Time Out was the perfect program for all sports lovers.
And there was no one as entertaining as Robert Gustafsson.
He never cared who he was joking about – not even when it came to icons like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ingemar Stenmark…
Robert Gustafsson is truly a legend in Swedish humor, and for all of us who love sports, the TV4 classic Time Out was a holy moment. Some of Sweden’s sharpest comedians gathered there to joke with – and about – some of Sweden’s biggest athletes, sports and everything related to sports. Regardless of the subject, it always offered lots of laughs, and Robert Gustafsson was the main character.
Uncrowned king of humor
Robert Gustafsson has always had a penchant for joking about sports, especially about speedway icon Tony Rickardsson. It was at the Sports Gala that Gustafsson stepped on stage and did a clever parody of Rickardsson, and since then it has become one of his recurring characters. But during Time Out, Gustafsson never held back, and no one in sports Sweden could be sure to stay away from the jokes and taunts when Gustafsson was on the move.
However, the jokes were never over the line, and always done with finesse and a twinkle in the eye. The beauty of Robert Gustafsson’s harangues in the program was that he did not place any importance on how big a particular sport was, but everyone got their share of the ladle. Even some of Sweden’s biggest athletes, such as Ingemar Stenmark and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, had some serious fun thrown at them by Gustafsson, and we remember one such occasion in particular.
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The mockery of Zlatan and Stenmark
In Robert Gustafsson’s film “Roberts P-rull”, the king of humor himself talks for an hour and a half of brilliance from his long career. The film also showed previously unbroadcast material from, for example, the Parliament and precisely Time Out. Why it didn’t make it into the regular broadcasts is unclear – but it’s quite possible that it was simply too crude to air. In one program, Gustafsson made fun of icons like Zlatan, Stenmark and Frank Andersson, and it’s completely impossible not to laugh.
As I said, it didn’t make it into the real show, but was recorded during the last season that aired, in 2017. It all starts with Robban revealing that he’s started collecting pin codes, but it doesn’t take long before it goes completely off the rails.
– I also collect souvenirs. Among other things, I collect Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s self-distance, I’ve had it for a long time. The first was Ingemar Stenmark’s ability to speak, I had that too. I also had John McEnroe’s self-control. Then I have one of Frank Andersson’s two brain cells, said Gustafsson.
Watch the clip here (from 1.00.45):
There is only one Robert Gustafsson!
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