport, I would train more. But what can I do here? You can always do better, yes, but I think I’m in the position I have to be. I’m not too worried because Roulette He is a super leader and we compete with other weapons. Our contestants are always the same and you will become familiar with them.

What surprised you about Lydia Bosch?

I didn’t know her on a personal level. For me she was Aunt Alicia. Family doctor. Y Personal reasons I didn’t see her. But I was surprised that she is very transparent, she adores me from the first minute, and that also happened to me with Adela González. Lydia is very homely, she says everything very correctly…

Are there any talks to do more things on TVE?

I’m just here to see what happens. There’s nothing else. I like TVE and I feel very free to say what I want. It’s also true that I’m politically correct, I’m not uncomfortable, although at times I may have been.

Would you like to go to La Revuelta? What do you think about Broncano competing against Motos?

Anything that involves competition seems good to me, it means that investment is being made and that we are not giving up. And anything that involves our own production and national creativity is in our favour.

Would you like to go to ‘La Revuelta’ as a guest?

I wish. Sure. But I don’t think he wants us. What he’s interested in is the money I have in my account. (Laughs)