Tears, dreams and two surprises No "Happy Day" for the audience - Röbi Koller leaves the SRF stage
After 18 years and countless heartfelt wishes, Röbi Koller says goodbye to Swiss television SRF and its ratings hit "Happy Day". An institution is leaving - and with it a piece of Swiss television history.
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- Farewell after 18 years: Röbi Koller hosted "Happy Day" for the last time.
- The Saturday evening show was Koller's professional home beyond retirement. Nik Hartmann will take over the format in the fall.
- The last "Happy Day" was a worthy farewell to mark the end of a great SRF career.
- At the end, there was a special "Happy Day" for the 67-year-old Koller - with two big surprises for the departing presenter.
And then he finally had his "Happy Day" too: after more than two hours of broadcasting, co-presenter Kiki Maeder surprised Röbi Koller with a very special farewell gift.
First she brought her boss into the ORF version of "Who wants to be a millionaire?" as a guest. And then Stephan Eicher sang a special "Röbi version" of "Don't Think Twice (It's All Right)" for the self-confessed Bob Dylan fan.
A worthy finale that moved Koller to tears - and showed him to be more personal and approachable than ever before.
Surprises for people who deserve it
In fact, you don't have to be a fan of TV surprises to find Röbi Koller likeable. For 18 years, the man with the friendly, thoughtful look on "Happy Day" surprised people, moved them to tears and at the same time defended the image of an often ridiculed tear-jerker show with attitude.
"Tearjerker? Yes, please!" - was his message to critics, of which there were quite a few at the beginning. Especially as he hit a nerve with his show: In an increasingly fast-paced world, Koller held firm to empathy, warmth and genuine interest. "Happy Day" - a show like a warm bath after a stressful day.
The recipe was simple - and has remained surprisingly constant over the years: surprises for people who deserve it. Families who need a new home. Reunions with lost relatives. Small dreams that became big ones.
Plus a rebuilding team, a bit of studio glitz, show acts - and a presenter who was never above it all, but right in the middle of the action. The first "Happy Day" moment, says Röbi Koller, was characterized by deep uncertainty: "I didn't even know if they would open the door for me." 18 years later, this is definitely no longer an issue.
Koller: "You always get applause when you finally leave"
It is nevertheless astonishing that the Saturday evening show "Happy Day" became such a hit. But the show is also very Swiss - the Germans have Raab, Bohlen, Pflaume and Schöneberger. We have Kiki and Röbi.
Koller's dernière showed why it works. Star power at the beginning - with congratulations from Helene Fischer, Chris de Burgh and Zucchero, among others, a slightly longer standing ovation (Koller: "You always get applause when you finally leave") than usual - and then "back to normal".
In other words: Emotions, down-to-earthness, authenticity. A neo-retiree is allowed to fly a loop. A teacher who used to be bullied sings live on stage with the Biel pop band Pegasus.
Plus: retrospectives on family reunions, touching fates - and moments that have changed lives. The tenor: thank you, Röbi, thank you "Happy Day".
And Röbi Koller himself? He seemed a little more nervous than usual, even mixing up a name once. Instead, he remembered all the highlights from 18 years, which co-host Kiki Maeder presented to him as a surprise.
Nik Hartmann replaces Röbi Koller from the fall
The centerpiece and highlight of Koller's "Happy Day" farewell - an extensive tribute to the presenter's illustrious career. From Koller's radio beginnings to SRF classics such as "Quer" and "Club" to live reports, millennium shows and Eiger and Matterhorn climbs.
All entertainingly commented on by TV faces such as Katja Stauber, Mona Vetsch and Roger Schawinski. Impressive, funny - and of course: touching. Even Koller had to shed a tear or two.
Of course, the question remains: Why does someone like him leave? The answer is simple. At 67, the time has come to close the door a little behind him. The ominous SRF age guillotine also played a "small part", says Koller with a wink.
The thought of quitting matured when friends suddenly had time and he didn't. Now he wants to do more of what he wants to do - like travel or work for development organizations. Television? Passé for the time being.
He will be succeeded by Nik Hartmann - also from Zug, also likeable, but with much less patina. Koller himself is confident and doesn't give him any tips. Hartmann should make "Happy Day" his own show.
Whether the audience will support this change remains to be seen. In any case, the bar is high:
Röbi Koller has earned the trust of his viewers over the years. And created something rare in the process: Entertainment television that was hardly ever cynical.
Röbi Koller created space for others
What remains is a program format that would also work as a TV sermon. The message: emotions are not a weakness, but a quality.
In times of cancel culture, hate speech and doomscrolling, people cried, hugged and listened to "Happy Day".
Perhaps that was the true service to the audience. And Röbi Koller? He was never loud, rarely vain - but always present.
His strength lay in creating space - for others, for stories, for real moments. Now he is leaving. And leaves many with the feeling that he could have fulfilled a few more wishes.
