It has been revealed that Ueda Shinya of the comedy duo Cream Stew will be the MC of the daytime live information program "Ueda Shinya's Sunday Q" (Sundays 11:35 AM - 12:54 PM), which will start on TBS in April. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the station recently, where Ueda, who was also in attendance, spoke about his enthusiasm for the program.
This will be Ueda's first appearance on a TBS information program in seven years since "Ueda Shinya's Saturday Journal," which aired until 2019, and his first time as MC of a live information program. The program is a weekly live information program that delivers domestic and international news that may at first glance seem unrelated to you, along with the message, "You are also a party to the news!". The program is characterized by a live feel, with experts answering questions from the guests on the spot, and experts provide thorough explanations of the down-to-earth "Qs" posed by the panelists, who come from a variety of backgrounds, including those raising children and current university students.
When asked about when he received the offer, Ueda revealed, "I thought about it for a bit," and added, "I think there will be a lot of themes that can't be handled lightly. That's where it differs from variety shows, it's a weight of responsibility. It's a different responsibility from (the talk variety show) 'Shabekuri 007'." He continued, "Various issues occur both domestically and overseas, but for example, incidents and accidents that happen on the other side of the world are actually issues that are deeply connected to us, or related to us. So I want to make this a program that raises issues, or serves as a clue, a trigger, that says, 'Let's think of this as something that doesn't seem far away, but as something that concerns us.'"
When asked about the pressure of being the successor to Akiko Wada's long-running program "Leave it to Akko!", which ends this month, he confessed that he contacted her "right after Akko-san told me that I would be joining her time slot from April, I called her immediately." He continued, "Taking over the time slot that Akko-san has been doing for 40 years is a huge burden, and I'm not good enough as an actor, but I'll do my best not to tarnish the time slot that Akko-san has been doing," and added, "Akko-san has been doing it for 40 years, so I want to do this 'Sunday Q' for another 40 years... I wonder if I'll be 96 years old... but of course it's impossible (laughs)."
Regarding the fact that the show will air following the Sunday morning information program "Sunday Morning" (Sunday 8:00 AM) and the information variety program "Sunday Japon" (Sunday 9:54 AM), he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "Depending on the week, the themes will be similar, but since we're dealing with current events, I think that's inevitable, but I hope to be able to take a different approach and create a different atmosphere from 'Sunday Morning' and 'Sunday Japon'." He also said that he spoke with Ota Hikaru of Bakusho Mondai, who serves as the MC for "Sun Japon," and happily recalled, "He kept asking me questions like, 'What kind of content will it be?' Even when I told him, 'It hasn't been decided yet,' he must be very conscious of me. It's like he's treating me as a rival even before it starts (laughs)."
Finally, he said, "I think we often deal with serious themes, but please don't be too tense and just watch it casually, even while eating your meal, thinking, 'Oh, that's what they're showing on Sunday lunchtime.'" He spoke about his thoughts on the program, saying, "I think most of the themes will be relevant to you in some way, so I would be happy if it gives you an opportunity to think about it as something that concerns you."
