1000th show Fabienne Gyr: "'Samschtig-Jass' was love at second sight"
"Samschtig-Jass" presenter Fabienne Gyr: "The show has by no means reached its zenith."
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
Several generations of "Samschtig-Jass" presenters are at the table for the 1000th anniversary show. Among them is Reto Scherrer ...
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
... and Monika Fasnacht.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
Referee Jörg Abderhalden checks that everything is running correctly.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
The anniversary show with Rainer Maria Salzgeber was recorded in the Horseshoe Braui in Oberarth. Tina Weirather also sits at the table.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
Singer Jan Seven Dettwyler represents the show scene.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
"At the moment, I'm still having far too much fun to leave voluntarily. I'd have to be dragged away from the Jass table": Fabienne Gyr on the question of whether she still wants to host the show in 10 years' time.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
"Samschtig-Jass" presenter Fabienne Gyr: "The show has by no means reached its zenith."
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
Several generations of "Samschtig-Jass" presenters are at the table for the 1000th anniversary show. Among them is Reto Scherrer ...
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
... and Monika Fasnacht.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
Referee Jörg Abderhalden checks that everything is running correctly.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
The anniversary show with Rainer Maria Salzgeber was recorded in the Horseshoe Braui in Oberarth. Tina Weirather also sits at the table.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
Singer Jan Seven Dettwyler represents the show scene.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
"At the moment, I'm still having far too much fun to leave voluntarily. I'd have to be dragged away from the Jass table": Fabienne Gyr on the question of whether she still wants to host the show in 10 years' time.
Image: SRF/Gian Vaitl
Fabienne Gyr is the Swiss Army Knife at SRF: the Zug native presents several major TV formats. A conversation about strokes of fate - and the shelf life of "Samschtig-Jass".
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Fabienne Gyr from Zug is hosting the 1000th "Samschtig-Jass" show. It will be broadcast on January 4 at 8.05 pm on SRF1. The show is the oldest entertainment program still being broadcast in Europe.
- Fabienne Gyr also presents "Sportpanorama", "SRF bi de Lüt live" and the "Sports Awards" on SRF.
Fabienne, you're a mushroom enthusiast. What kind of mushroom would you be?
Oh, wow, good question. I love porcini mushrooms, I found a lot of them until recently. I would be a crunchy porcini mushroom that I would eat with a delicious tagliatelle.
Are you a lucky person too?
Yes, absolutely.
Although you've already had to cope with several strokes of fate - your mother died of multiple sclerosis at the end of 2023. How do you deal with that?
There are moments in life when you think: "I've just hit rock bottom", while we're on the subject of mushrooms. Everyone carries their own rucksack in life, and if you accept it, after a while you can see the positives again.
A beautiful view.
Yes, I often get up and think: Wow, what a wonderful family I have, my loved ones around me, and what a great job. I can only describe myself as absolutely lucky.
You present "Samschtig-Jass", "SRF bi de Lüt" and also "Sportpanorama" on SRF. You're practically playing in the Champions League.
(laughs) I don't know if Rainer (editor's note: this refers to my colleague Rainer Maria Salzgeber) would agree with that.
Only a few people on Swiss television have managed to present both sports and entertainment programs. What do you do better than the others?
Sport has always been part of my life. I was already working as a sports journalist for regional television. So I had expertise that suddenly brought me back to SRF. If you wanted to achieve something like this at any price, it wouldn't have been possible - it just happened that way for me. I see it as a huge privilege. And because I wasn't specifically looking for it, it's all the more special. Incidentally, the "Samschtig-Jass" was also love at second sight.
Why was that?
For a long time, the show was inextricably linked with Monika Fasnacht and Reto Scherrer. That's why it never occurred to me to present it myself - until SRF asked me to do the casting. As a presenter of swing shows and an absolute "country bumpkin", you're pigeonholed in a certain way. Swiss television probably thought that it might be a good fit with Jassen.
A super match.
