First “Let’s Dance” presenter
Hape Kerkeling reveals: “Rudi Carrell talked me into it”
The success of “Let’s Dance” began with them: Hape Kerkeling and Nazan Eckes presented the show together in 2006 and 2007.
© Oliver Berg/ / Picture Alliance
Hape Kerkeling was the first presenter of “Let’s Dance” in 2006. He never wanted the show. But Rudi Carrell remained stubborn.
Dancing again: Victoria Swarovski and Daniel Hartwich welcome TV viewers live from Cologne-Ossendorf at 8:15 p.m. to the 15th season of “Let’s Dance”. On April 1, 2006, the first broadcast of the dance show started, which also owes its success to a comedian: Hape Kerkeling was a presenter together with Nazan Eckes from the very beginning. The 57-year-old didn’t want the job at all. The fact that he accepted it anyway is thanks to the tenacity of a TV veteran.
“Rudi Carrell talked me into it,” said Kerkeling in an interview with Dunja Hayali. He spoke for an hour on the Vox show “An Evening with Hape Kerkeling” in December about his beginnings as a comedian – and also about “Let’s Dance” (to see here from minute 1:57:00). The format was a great success in Great Britain at the time under the name “Strictly Come Dancing”. RTL had secured the rights in Germany, but was still looking for the right moderation team.
Rudi Carrell had to persuade Hape Kerkeling to “Let’s Dance”.
But Kerkeling hesitated. “I’d rather do a sit down show,” he joked. But Rudi Carrell, who had brought many shows to Germany and then celebrated new success with “7 Days, 7 Heads”, worked on it for two years: “This is your show, you let the show of your life pass you by.” Then Carrell organized a meeting with Kerkeling and Nazan Eckes.
“We liked each other straight away,” said Kerkeling. Then he finally agreed to host a show he never wanted. “I’m still happy about it today and grateful to Rudi,” says Kerkeling in retrospect. Otherwise he would never have had the chance (Horst Schlämmer was still ahead of him) to moderate such a big Saturday evening show.
For two seasons, Kerkeling and Nazan Eckes welcomed TV viewers to the dance evening. The show became Carrell’s predicted ratings maker – and it still is.