"Først & sist" (first and last) is by far the best weekly talk-show on Norwegian television. It's not a talk-show in the Letterman or Leno-form but simply the host Fredrik Skavlan sitting in a chair surrounded by four other chairs. Every Friday night his guests will be anyone important in the (Norwegian) news the last week, or some expert on a hot subject (like terrorism, Iraq etc).
What really makes the show tick however is the host - Fredrik Skavlan. Now in his mid-thirties he started his career as a young boy-wonder-journalist in one of Norway's largest newspapers and since his debut with the show "Absolutt" in 1996 he has proven himself as a first-rate TV-host. He balances greatly between respect for his guests and subject, shows a wide knowledge and sprinkle it all with his trademark: great wit and comedy. Resulting in a wide area of guests feeling at ease on his show, loosening up and in return giving the viewer at home a rare chance to see some very intriguing people in a show both entertaining and informative at the same time. For hundreds of thousands of Norwegians "Først & sist" has become a MUST every Friday night.
If international super-stars are in town there is also a chance they just might turn up on Fredrik Skavlan's "Først & sist" and very often the results are quite memorable. My favorite moments has to be the appearances of Wyclef Jean, Robbie Williams and last but not least, the great Desmond Tutu who did nothing but laugh through the entire interview. Hysterically funny!
If you live in Norway, the only way you could have missed "Først & sist" is if you're deaf, blind or living in a cave.