Yes, during the casting I realized what a great show it is. It revolves around the national sport of Jassen, welcomes great guests and offers show acts on stage. There are so many opportunities to let off steam creatively in this show. During the casting, I realized: I really want this job, this is my show - and it still feels that way today.
The 1000th "Samschtig-Jass" show is coming up on January 4. Jitters?
When we were preparing the anniversary show in the editorial team, we realized that this was a moment for television history. We got in touch with Paola Felix, who told me how proud Kurt would have been that there was a 1000th show. We also sensed from the celebrity guests how honored they felt to have been invited by us.
Interesting.
What's more, many cult programs no longer exist. "Benissimo" or "Wetten, dass ...?" are history - and "Samschtig-Jass" is celebrating its 1000th broadcast. During the recording, I had to make sure that I could do it emotionally. I was incredibly pleased to be part of this special anniversary.
Has "Samschtig-Jass" reached its zenith - or even passed it?
Not at all. If we look at the viewing figures for "Donnschtig-Jass" in the summer, it's absolutely impressive. The show regularly achieves a market share of over 45 percent and a huge audience. It's the same with "Samschtig-Jass". The show has by no means reached its zenith. We try out small but always popular changes.
For example?
Luca Hänni playing Jass and being on stage at the same time - that would have been unthinkable ten years ago. During the European Championships, there was a special show in which Huggel and Salzgeber played a game of Jass with each other. Such developments are always possible. That's why I'm convinced that the zenith is far from being reached.
You are SRF's all-purpose weapon, you can be deployed anywhere.
I don't see that as a compliment at all.
Why not?
That would imply that you could put me on any show - and it would work. It's more like I have my own little garden where I feel at home. It probably wouldn't work so well on "10vor10" or "Tagesschau".
What does your versatility have to do with?
It has to do with my character trait that I can be very enthusiastic about many things. That helps in the job if you have a certain versatility. I can be interested in many topics and the people behind them. It doesn't matter whether I'm interviewing a model train builder on "SRF bi de Lüt" or Marco Odermatt on "Sportpanorama".
Will you still be presenting the show in ten years' time?
I didn't say that. Presenters are replaceable, there are lots of people who would do a good job. At the moment, I'm still enjoying it far too much to leave voluntarily. I'd have to be dragged away from the Jass table.
You're hosting the 1000th "Samschtig-Jass" anniversary show on January 4 and the "Sports Awards" gala the following day. Aren't you worried that SRF viewers will have a Gyr overdose?
I'm not afraid of that, but I've already thought about it. After that, I'll go back to presenting "Samschtig-Jass" every two weeks and "Sportpanorama" every four weeks, so there's no immediate danger. As a presenter, you can't take yourself too seriously, the show works well because it's good in itself. I would also watch "Tagesschau" with Florian Inhauser every evening, not because of Inhauser, but because I want to watch "Tagesschau". The content is more important than the host of the program.
Is there still something like a dream show that you would like to host?
With all the formats I've been allowed to present, and as I haven't been around that long, it would be presumptuous to think about a new format again - and with the "Sports Awards", a lifelong dream has come true.
A reader of the TV magazine "Tele" criticized you as follows: "'SRF bi de Lüt - live' can be discontinued. The presenting duo Fabienne Gyr and Salar Bahrampoori are too boring - and chef Fabian Zbinden is very full of himself." What do such criticisms do to you?
It depends a lot on the content. In no other job are you analyzed as mercilessly as on television. If the criticism is that Ms. Gyr's clothes and hair are ugly, I simply delete the e-mail comment. I understand some of the criticism on "SRF bi de Lüt". It's a difficult format because it only takes place twice a year. You have to pick up the viewers again and again: Why should they watch the show? We put a lot of thought into the topics and contributions. We discuss these points again and again. I'm someone who takes a very critical look at my shows again.
2025 is still fresh. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
I'm not a person who makes resolutions. In 2024, I gave myself a bit more breathing space in my private life by often canceling events and private commitments. That's my resolution for the new year: to slow down a bit professionally. Let's see if I succeed.
