Status: 04.01.2024, 19:51 PM
By: Elena Rothammer
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In 1981, Frank Elstner launched "Wetten, dass..?" and made the show a TV cult. The idea came to the entertainer literally overnight.
Baden-Baden – One of the highlights in the career of Frank Elstner (81) is certainly the invention of "Wetten, dass..?". After all, he created one of the most successful TV shows in Europe. He didn't have to work on the concept for long. In the NDR documentary "70 Years of the Saturday Evening Show", Elstner recalls the moment when he came up with the idea for the show.
In bed at night: That's how Frank Elstner came up with the idea for "Wetten, dass..?"
In November, Thomas Gottschalk (73) said goodbye to "Wetten, dass..?" with open words. Since then, the future of the ZDF format has been uncertain. In the documentary "70 Years of the Saturday Night Show", Frank Elstner, among others, now looks back on the history of the show and reveals how he came up with the concept in the first place.
"One night I was lying in bed and couldn't sleep and asked myself the question: Why don't they bet? And then I jumped up as if stung by a tarantula and went into the kitchen, opened a bottle of red wine and wrote down seven pages that are still valid today for the concept of 'Wetten, dass..?'," says the show master. From the very beginning, he thought big: "I wanted more cameras, I wanted more stars, I wanted the most of everything."
Those were the "Bets that..?" -Moderators
1981 - 1987: Frank Elstner
1987 - 1992: Thomas Gottschalk
1992 - 1993: Wolfgang Lippert
1994 - 2011: Thomas Gottschalk
2012 - 2014: Markus Lanz
2021 - 2023: Thomas Gottschalk
In addition to "Wetten, dass..?": These shows are by Frank Elstner
In the course of his career, Frank Elstner brought other concepts to the market in addition to the mega-success "Wetten, dass..?" "Nose Ahead", "Elstner and the Detectives", "The Silent Stars", "City, Country, River", "First Love", "Man-o-Man", "Do You Understand Fun?", and "Koffer Hoffer" were penned by the 81-year-old. The latter was an evening show in which suitcases lost at the airport were auctioned off and opened.
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In 1981, Frank Elstner launched "Wetten, dass..?" and made it a TV cult. The idea came to the entertainer literally overnight. © IMAGO / APress & picture alliance / dpa | ZDF
In the case of "Wetten, dass..?", the Austrian-born actor initially took over the moderation himself. In 1987, however, he handed over to Thomas Gottschalk. His "Bet that..?" In the meantime, however, Frank Elstern regrets the end. Sources used: NDR / "70 Years of Saturday Night Show"