''Xarabank'' was a
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
produced by Where's Everybody that aired every Friday on the
Maltese national television station
TVM, till 2020. The show was presented by
Peppi Azzopardi
Joseph "Peppi" Azzopardi (born August 25, 1959), from Floriana is a Maltese TV personality, best known for hosting Malta's longest-lasting TV programme and most popular talk show ''Xarabank'' from 1997 to 2020. He also hosts ''L-Istrina'', a y ...
, and later by Mark Laurence Zammit. Various topics are discussed, from politics to hobbies.
Etymology
The name comes from the Maltese word for "
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
", as on a Maltese bus one finds different people with different opinions who end up discussing and arguing on different topics.
History
![Xarabank full](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Xarabank_full.png)
![Sett](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Sett.jpg)
''Xarabank'' was Malta's most watched television programme. ''Xarabank'' was broadcast every Friday evening on TVM, Malta's national TV station, between October and July each year and has been on air since 4 April 1997 till 2020. ''Xarabank'' investigates, discusses different issues and sometimes entertains.
In 2016, Xarabank launched its new official website: www.xarabank.com.mt. While a complete re-brand of the whole programme was done, making it more news oriented. Orange was replaced by black as the main colour for the brand, with hints of red and blue. A phrase commonly used by the host Peppi Azzoppardi was ''fil-qosor'', translated to "in short", asking participants to keep their thoughts brief. It has since become an iconic phrase linked to the show.
External links
Official Xarabank Website and Forum
References
1997 television series debuts
Maltese television shows
{{Malta-stub