Bet that..?
How it all began 40 years ago
Frank Elstner invented and hosted the entertainment show "Wetten, dass ..?" From 1981 to 1987.
© imago images / teutopress
Also what was once Europe's biggest TV show "Wetten, dass ..?" started small. Frank Elstner's nocturnal idea became a ratings hit.
The very first edition of the entertainment show "Wetten, dass ..?" flickered exactly 40 years ago on February 14, 1981 simultaneously on ZDF, ORF and SF on the screens. At that time and in all other shows up to April 4, 1987, Frank Elstner (78) conducted the show. On the night in April 1980 when he came up with the concept, he had no idea that his invention would develop into Europe's biggest television show.
The concept came about in four hours
How the flash of inspiration came about was described by Frank Elstner in "Bild am Sonntag": "I jumped out of bed in boxer shorts and a T-shirt, opened a bottle of Italian country wine and sat at the kitchen table with a few sheets of paper in front of me Paper and a pen. It only took three hours to get it – my concept for 'Wetten, dass ..?' (…) When I put my pen down, it was four o'clock in the morning (…) The show was announced just five months later and the premiere was in Düsseldorf on February 14, 1981. "
The concept of the show didn't really change over time: betting providers bet they could do something special or bizarre, and the prominent sponsors guessed whether it would work. The celebrity guest offered the respective bet himself in advance or it was imposed by the moderator. Then the stage was clear for the betting provider and "Top, the bet stands!" The concept also included the hall bet, a city bet and almost every time an overdraft of the broadcasting time, which was soon to be mandatory – the foundation for this was also laid by Frank Elstner's first broadcast.
The first prominent sponsors and the big bet
Even in the first edition, real stars like the Munich film star Curd Jürgens (1915-1982, "The Spy Who Loved Me") or the Viennese actress and Freddie Mercury friend Barbara Valentin (1940-2002, "Fear eats the soul") ") as a prominent sponsor on the later legendary couch place. Among other things, they witnessed one of those bets that viewers from back then still remember today: Bodybuilder Hans Oßner from Velden inflated a hot water bottle until it burst.
In Elstner's phase, real quota records also fell. In the years 1985 to 1987, the show reached an annual average of more than 20 million viewers three times in a row, as "Spiegel" summarized on the occasion of the 100th show.
What happened next?
Frank Elstner handed over to the other showmaster, who was also inseparable from "Wetten, dass ..?" connected: From 1987 to 1992 and from 1994 to 2011 Thomas Gottschalk (70) led the Saturday evening show – in between, Wolfgang Lippert (68) moderated the show. After the serious accident of actor Samuel Koch (33) on December 4, 2010, the show was canceled for the first time. In the following broadcast in February 2011, Gottschalk announced his resignation as a presenter. Gottschalk's successor Markus Lanz (51) conducted the – for the time being – last broadcast in Nuremberg on December 13, 2014 after two years.
Waiting for the special edition
Last year, ZDF announced a "Wetten, dass ..?" Special edition with moderator Thomas Gottschalk. However, due to the corona pandemic, the broadcast originally planned for November 7, 2020 was postponed to 2021. It should still take place …