Hyvät herrat

Hyvät herrat (lit. 'Dear Sirs') is a Finnish political satire television series produced between 1990 and 1996. It was broadcast from 1990 to 1992 on Kolmoskanava and from 1993 to 1996 on MTV3. Aarno Laitinen served as the main screenwriter, assisted primarily by Lasse Lehtinen, who wrote under the pseudonyms Saara Lenso, Serita Numintio, and Sole Sarana.^[3] For several years, Yleisradio political editor Jarkko Juselius also contributed to the writing.^[4] The series was directed by Pertti Melasniemi and produced by Jarmo Porola. A total of 207 episodes were produced.

In 1999, a 15-part continuation series, Herrat nauraa, was released as a follow-up to the original programme.

The main characters of the series are business advisor Johannes Paukku (Matti Tuominen), a sausage manufacturer who became wealthy with "Paukku's Run", and his son-in-law Raimo "Tollo" Koskivuo (Eero Melasniemi), a Social Democratic politician who was promoted from member of parliament to party secretary and minister during the series. In each episode, Paukku and Tollo organised a saunailta, or evening sauna party, and invited a political guest or other well-known public figure, with whom they attempted to gain support for their own political projects, accompanied by drinking and conversation. Paukku's character was reportedly modelled on business leader and industry lobbyist Heikki Tavela;^[5] however, series co-writer Aarno Laitinen denied this, instead naming Harri Kontion, a far-right construction industry entrepreneur.

The characters of Hyvät herrat were distinctly characterised, and the show's humour often relied on satire and irony. Paukku was portrayed as a chauvinistic and complaining industrialist, while Tollo was depicted as a calculating political opportunist. Through these characters, the series caricatured the so-called "good brother network" of politics, in which decisions were portrayed as being made informally in saunas and private meetings without the public's knowledge. The characters also indulged in drinking, luxury, and extramarital affairs; Paukku resided in Barcelona and Tollo's wife never appeared in the series.^[6]

In the first year, sauna guests' backs were washed by the character Armi (Eila Pehkonen). After Pehkonen's death in September 1991, she was replaced by Tyyne Hurskainen (Anja Pohjola), who commented on politics from the perspective of the "front-line" of the National Coalition Party. Throughout the series, the sauna guests were served the alcohol Koskenkorva Viina—referred to as "turpentine"—by various waiters: first Pia (Sarina Röhr), then Timo (Mikko Roiha), whom Paukku nicknamed "Håkan", and finally Dr. Samuel Livingstone Matabele (Billy Carson). Paukku's openly dismissive treatment of the waiters was used to satirise prejudices against women, sexual minorities, immigrants, and activists. According to director Melasniemi, Paukku was always the character who ultimately misbehaved, was ridiculed, and became the subject of laughter.^[6]

To ensure topical political commentary, episodes in 1990 were filmed on Mondays and broadcast the same evening, which meant that the cast often had to read that day's afternoon newspapers during filming to prepare. From spring 1991 until the end of the series, recording was moved to Tuesdays, giving the production team one additional day of preparation. The show was filmed in the Park Hotel Käpylä in Käpylä, Helsinki, which has operated under the name Finlandia Park Hotel Helsinki since February 2017.^[7][8][9]

According to screenwriter Lasse Lehtinen, several well-known actors were considered for the role of Paukku, including Lasse Pöysti and Pentti Siimes. The main requirement was that the chosen actor had to be sober, which made casting difficult because many actors available at the time reportedly struggled with alcoholism. Director Pertti Melasniemi insisted on casting Matti Tuominen, a decision later regarded by Lehtinen as successful, believing Tuominen convincingly embodied the role. At the time, Tuominen was relatively unknown to television audiences, although he already had an extensive career in theatre. His son, actor Sakari Tuominen, later stated that in private life his father's personality was very different from Paukku's, describing him as shy, modest, and more of a sidekick than the centre of attention.^[10]

The theme music of the series, and other synthesizer music in the program, was made by Jussi Halme.^[2] At the beginning of episodes from 1994 to 1996, a computer-generated animation by Seppo Välimäki was used as its intro.^[4]

In each episode of the series, a Finnish politician or other public figure appeared as themselves. Guests included senior political leaders such as ministers and presidents.

