Podcast Summary: "Los sketches de La Biblioteca de Hoy por Hoy | El día que Pepe Rubio parecía el nieto de Delibes"

Podcast: Hoy por Hoy (SER Podcast)
Host: Àngels Barceló
Date: December 5, 2025

Overview

This episode features a humorous and meta sketch set in the fictional Biblioteca Martínez Asensio. The central theme is how Pepe Rubio, an employee, seems more invested in the legacy of the famous Spanish writer Miguel Delibes than even Delibes' own grandson, who visits to present a new book. The cast parodies radio nostalgia, generational memory, and the self-importance sometimes evident in media retrospectives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pepe Rubio, el ‘nieto’ adoptivo de Delibes

• [00:00] The episode opens with the joke that Pepe Rubio, in his enthusiasm and familiarity with Delibes, “seems more his grandson than the actual invited grandson.”
• Pepe is teased for his deep connection and repeated sharing of the 1999 interview he conducted with Delibes.
• The team pokes fun at how often Pepe brings up this profile whenever Delibes is mentioned.

2. Generational Ribbing and Radio Nostalgia

• [00:09 – 01:09] Playful back-and-forth about Pepe reliving “his glory days”:

  • Colleagues joke about the constant repetition of his Delibes profile, lamenting they've had to hear it for 25 years.
  • The team humorously observes how radio and listening habits have changed — “in los 90 la gente era más paciente,” recalling longer radio segments and listener endurance.
  • Silvia jokes she wasn't even born when Pepe recorded the interview, highlighting generational gaps.

  “Le estaba haciendo un perfil cara a cara a Miguel Delibes en su casa de Sedano.” — Pepe Rubio (A), [00:38]
  “Es pesadísimo, joder. Porque tú eres joven, pero yo llevo 25 años escuchando ese perfil.” — (C), [00:43]

3. Annoyance at Pepe’s Self-Promotion

• [01:05 – 02:31] Pepe persists in playing long stretches of his old interview, much to everyone's amusement (or annoyance).

• Tere arrives and jokes about having to endure Pepe’s “3-minute Delibes profile” once again.

• The group teases that Delibes’ life or for that matter, any great literary life, can’t be summarized briefly, mocking modern trends for brevity.

  “Era otra radio. La gente era más paciente escuchando. En los 90, Miguel Delibes no podía resumir su vida en un minuto.” — Pepe Rubio (A), [01:18]

4. Tension Over Authorship and Credit

• [02:13 – 02:49] A key moment emerges:

  • Silvia reveals the interview Pepe keeps referencing was, in fact, conducted by her father, Juan Cruz, though Pepe only credits his own short profile.
  • She expresses frustration that Pepe never mentions her dad, even though the radio segment being cited by Delibes’s grandson references a different, longer interview.

  “Lo que más me fastidia… es que esa entrevista se la hizo mi padre… está firmada por Juan Cruz y ni lo cita, sólo habla de su perfil de tres minutos…” — Silvia (B), [02:35]

5. Comic Climax: Who is the Real Heir?

• [02:49 – 03:02] The sketch builds to a farcical close:

  • With Germán Delibes (the actual grandson) present to launch a book about his grandfather, all attention is still on Pepe’s reminiscences.
  • The team jokes: “Cualquiera diría que el nieto de Delibes es el puto Pepe Rubio,” lampooning Pepe’s self-importance.

  “Cualquiera diría que el nieto de Delibes es el puto Pepe Rubio.” — (C), [02:49]

6. Heartfelt Acknowledgements

• [03:02] Pepe admits that Delibes' book "El camino" inspired many, including himself, to read:
  • “Somos muchos los que leemos por culpa del camino. Gracias.” — Pepe Rubio (A)

7. Musical and Poetic Coda

• [03:10 – 06:48] The sketch closes not with more debate, but a melancholy song and poetic reflection on aging, change, and disillusionment, adding a bittersweet, introspective note.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• [00:35] “Pero si no te ha cambiado nada la voz.” — (B), gently poking fun at Pepe’s timeless self-image.
• [01:18] “Era otra radio. La gente era más paciente escuchando. En los 90, Miguel Delibes no podía resumir su vida en un minuto.” — Pepe Rubio (A)
• [02:13] “Sí. Yo le hice el perfil con Delibes delante. Temblaba, no sé si de miedo o emoción. Con toda su familia en Mirando en Sedano.” — Pepe Rubio (A)
• [02:35] “Acaba de llegar Germán Delibes para presentar en la biblioteca… y le está dando una turra con Sedano y su perfil. La madre que lo parió. Cualquiera diría que el nieto de Delibes es el puto Pepe Rubio.” — (C)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00–00:38] Pepe Rubio’s Delibes obsession introduced; mockery from colleagues.
• [00:43–01:18] Nostalgia for radio's longer format and listener patience.
• [02:13–02:49] Frustration over Pepe taking credit for an interview done by Silvia’s father Juan Cruz.
• [03:02] Acknowledgment of Delibes’ legacy on readers.
• [03:10–06:48] Melancholy song and reflective lyrics about aging, closing the sketch.

Tone and Style

The sketch maintains a playful, irreverent, and self-referential tone, blending affectionate teasing with genuine homage to Delibes and old-school radio journalism. The cast’s camaraderie and willingness to lampoon themselves and their traditions keep the conversation lively and engaging, even as it touches on issues of memory, ownership, and legacy.

This summary delivers both the spirit and details of the episode, providing anyone who hasn’t listened with a vivid sense of its humor, conflicts, and warmth.