He is a man who has shaped German (private) television for years: Stefan Raab. Now the 57-year-old has announced a surprising comeback. Since Good Friday, Raab has posted several videos on his Instagram account, fueling rumors of his return to the spotlight. Many initially believed it was an April Fool’s joke. But now it’s clear: after almost ten years of abstinence from show business, Raab is actually appearing in public again. On September 14th he wants to compete against former professional boxer Regina Halmich – for the third time. Raab left the ring as a loser in two encounters. The tickets for the fight in Düsseldorf’s PSD Bank Dome Arena were sold out within a very short time.
After briefly studying law and training as a butcher, Stefan Raab moved into the entertainment industry in the early 1990s. He started out as a producer of advertising jingles. The job took him to the music channel Viva, where he hosted the show “Vivasion” between 1993 and 1998. During this time, among other things, his cult song “Böörti Böörti Vogts” was written about the then German national soccer coach Berti Vogts.
Other hits followed such as a cover version of “A Bed in the Cornfield” and the song “Here Comes the Mouse”. A milestone was also the title “Guildo loves you!”, with which Guildo Horn competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 and took seventh place. Raab’s contributions for Max Mutzke and Lena Meyer-Landrut also made ESC history.
Stefan Raab had his most successful time in front of the camera at the broadcaster ProSieben. Since 1999 he has been the flagship of the private broadcaster, presenting his show “TV total” several times a week and creating ratings hits such as “Schlag den Raab”, the “Wok WM” and “TV total Turmsprung”. “TV total” is now considered a cult show that has produced many great television moments. Stefan Raab has won numerous prizes with this. In 2021 the format was revived with presenter Sebastian Puffpaff.
Raab himself turned his back on the TV business in December 2015 and only acted as a producer in the background. But now he has announced his return. He will be back in the spotlight again by September at the latest. It remains to be seen whether the boxing match will be followed by further appearances and projects.
On the occasion of Stefan Raab’s comeback, we look back at some of his most successful television formats.