After the Christmas break, the appointment with one of Rai1’s most popular afternoon programs is back The Good Timehosted as always by Caterina Balivo. In the episode of December 29th a summary of what happened on Italian TV during 2025 cannot be missing, with Balivo and the guests in the studio who retrace the most iconic momentswhile also taking a look at the television to come in 2026.
Among the most anticipated events of the new year will be the return of Your business with the special episode dedicated to Italian lotteryil Sanremo by Conti and the (probable) sequel to Sandokan.
Keeping Caterina Balivo company are numerous guests and stars of the small screen, including Giancarlo Magalli, Orietta Berti, Pamela Camassa, Clizia Incorvaia, Pino Strabioli and many others.
Italian TV in 2025: from Sanremo to the 35 years of I Fatti Vostri (8)
If you start with a recap of 2025 and of the most memorable moments experienced on Italian television, from Sanremo of records of Carlo Conti with the not at all obvious victory of Olly, to the passing of Pippo Baudo, from the 20th anniversary of Dancing with the Stars upon the death of Ornella Vanoni, Eleonora Giorgi, Claudia Cardinale, the Kessler Twins, Peppe Vessicchio e Brigitte Bardot.
But not only mournful events: TV has also experienced great events such as the Sandokan of Can Yaman and the reflections of Roberto Benigni on St. Peter’s. The December 29th episode of The Good Time it also traces important milestones such as the 35 years of I Fatti Vostrifrom the first historic edition in 1990 with the unforgettable Fabrizio Frizzi and subsequently Alberto Castagna.
Magalli, in the studio, reveals the secret of the program’s longevity “Your facts it’s like a newspaper, over many years we have created a container in which we have chosen to tell facts, choosing the most interesting ones”.
But 2025 was also the year of Stefano De Martino, who has now become an icon of Italian TV thanks to the success of Your businessthus ceasing to be a promise of TV and becoming one of the nicest and most loved presenters.
Orietta Berti and her new career to conquer young people (9)
Protagonist of Italian song, but also of TV, Orietta Berti tells Caterina Balivo how television has changed over the years. The singer explains how things have changed a lot from his beginnings: “Before, if you were eliminated from Sanremo it would all end there, today you still have the opportunity to make yourself heard everywhere.” Balivo also shows the collaboration between Berti and Fiorello with a funny clip in which Orietta, Fiorello’s father’s favorite singer, plays a fun game in which she exchanges the words of As long as the boat goes with the text of Reckless Life by Vasco Rossi.
Orietta explains “I like to try new things and I like listening to young people because there is always something to learn. Many of them send me songs in my tone, imitating my voice”. And then, to Caterina’s question “But Orietta, how much do you sleep?” the singer tells a nice anecdote: “I’ve been in Rome for three days and they gave me an American bed that makes me suffocate, so I go to sleep on the sofa”.
Orietta also says that she participated in well 12 Sanremo and that the last one was particularly important because he met young singers like Fedez, Rose Villain and Achille Lauro with whom he collaborated, starting a new career in which he sold many records.
The 5 TV events of 2025, from Tale e Quale to the disappearance of the Kesslers (8)
After a clip in which Caterina Balivo showed Carmen Di Pietro’s performances at Tale e Quale Show 2025 Andrea Biavardidirector of Oggi, explains the reason why he included Di Pietro in the 5 TV highlights of 2025.
“Carmen knew how to throw herself into the fray and had the courage to do everything, providing fun moments without taking it out on criticism.” In the studio too Tony Maiellowinner of the 2025 edition, which recounts the emotions experienced during the various evenings.
But among the key moments of 2025 we cannot miss the memory of the Kessler Twins, who passed away at the end of November due to assisted suicide: Andrea Biavardi remembers how Alice and Ellen made the history of Italian TV by bringing an incredible television revolution, always with discretion and elegance. Orietta Berti echoes him: “They were two great dancers, beautiful women and they sang very well in many different languages”.
Alec the De Martino lookalike, 35 episodes of Affari Tuoi for 1 euro (6)
Caterina Balivo welcomes you to the studio Alec, the young man who stayed 35 episodes ad Your business, and who resembles Stefano De Martino so much that the host himself called him “My youngest brother”. In the studio the guests all comment on the extraordinary resemblance to the Neapolitan host and Balivo asks Alec if they are close friends, the young man confirms, and then says that they recognize him on the street: “A nice community has been created on social media” he explains, adding that he is about to graduate in Medical Technologies, that he has a few exams left before his master’s degree, and that he will soon leave for a Erasmus internship.
But to Bailiff’s question “How much did you win at Affari Tuoi?” Alec surprises everyone with an incredible answer “I only won 1 euro”.
Giancarlo Magalli and the memory of Pippo Baudo (8)
Among the events that marked the Italian TV in 2025 the memory of the great Pippo Baudo, who passed away in August 2025 at the age of 89, cannot be missed. Carlo Conti has already declared that he will dedicate the 2026 Sanremo Festival to the great and unforgettable host.
Andrea Biavardi, director of Today, remembers how he learned of Pippo Baudo’s death while he was having dinner in a Sicilian town near Militello, the presenter’s homeland. His memory is truly moved and heartfelt: “We have chosen to remember him on a cover together with one of the characters he helped bring to light, Lorella Cuccarini”.
Biavardi also comments on how the last years with Katia Ricciarelli are instead shrouded in mystery and Magalli intervenes by saying “They broke up by mutual agreement and everything was very clear between them, there was a lot of respect for their union. Pippo no longer had any important affairs after Katia”. But Giancarlo was also a great friend of Baudo and Caterina shows him a clip in which she retraces the many programs made together by the two hosts, friends to the last, from Poppies and Ducks a Thousand Read and many others.
Marco Bocci and the embarrassment of acting with his wife Laura Chiatti (7)
Finally, the last guest of the December 29th episode is Marco Bocci, leading actor of numerous films and fiction, protagonist on TV with one of his latest works, If I Were You, a Christmas magic in which at a certain point Bocci literally transforms into someone else’s shoes, acting for the first time alongside his wife Laura Chiatti.
Surprisingly, Bocci talks about some initial difficulties on acting alongside Laura: “There was embarrassment in acting with my wife because it was the first time we were together on set and I also had a bit of performance anxiety since it was the first time she had seen me act live.”
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