El Hormiguero (pronounced; Spanish for "The Anthill") is a Spanish television program with a live audience focusing on comedy, science, and guest interviews airing since September 2006. It is hosted and produced by screenwriter Pablo Motos.
The show aired on Spain's Cuatro channel from launch until June 2011, when it switched to Antena 3. It has proved a ratings success, and has expanded from a weekly 120-minute show to a daily 40-minute show in its third season, which began on 17 September 2007.
Recurring guests on the show include Luis Piedrahita, Raquel Martos, Marrón & El Hombre de Negro ("The Man in Black"; the scientists), and puppet ants Trancas and Barrancas (from the Spanish expression a trancas y barrancas, which means "in fits and starts").
The first series was produced by Gestmusic, the Spanish venture of Endemol. Since the second series it has been produced by 7yAcción, a production company formed by Motos and the show's director Jorge Salvador. On a Cadena SER interview, he revealed that he had once been offered to take the show to Telecinco, but he preferred to stay with Cuatro. He eventually accepted an offer to move to Antena 3, when Mediaset España refused to meet the €90,000 per episode fee that 7yAcción proposed.
The show won the Entertainment prize at the 2009 Rose d'Or ceremony, and led the ratings in its timeslot continuously from 2014 until 2024.
In 2026, Trancas and Barrancas participated in the Antena 3 television show Mask Singer: Adivina quién canta, under the masks of Flip-flops.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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