According to show writer Lasse Lehtinen, politicians actively sought to appear on the programme, and only a few, such as Paavo Väyrynen, declined invitations. Although the characters Paukku and Tollo often ridiculed their guests, there was no shortage of participants, as the programme offered media publicity and an opportunity to present personal views on a popular television show. In this way, real politics and the screenwriters' satire were interwoven in Hyvät herrat.^[10]

Esko Aho, former Prime Minister of Finland, took part in the filming of an episode but ultimately decided not to allow it to be broadcast. Russian diplomat Viktor Vladimirov had also agreed to appear but cancelled a day before recording; he was replaced on short notice by writer and politician Jörn Donner.^[4]

The President of Finland, Mauno Koivisto, was scheduled to appear in an episode to play volleyball with Tollo for the Sikariporras team. However, on the eve of filming, government negotiations were taking place. In order to blur the line between fact and fiction, director Pertti Melasniemi sent Tollo with a film crew to the negotiations to provide commentary. When newspapers reported the following day that Tollo had participated in the government's formation, the Office of the President indicated that Koivisto would not take part in the programme. Melasniemi later suggested that Koivisto would therefore never be seen in the series.^[4]

• Sauli Niinistö^[11]
• Tarja Halonen^[11]
• Martti Ahtisaari^[4]
• Elisabeth Rehn^[12]
• Matti Vanhanen^[11]
• Juha "Junnu" Vainio^[4]
• Ben Zyskowicz^[13]
• Jörn Donner^[4]
• Ilkka Kanerva^[13]
• Pirkko K. Koskinen^[4]
• Sanelma Vuorre^[4]
• Tuovi Allén^[4]
• Hannele Luukkainen^[4]
• Kerttu Törnqvist^[4]
• Leif Salmén^[4]
• Leena Harkimo^[4]
• Eero Paloheimo^[4]
• Riitta Suominen^[4]
• Ruben Stiller^[4]
• Spede Pasanen^[4]

An episode broadcast on 6 April 1993 attracted 1.4 million viewers.^[14] The series made its main character, sales adviser Paukku, a cult figure. His recurring catchphrase "Personnel, turpentine!" (Henkilökunta, tärpättiä!) became widely recognised in Finland.

The appearances of high-ranking politicians on the programme, which frequently employed dark humour, also provoked controversy. In the mid-1990s, the current affairs programme Mediapeli on MTV3 organised a studio debate and viewer survey on the question, "Is it appropriate for ministers to appear on Hyvät herrat?". The discussion was illustrated with clips from a post–May Day episode of the series, in which Paukku and Tollo awoke from a drinking binge wearing May Day masks.

According to Tapani Ruokanen, biographer of President Martti Ahtisaari, Hyvät herrat contributed in 1992–1993 to raising Ahtisaari's public profile as a potential presidential candidate. His name was first mentioned in this context during an episode in September 1992. Shortly afterwards, Aarno Laitinen wrote a column in Iltalehti titled "Could it be Martti Ahtisaari?". Lehtinen, who was at odds with the long-time Social Democratic Party (SDP) chairman and former prime minister Kalevi Sorsa, reportedly opposed Sorsa's candidacy. Eero Heinäluoma, a later SDP chairman, recalled in Ahtisaari's biography: "The essential thing was that Lasse Lehtinen, a propagandist even more skilled than Joseph Goebbels, set out to push Ahtisaari for the presidency systematically, using the entire media and influencing his fellow journalists across outlets."^[15]

In 1999, a short sequel was made to the series called Herrat nauraa.

In the winter of 2006–2007, MTV3 aired a new series, Donna Paukku, in which Johannes Paukku's illegitimate daughter arrives in Finland and begins inviting sauna party guests, with the help of Tollo and former back-washer Tyyne Hurskainen. Of the actors in the original series, only Anja Pohjola, who played Tyyne Hurskainen, was involved.^[16] Aarno Laitinen did not contribute to Donna Paukku, but he could not prevent it from being done under copyright law.

In the first years of the series, episodes were reaired on the Sunday morning after their premiere. Episodes of the series were rerun in the summer of 1998.^[17] During the 2006 presidential elections, three episodes of the fifth season were reaired, in which presidential candidates Matti Vanhanen, Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niinistö appeared as guests.^[11] In addition, in the summer of 2006, MTV3 aired eight selected episodes from 1990 to 1992 as a wish list.^[13]

• Matti Tuominen as trade advisor Johannes Paukku
• Eero Melasniemi as Member of Parliament/Party Secretary/Minister of State Raimo "Tollo" Koskivuo
• Eila Pehkonen as back-washer Armi (1990–1991)
• Anja Pohjola as back-washer Tyyne Hurskainen (1991–1996, 1999)
• Sarina Röhr as bartender Pia (1990–1991)
• Mikko Roiha as bartender Timo/Håkan (1992–1993)
• Billy Carson as South African-born bartender Dr. Samuel Livingstone Matabele (1993–1996)

Sales advisor Paukku made a cameo role in Ere Kokkonen's movie Vääpeli Körmy - taisteluni. In the film, when negotiations are underway to end the war between Finland and Sweden, the commander of the Swedish army is softened up by taking him to Paukku's sauna.^[18]

The sauna facilities at Park Hotel Käpylä are named after the series characters Paukku, Tollo and Tyyne.^[7]

• Hyvät herrat at IMDb