60 years of ZDF: show, music and junk for the anniversary

The Second German Television (ZDF) is celebrating its 60th birthday with a real anniversary weekend.

60 years of ZDF: show, music and junk for the anniversary

The Second German Television (ZDF) is celebrating its 60th birthday with a real anniversary weekend. The TV highlights should please nostalgia fans in particular. That's what the viewers can expect.

It starts on Friday afternoon. In the popular junk show "Bares for Rares", host Horst Lichter (61) celebrates the station's 60th birthday with special guests and unusual objects from ZDF's eventful history. For example, presenter Babette von Kienlin (60) shows the bright yellow chairs that were once used to demonstrate an optical illusion in the legendary "Knoff-Hoff Show". Presenter Sabine Heinrich (46) and presenter Florian Weiss (46) bring a larger-than-life Mainzelmännchen from Steiff.

There will also be other Mainzelmännchen objects and an old studio spotlight from the "Wetten, dass..?" days long gone. A "very special drawing of an exceptional German artist who is actually better known for making music" could also change hands, predicts ZDF. In general, the broadcaster expects a "competition" among the experienced dealers of "Bares for Rares".

The proceeds from the anniversary episode will go to a good cause.

The next anniversary format will be musical. On Friday night, ZDF commemorates its legendary music show "disco" with the popular moderator Ilja Richter (70). The "cult night" features the highlights from 133 episodes that were broadcast monthly from 1971 to 1982.

"Reunions with ABBA, T. Rex, Neil Diamond, The Sweet, Marianne Rosenberg, Middle of the Road, Rod Stewart, Boney M., Status Quo, Slade, Udo Jurgens, Cat Stevens, Blondie, Falco, Les Humphries Singers, Bonnie Tyler, Hot Chocolate, Kim Wilde and others", the broadcaster promises the comeback of the wild mix of "Schlager, pop, rock, current songs, oldies, hits and sketches".

"The Show of Shows" is dedicated to the 60-year success story of Saturday evening shows. Prominent ZDF heads compete in an entertaining mix of five popular show classics, including "The Grand Prize" and "Wetten, dass..?".

"Whoever moderates the respective show and leads all the protagonists through the evening remains secret until the end," the broadcaster predicts in advance. So far it is not known who dares to do Hans Rosenthal's (1925-1987) famous "Das ist Spitze-Jump" or Michael Schanze's (76) "Plopp" and who crowns the betting king or queen. In any case, there should be many surprises. Whether Thomas Gottschalk will be a surprise guest or moderator? One thing is for sure, he's there.

Then it gets musical again. The second cult night on this anniversary weekend is dedicated to the ZDF hit parade. The highlights from the first 100 episodes are shown. This Schlager success story with moderator Dieter Thomas Heck (1937-2018) began in 1969 and became a television classic in more than 30 years.

"There are Roy Black, Marianne Rosenberg, Roland Kaiser, Katja Ebstein, Peter Maffay, Cindy

The current fashion trends could also be admired in the "hit parade". "Whether it's a mini skirt or hot pants, platform soles or crumpled boots - the fashionable extravagances of the seventies are all documented on this cult night," it continues. In addition, a "look behind the scenes, a collage of the most bizarre events" shows.

NEXT NEWS