The Matysiaks radio show (since 1956, Poland)
Original title
Matysiakowie
Episode time
25 minutes
Language
Polish
Matysiak family lives in a flat on Dobra Street in Warsaw, they are not wealthy, they live a typical life of working class family, they have the typical problems any other family can have.
The Matysiaks was devised unlike typical soap operas - the convention devised by Jerzy Janicki was more "fly on the wall" approach, so the listeners would have the feeling that the microphones are set up in constant places around the flat of the Matysiak family. What is more the family is fully aware of the microphones and sometimes even break the third wall to speak directly to the audience (f.e. to invite them for another episode). Also the episodes were written just day or two before recording, so the characters could address the current events or express the atmosphere among the society caused by current events.
With time over 250 actors (and counting) took part in The Matysiaks, unlike other Polish long-running soap opera Jeziorany, some of them took over part that was for some reason left by previous actor (most likely because of death of that actor, but sometimes, during the fall of communism in Poland, they were also political).
Although The Matysiaks have all the features of typical soap operas it was never attached to any form of commercial advertising - during communist era there was no such thing as commercial ads on the Polish radio and later the show sticked to that rule.
Creators of The Matysiaks
screenplay
Cast of The Matysiaks
as Eugeniusz Matysiak
as Eugeniusz Matysiak
as Eugeniusz Matysiak
as Stanisław Matysiak
as Stanisław Matysiak
as Krzysztoń
as Wojciech Grzelak
as Stanisław Matysiak
as Elżbieta Matysiak
as Jadwiga Matysiak
as Dorota Matysiak
as Dorota Matysiak
as Piotr Matysiak
as Stefania Fraczak
as Piotr Matysiak
as uncle Kostek
as Kalbarczyk
as Antoni Borkiewicz
as Zygmunt Kotlarz
as Elżbieta Szymucha
as Halina Rączkówna
as Edward Klimczuk
Trivia about The Matysiaks
True address... sort of
Although Dobra Street does exist in Warsaw (show creator Jerzy Janicki lived there), the address 21 Dobra Street named in the show does not - Dobra Street does not have uneven numbers 21, 23 and 25 (there is a roundabout in place they would be placed).
1997 Central European flood controversy
The Matysiaks episodes are usually written day or two before recording to keep the show up to date with current events, but in 1997 massive flood in Central Europe was not included in the show causing some concern among audience. The reason was rather trivial - the flood took place during the summer, when most of the cast was having vacation and those particular episodes were pre-recorded earlier, before the flood began.
