Wissen macht Ah! | |
---|---|
Genre | Entertainment, science journalism |
Presented by |
|
Theme music composer | The Pastels |
Opening theme | One Wild Moment (Stereolab Remix) |
Country of origin | Germany |
Original language | German |
No. of series | 15 |
No. of episodes | 462+ |
Production | |
Running time | 25 minutes (inc. adverts) |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | KiKa / WDR |
Release | 21 April 2001 . |
Wissen macht Ah! is a German television programme produced by WDR. It was first broadcast in Germany on 21 April 2001 [1] on The First channel ( das Erste ) and simultaneously on KiKA. The regularly broadcast 25-minute science journalism program is primarily aimed at children aged eight and over, but also appeals to many adults because of the humorous tone of the presenters. Over the course of the show's history, Shary Reeves, [2] Clarissa Corrêa da Silva, [3] Ralph Caspers [4] and Tarkan Bagci [5] have been presenters.
The programme's motto is: "Being a smartass with Tarkan and Clari" ("Klugscheißen mit Tarkan und Clari"). Its previous motto was: "Being a smartass with Shary and Ralph" ("Klugscheißen mit Shary und Ralph"). On average, over 400,000 viewers watch the show every week, with individual programmes on KiKA reaching up to 900,000 viewers. Ulrike Müller-Haupt [6] was initially responsible for editing the programme. In 2012, those editing responsibilities were taken over by Hilla Stadtbäumer [7] and in 2021, she was joined in this role by Christoph Reyer. [8] [9] After a total of 16 years, presenter Shary Reeves announced her departure from the programme in June 2017. [10] [11] In 2018, Clarissa Corrêa da Silva took over as presenter alongside Ralph Caspers. [12] [13] In September 2022, Tarkan Bagci [14] took over Ralph Casper's presenter role. [15] [16]
According to its creators, Wissen macht Ah! is a show for know-it-alls. The two presenters guide the audience through episodes made up of video sequences alongside experiments live in the studio. In every episode, four to five everyday questions like "Where does the word 'slapstick' come from?" or "How do cyclists in the Tour de France go to the bathroom?" are answered. The show's special feature is the use of descriptive puns as transitions between different segments within an episode.
Episodes sometimes only cover one topic, for example kings. Some episodes also show a special opening such as all in black and white, [17] displaying a very colorful logo [18] or an introduction that was interrupted in the middle. [19] Until 2010, the closing credits showed the official ARD credits. Since 2011 the closing credits showed [20] [21] the ARD Copyright instead.
The online library offers background information on keywords sorted alphabetically. There are explanations for idiomatic expressions and sayings (for example draw the ass card. [22] ), as well as for phenomena (for example what is a fever? [23] ), processes (for example how does soap wash? [24] ) and background knowledge of terms (for example Greek columns [25] ). There are also experiments and trials (for instance overcoming gravity [26] and water experiments [27] ), craft instructions (for instance building your own hole siren [28] ), instructions for observations (for example observing insect larvae [29] ) and strange recipes like "Making your own blood". [30] The experiments and instructions are available online. Entries that deal with a similar topic or content are also displayed next to the respective main entry and can be clicked on directly. [31] Curiosities and the "splendid experiment" (German: Das famose Experiment) have their own subsections and can be found separately within the library. [32] [33]
Since 2008, the three minute long Mini Ah! episodes act as a gap filler, answering questions such as "Why isn't there a capital ß?", [37] presenting poems like Schimpfonade by Hans Adolf Halbey [38] or even demonstrating a "gymnastic exercise" they call "The Song of the Whales" (den Gesang der Wale). [39] The Mini Ah! posts are available online. [40]
Between 2011 and 2023, five books were published under the same name as the show by Loewe-Verlag:
A calendar, "Wissen macht AH!, Broschürenkalender", [46] was published in 2007. From October 2007 to January 2009, a monthly magazine by the name of "Wissen macht Ah! - The magazine for know-it-all's" (Wissen macht Ah! - Das Magazin für Klugscheißer) was published in addition to the broadcast by the Konradin media group. [47]
There are four DVDs of the show available that contain video sequences from different episodes covering the four elements water, [48] earth, [49] fire, [50] and air. [51] For these DVDs, a few new video sequences were filmed and added. The show also released two podcasts, Wissen macht Ah! and Mini Ah, in which the audience can listen to the episodes that were broadcast on TV.
In August 2006, three late night editions (Spätausgaben) were broadcast on the WDR Fernsehen (regional TV program of North Rhine-Westphalia). [52] These episodes were devoted to more adult themes and questions. They were shown at around 10:00 p.m. and lasted 45 minutes, instead of the usual 25. In each episode, a special guest was brought in. The guests were Dolly Buster, Christine Urspruch and Sven Plöger.
Additionally, a pilot with Franziska Reichenbacher was shown at the Einsfestival in April 2007.
Questions that were asked included "Why does one get morning wood?" or "How do hangovers happen?"
Wissen macht Ah! can be viewed on Deutsche Welle or with subtitles on the French channel Canal+ [53] in 138 countries, islands and archipelagos.
