Telegames with Thomas Gottschalk

Summary

Telespiele was a German television show hosted by Thomas Gottschalk from 1977 to 1981. In the 1970s, “Telespiele” referred to computers connected to the home television. Gottschalk played these games live in the studio against callers on the telephone or members of the studio audience. Pong, for example, was modified so that voices controlled the paddles, with volume determining the strength of movement. Other games used musical instruments or amusing objects as controls. Individual winners could request music videos or television clips, while the overall winner received a video game.

The show is successful because it hits a nerve at young and old and achieves quotas of up to 40%. Telespiele changes the station several times and is stopped in 1981 after 29 episodes as Gottschalk changes to ZDF.