Press review
“Nice Uncle Thommy”: This is how the media commented on Gottschalk’s last “Wetten, dass..?” broadcast
Thomas Gottschalk opened the last edition of “Wetten,dass..?” in what was, for him, a surprisingly simple look.
© Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
It was his last time: On Saturday evening, Thomas Gottschalk moderated his 154th “Wetten, dass…?” program. The media had mixed feelings about his departure.
Moderated for the last time Thomas Gottschalk on Saturday evening “Wetten, dass ..?”. At the end of the program he said goodbye with the words: “I’m not desperate, my life goes on and I’m looking forward to everything that comes.” He was on “Wetten, dass ..?” had a “good time”.
However, not all TV critics had them on Saturday. The media response to Thommy’s farewell show was mixed. This is how “Bet, that..?” became. commented:
RND: “But you notice immediately afterwards that despite the Eurovision fanfare, the audience clapping kindly and a wine-red kimono suit that is modest for his standards, something is different: There should be no public burial on tomorrow’s Sunday of the Dead, says Gottschalk. ‘I’m not dead yet after this event here,’ he announces to his first guest Matthias Schweighöfer, unusually melancholy. He doesn’t want to be put into temporary complete retirement this evening. And yet it shows again and again that the time is long overdue. He speaks more slowly than before, speaks into the fake camera at the beginning ‘Top, the bet stands’, greets Schweighöfer as Matthias Schweinsteiger and the real ‘Schweini’ as Bastian Schweigsteiger. Can happen.”
“Bild” newspaper: “He [Gottschalk] doesn’t like it anymore because he doesn’t want to put a muzzle on himself. No longer weigh every word on every gold scale – for fear of shitstorms on the internet. Unfortunately understandable. His show was the West German campfire for old and young alike, for thinkers and turners, excavator drivers and Federal Chancellors. The show to cuddle, laugh and marvel at. Interspersed with a few harmless gags about politics, football, feminism and weird fashion. Instead of campfires, there are now millions of disruptive fires on the internet. Many are quickly outraged and horrified! Behind every saying there is: hidden meaning, abysses, villainy, conspiracy!”
“Augsburger Allgemeine”: “On Saturday evening, Thomas Gottschalk gives himself the greatest farewell gift. It’s almost unheard of: Not only does he let the “old white man” remain. He also puts his guests in the foreground, not himself. He gives up Gags for the sake of gags. Almost forgoes gags at all. Nice Uncle Thommy. Even the embarrassments, which often result from his poor preparation, are in the lower range of the Gottschalk embarrassment scale. Whereby: How do you actually pronounce Ivanović, the Wife of ‘Bastian Schweigsteiger’ or ‘Bastian Stein…’ or ‘Sebastian…’? Completely irrelevant.”
Thomas Gottschalk
“Then I’d rather not say anything more”: The last edition of “Wetten, dass…?” in pictures
“DWDL”: “Above all, he always said on television what he said at home. ‘Now I talk differently at home than I do on TV. And that’s not a great development either.’ Gottschalk continued: ‘And before some desperate production manager runs back and forth and says: You’ve created another shitstorm – then I’d rather not say anything else.’ These are words that can certainly be understood as criticism of social and media developments – from which the now 73-year-old now draws his conclusions. At least with regard to ‘Wetten, dass…?’, because Gottschalk’s voice on television will not fall silent after this evening.”
“Rolling Stones”: “Julia, the barcode recognizer, becomes the betting queen. She hugs Gottschalk and he holds her hand for a strangely long time. Then he walks up to Frank Elstner, who is standing in the front row. He thanks the noble mentor and creator of the show, who, as always, has the warmest words. ‘I don’t have the impression that I have attended the last broadcast – but rather the best Gottschalk. I’m going to do something I’ve never done before: I’m going to hug you in public. And how does Thomas Gottschalk leave the show? He’s not walking, he’s driving.'”
“Berlin Morning Post”: “Now it was really the last time! On Saturday evening, Thomas Gottschalk (73) said goodbye to the most legendary TV show in German television history. For his grand finale of ‘Wetten, dass..?’ At ZDF he welcomed around 2,000 spectators in the audience in Offenburg and, as usual, placed German and international stars on his sofa. However, it wasn’t without impressive, bizarre and sometimes even embarrassing moments. Mixing up names, spontaneous singing performances, a little quarrel and even a crazy suppository story – hardly a faux pas was missed that evening either.”
“The New Zurich Times”: “‘Bet that . . .?’ has largely remained a migrant-free zone. The audience is purely German, as are the betting participants, the show is a relaxing experience of self-assurance. We are still here, how nice. World stars, on the other hand, have sometimes suffered more than experienced their performances. You had to go through that , because if you wanted to sell something on the financially strong German market, you could reach a huge number of people with a single appearance at Gottschalk.”
Sources: RND, “Bild” newspaper, “Augsburger Allgemeine”, “DWDL”, “Rolling Stones”, “Berlin Morning Post”, “The New Zurich Times”