The program has also been broadcast in China with the title Why? Wei shen me 为什么 by 35 Chinese television stations since 2005 [53] (TV Alliance editor: Shuanghong Huang). A part of the studio in Beijing was made to look like the original studio in Germany. The films will be translated from German into Chinese and presented by the two presenters Chen Huaijie and Chen Yan Xu.
Since 28 September 2007, [53] Wissen macht Ah! can also be seen in Russia under the title Znaj-kA! (Russian for know-it-all). Similar to the Chinese version, the clips are translated from German into Russian; there is a replica Ah! studio in Moscow with Oleg Bilik and Vera Charkova as the presenters. The program plays on the state-run Russian youth channel Bibigon.
Nickelodeon is a German free-to-air television channel for children, part of the international. based on the U.S. counterpart. brand originally launched in 1995, and relaunched in 2005, Nickelodeon is based in Berlin. The channel is available on subscription services and as an unscrambled, free-to-air (FTA) satellite signal. On 31 March 2010, the channel re-adopted the name Nickelodeon on air and online, in addition to the new Nickelodeon logo and graphical package being rolled out internationally at the time. The "Nickelodeon" name was re-adopted once again when it rebranded on 1 August 2023, nearly 5 months after its rebrand in the U.S. Since then, the channel is also broadcast in English in addition to German on a secondary audio track. It is aimed at kids between the ages of 6 and 13.
Bayerischer Fernsehpreis is an award presented by the government of Bavaria, Germany since 1989. The prize symbol is the "Blue Panther", a figure from the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. The prize money is €10,000.
One is a German free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the German public-broadcasting consortium ARD. Managed since October 2005 by Westdeutscher Rundfunk on behalf of ARD as a whole, the channel was launched on 30 August 1997.
sixx is a German free-to-air television channel specialised for women. It was launched on 7 May 2010 at 8:15pm.
The Voice of Germany is a German reality talent show created by John de Mol, based on the concept The Voice of Holland and its international series. It began airing on ProSieben and Sat.1 on 24 November 2011.
Lucas Edward Britton Mockridge is Germany-based comedian who holds Canadian and Italian citizenship.
Anna Katharina Kraft is a German television presenter and former athlete.
Alan John Bangs is a British music journalist, disc jockey and presenter on radio and television. He has lived and worked in Germany since the 1970s.
Ranganathan Gregoire Yogeshwar is a Luxembourgish physicist and science journalist based in Germany. He started gaining attention at the end of the 1980s in the German-speaking area for his science documentaries that were often coupled with critical analysis and prognoses of the societal effects of research in the natural sciences.
The Masked Singer is a German reality singing competition television series that premiered on ProSieben on 27 June 2019. It is part of the Masked Singer franchise which began in South Korea and features celebrities singing songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identities. Hosted by Matthias Opdenhövel, the program employs panelists who guess the celebrities' identities by interpreting clues provided to them throughout each season. Since the tenth season, Palina Rojinski and Rick Kavanian are the main panelists. Other panelists from previous seasons include Collien Ulmen-Fernandes, Max Giesinger, Bülent Ceylan, Sonja Zietlow, Rea Garvey, Álvaro Soler and Ruth Moschner. The audience vote for their favorite singer after all perform. The least popular is eliminated, taking off their mask to reveal their identity.
Ursula Poznanski is an Austrian writer. She won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, Jugendjury prize in 2011 for her thriller novel Erebos, which has been translated into 22 languages.
Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim is a German chemist, science communicator, television presenter and YouTuber. In June 2020 she was elected to the senate of the Max Planck Society.
Tina Hassel is a German broadcast journalist. Since July 2015 she has been director of the capital studio of ARD, the German public broadcasting association.
SchleFaZ [] is a satirical film series of the German private broadcaster Tele 5. In this series, mainly B-movies, which are characterized by particularly bad workmanship or unintentionally funny ideas, are introduced, commented on and presented by Oliver Kalkofe and Peter Rütten. These films themselves are called Schlefaze.
Helmar Rudolf Willi Weitzel is a German television presenter, journalist and film producer. He moderated the television programs Willi wills wissen and Willis VIPs. In 2008 he made the movie Willi und die Wunder dieser Welt. Other TV shows he hosted were Willis Quiz Quark Club, Willi wills wissen – Gute Frage, nächste Frage!, Willi wills wissen von A–Z and Ein guter Grund zu feiern. Since 2013 he has been on the road in Germany with his live program Willis wilde Wege. Since January 2018 he has moderated the magazine Gut zu Wissen on BR Fernsehen.
Willi wills wissen was a children's program focused on factual issues and everyday occurrences, produced by Megaherz Film und Fernsehen on behalf of the Bayerischer Rundfunk with the Institut für Film und Bild in Wissenschaft und Unterricht. The program was first broadcast on KiKA from 2002 to 2010, and was regularly repeated on Das Erste and some regional channels of the ARD. The producers were Franz Xaver Gernstl and Fidelis Mager.
Jürgen Hans Milski, known by his stage name BB Jürgen, is a German TV Presenter and Schlager Singer.
Shary Cheyenne Reeves is a German actress, television presenter and former professional football player.
Ralph Caspers is a German television presenter, author, screenwriter and actor.
Clarissa Corrêa da Silva is a German television presenter of the television show Wissen macht Ah!.