ALFONS - Klasse!

Alfons came, saw - and fell head over heels: more than three decades ago, Alfons and Germany fell in love with each other. And now? What has become of that romance? Is the passion still alive? Or are Alfons and Germany just sitting together in front of "Tatort", in their underwear on the sofa, with nobody talking to anybody anymore?

And anyway: how is Germany doing? How are the Germans getting on? What is happening to the sense of community in the land of poets and pensioners? Between east and west, rich and poor, young and not-quite-so-young anymore? Is our democracy broken? And if so - is it covered by warranty, or will we have to pay for the repairs ourselves? Alfons is worried about his great love: Germany. So he sets out to find some answers. One conclusion comes quickly: the age of armchair democracy is over! Each of us has to do something - but what exactly?

In his eighth programme, the cult reporter and pom-pom philosopher once again manages, in his inimitable way, to wrap big topics in small anecdotes - warm, funny and remarkably far-sighted. "Klasse!" is a love letter to Germany - and a wake-up call in equal measure.

If you have always wanted to know what the rule of law has to do with a motorway service-station toilet, how Asterix can teach lessons for wage negotiations in Germany, or what Alfons experienced as an overwhelmed substitute teacher in a struggling school class - this is the show for you. And if you simply need an evening that restores your faith in humanity, you are in exactly the right place.

Photo: Guido Werner