Kinichi Hagimoto, 84 years old, still performs comedy live and appears in interview project for "Udo Times"

Comedian Kinichi Hagimoto will appear on the 90-minute special of "Udo Times" (TV Asahi), which will air from 8:56 PM on September 14th. In the interview segment "Legends & Stars" by MC and Caster Yumiko Udo, he will reveal behind-the-scenes stories of the hit show that took the world by storm, as well as untold stories of his interactions with the Drifters, with whom he competed for the highest ratings.

Hagimoto's programs were all hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with total audience ratings said to exceed 100%. He gained popularity for his program productions that made the most of ad-libbing, and in "Kinchan no Doko Made Yaru no!" (NET *now TV Asahi, 1976-1986) he used many performers who were practically amateurs. Hagimoto's ad-libs to the performers, who had thoroughly rehearsed, drew fresh reactions and laughter from the audience.

"When you're just doing what you've memorized, it gradually becomes easier. That's boring," Hagimoto recalls. "They were trying so hard to memorize (their lines and the steps), but I was the only one who was ad-libbed and saying half nonsense, so it must have been hard to deal with that (laughs)."

After making his mark on television, he continued to take on new challenges, founding the amateur baseball team "Ibaraki Golden Goals" in 2005. In 2015, at the age of 73, he enrolled in the Faculty of Buddhist Studies at Komazawa University. Now, at the age of 84, he regularly hosts comedy shows.

Hagimoto's challenging life is driven by his "spirit of improvisation." When asked by Caster , "What has been the biggest worry you have ever had?", he mentioned a certain press conference and recalled, "(There) I finally came to the conclusion that 'my life is all about improvisation!'"

During the interview, Caster even asked a question to Caster , who was left at his mercy, saying, "I've thought up a lot of questions, but I'm being swallowed up by Kin-chan's pace (laughs)."