Talk show by Markus Lanz: It works better without an audience in the studio

The talk show “Markus Lanz” finally bids farewell to the studio audience concept.

The producer and editor-in-chief of the talk show, Markus Heidemanns, told the German Press Agency: "We will no longer have a studio audience." The reason he gave was that the conversation between the moderator and the guests had improved without an audience.

"The conversations are much more intense."

In the corona pandemic, many talk shows and other TV shows have not had an audience for safety reasons.

Some of them have guests in the studio again.

On Friday evening, for example, Jan Böhmermann presented his show “ZDF Magazin Royale” to a larger studio audience for the first time.

Because of the pandemic, the chairs between the guests at “Markus Lanz” are currently a little further apart than before.

Heidemanns said: "At some point we want to reduce the distances between the chairs again."

Are other political talk shows returning to studio audiences?

The editors of the program “Anne Will” said on request: “We have not yet decided whether and when we will return to production with a studio audience.

We continue to monitor the current situation of the Covid pandemic. ”This is not yet known at “Maybrit Illner”.

Plasberg needs the “Arena”

The program "hart aber fair" with Frank Plasberg continues to focus on studio audiences.

“A good talk show is always an arena.

The dispute of opinion of our guests is best carried out in front of an audience.” We are very much looking forward to being able to broadcast in front of an audience again.

"As soon as it is possible and responsible, we will welcome viewers to our studio as usual and without changing the concept."

The program "maischberger.die woche" also said: "Our audience concept was developed for our new studio set, which we then started in the middle of the corona pandemic - just unfortunately without an audience.

That's why we're particularly pleased to finally be able to welcome regular audiences to our show again, hopefully from May 3.” The show lives not least on the reactions of the audience in the studio.

Of "hard but fair" it said: "When we suddenly had to broadcast without an audience, our large studio suddenly seemed very empty.

That wasn't and still isn't a good feeling.” The guests also had to be discussed further.

"However, our show was always based on exactly the opposite: no leaning back in armchairs, no physical distance between the guests, more closeness and therefore more directness."