episode of the miniseries The thorn birds; it gets very high ratings, with a peak of 14 million viewers, also thanks its scandalous matter (the forbidden love of a Catholic priest). In competition, Rete 4 airs The winds of war but with very disappointing audience results, despite a massive advertising campaign. The defeat in the “war of the fictions” deepens the Rete 4’s crisis. Debuts RAI Variety Pronto Raffaella? (Hello Raffaella?) – Noon show on RAI 1, directed by Gianni Boncompagni and hosted by Raffaella Carrà; 2 seasons. The program alternates musical numbers, talk show moments (with important guests, as Mother Teresa) and phone games. It gets an extraordinary and unexpected public success moreover thanks to the phone games, very simple and naïve but that allow the public at home to interact with the TV star. RAI is forced to strictly rule the calls, to avoid the clogging of the phone lines. Al Paradise (3 seasons) – directed by Antonello Falqui, with Oreste Lionello. An old-fashioned variety show that that is the same successful in ratings. Ci pensiamo lunedì (We’ll think about it on Monday) – by Romolo Siena, with Renzo Montagnani (who, for the show, creates the character of the hot tempered priest Don Fumino) and Alida Chelli; 2 seasons. Napoli prima e dopo (Naples, first and after) – festival of Naples songs; 34 editions. Caccia al tesoro – game of scavenger hunt in exotic places, hosted by Jocelyn Hattab and Lea Pericoli; 2 edizioni. Il cappello sulle ventitré – sexy variety, including also stripteases with full nudity, hosted by Paolo Mosca and Rosa Fumetto; 4 seasons. Loretta Goggi in quiz – quiz about show business, hosted by Loretta Goggi; 2 seasons. Test, gioco per conoscersi (A game to know himself) – game based on the psychological tests, hosted by the journalist Emilio Fede and the psychologist Enzo Spaltro; 2 seasons. Giallo sera, hosted by Renzo Palmer; 2 seasons. The contenders must solve a crime story, played by the same Palmer as a hotel detective. News and educational Colosseum – semiserious magazine about the game and the show, by Brando Giordani and Emilio Ravel; 5 seasons. La straordinaria storia dell’Italia (Extraordinary history of Italy) – with various hosts and Rossana Podestà as constant guest; 4 seasons. For children La banda dello zecchino (The zecchino band, later Il sabato dello zecchino, The zecchino Saturday and Ma che domenica! What a