Perhaps one of the most talked about TV characters of the past year was the character “Santas over forest and hello” “Ernst Øyvind Tvedt”, created ten years ago by comedian and actor Espen Eckbo (48).
– Exactly that colorful character was in no way controversial ten years ago, says Ekpo when he met Good Evening Norway and Dorothy Skapel.
– Then it changes, and when you first put on cash glasses, it’s pretty awful, the comedian admits.
Take a writing break
He is referring to what he called the “black face” debate, which led Discovery to choose to republish the series from its own streaming services, and then republish it.
Ekpo himself was in full swing with the script for his new series “Santa Claus”, when the ball began to roll.
– I was in the middle of writing this. So there was a little writing break, he says.
Twenty years have passed since I entered “The Santas in the Barn,” where the atmosphere of Christmas and reality TV went hand in hand.
Perhaps the combination of traditional Christmas comfort and this satirical reality TV being a great source of humor. Ekpo thinks it’s relatively easy to get some humor in this language.
Replaced by cousin
But even though the recipe for pixie reality is similar, Ekpo made a few moves on this tour. Outside is Ernst Owendet, and in it comes his cousin Jörn Stian Tvedt, a less controversial species.
– You just have to note that times change, says Ekpo.
– What do you think then?
– I remember from the beginning of my career, when Rolf Wiesenlund was very alive and passive for a new generation of humorists. Ekpo remembers falling into place between me and my friends, ever since he got out and grumbled about the development.
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– Then I remember promising myself I’d never be a comedian, it’s like signing up. You have to be curious about which route you’re taking, so you can think privately about whether it’s good or bad, he says.
Proud of the trilogy
However, the “Blackface” debate didn’t scare him from exploring the humor genre further.
It’s always fun to take a little risk in the wrong move. He says that if the climate suddenly becomes a lot narrower for joking, there’s just more chance comedians will be a little “excited.”
Now Eckbo is looking forward to introducing his new show to the public. The premiere of the Christmas calendar is of course the first of December, and he’s always excited about the reception.
“I look forward to looking at this Christmas calendar,” he says with a smile.
– Then I’m a little proud that it became a trio out of a little weird idea we came up with 20 years ago. Some of these characters have stories spanning twenty years, and that elegantly land on Christmas Eve. Ekpo concludes that I am a little happy to think about it.
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