Maybrit Illner (talk show)

Maybrit Illner is a German political talk show on ZDF. The show, which was called Berlin Mitte until March 2007, has been broadcast on Thursdays since 14 October 1999^[1] and hosted by Maybrit Illner. The show is produced by Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion.^[2]

Maybrit Illner
Berlin Mitte (until 2007)
Genre	Talk show
Presented by	Maybrit Illner
Country of origin	Germany
Original language	German
No. of episodes	800+
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion
Original release
Network	ZDF DW Deutsch
Release	14 October 1999 (1999-10-14)

Host Maybrit Illner in 2016

The old studio of Maybrit Illner in Zollernhof, Unter den Linden 36–38, Berlin (2008)

Overview

Maybrit Illner is dedicated to current political issues. The guests of the show are mostly politicians who often come from the federal politic of Germany.

The program got the name Berlin Mitte mainly because it is produced in the Berlin capital studio "Unter den Linden" in Berlin-Mitte, which is supposed to convey proximity to federal politics.

Illner's talk show was also extended by a quarter of an hour to 60 minutes with the renaming.

Since 31 March 2011, Maybrit Illner has been broadcast from a new studio and with a revised design.^[3] Around 20 freelance editors work for the ZDF editorial team, which is part of the main politics and current affairs department. Only the technical production of the show is outsourced to a production company.^[4]

According to industry information, Illner receives fees of a few hundred thousand euros per year as a host.^[5]

On 2 February 2017, Maybrit Illner had to stop for the first time due to illness. On this day, Matthias Fornoff took over the moderation of the show, also on 21 June 2018 because of a bereavement in her family. Bettina Schausten stood in for Illner on 30 November 2017.

In March 2022, Maybrit Illner presented the first major televised interview with Olaf Scholz as newly elected Chancellor;^[6] a second one followed in March 2023.^[7]

As of 2020, more than 800 episodes of the show have been produced.^[8]

Awards

• 2019: Die Goldene Kartoffel (negative price) for its content^[9][10][11]

External links

• Official website (in German)
• Maybrit Illner on IMDb

References

1. KG, imfernsehen GmbH & Co, Maybrit Illner (in German), retrieved 20 August 2020
2. "DocStation". 26 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
3. "Neues Design: Illner bittet ihre Gäste zu Tisch". DWDL.de. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
4. René Martens (15 April 2011). "Outsourcing bei den Talkshows : Das Märchen vom Marktwert" (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2020.
5. Hans-Peter Siebenhaar: Verdienen TV-Moderatoren zu viel? In: Handelsblatt. Nr. 169, 4 September 2013, p. 24.
6. Nico Fried (4 March 2022), Olaf Scholz bei "Maybrit Illner": Ich, der Kanzler Süddeutsche Zeitung.
7. Sebastian Beug (23 February 2023), „Deutschland muss sich an dieser Stelle von niemandem Vorwürfe anhören“ Die Welt.
8. KG, imfernsehen GmbH & Co, Maybrit Illner: Episodenguide (in German), retrieved 20 August 2020
9. "Goldene Kartoffel: Negativpreis für ARD- und ZDF-Talkshows – DER SPIEGEL – Kultur". Der Spiegel (in German). 29 October 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
10. "Preisverleihung Goldene Kartoffel 2019 | Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen" (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2020.
11. "Maybrit Illner reagiert auf "Goldene Kartoffel" und Vorwürfe über Berichterstattung". Prisma (in German). 29 October 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.