German Television Comedy - 1980s

1980s

In the 1980s, as elsewhere, the pre-recorded sketch show came into its own in Germany: Sketchup, So Isses, Harald und Eddi. Like Britain's Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–82), one such show, Rudis Tagesshow, although not exactly alternative comedy, also poked fun at the main news programme (Tagesschau) and involved political satire. This caused trouble in 1987 when Carrell cut together footage of Ayatollah Khomeni with shots of veiled women throwing their knickers. The outraged Iranian government responded by expelling two German diplomats and closing the Goethe Institute in Tehran.

Technological advances also meant that cameras were used away from the studios more and more; the Candid Camera-style show Verstehen Sie Spaß appeared, which is still running, in the original format, today. Unlike other countries' versions of Candid Camera, it remains very popular, with seven million viewers on a Saturday evening; almost 25% of the market. It has been going strong since 1980.

• since 1980: Verstehen Sie Spaß?, the German equivalent of Candid Camera, most recently presented by Guido Cantz, runs on ARD
• 1980 - 1990: WWF Club, show with sketches, interviews, off-the-cuff humour, presented by Jürgen von der Lippe on ARD
• 1981: So ein Otto and Ein neues Programm mit Otto Waalkes, starring Otto, on WDR; much repeated.
• 1981 - 1987: Rudis Tagesshow starring Rudi Carrell, Diether Krebs and Klaus Havenstein, on ARD
• 1984 - 1989: So Isses, series with Jürgen von der Lippe on ARD
• 1983 - 1986: Sketchup comedy sketch series with Diether Krebs, Beatrice Richter/Iris Berben, on ARD
• 1987 - 1990: Harald und Eddi, comedy series starring Harald Juhnke and Eddi Arent, on ARD
• 1988 - 1992: Alles nichts oder?!, slapstick game show hosted by Hella von Sinnen and Hugo Egon Balder, on RTL