Press clippings Page 9
Henning Knows Best (Radio 2, Saturday), features comedian Henning Wehn - regularly hilarious as a guest on Radio 4's The Unbelievable Truth - looking at the British from a German point of view. The first programme was about class and, while there were some lines to make you smile (Wehn said his father told him to leave Germany in 1984 because all the jobs had been taken by "chirpy, lovable, violent Geordies" in Auf Wiedersehen Pet) much of it relied on flat cliches and we also had to suffer Peter York talking unfunny twaddle. "It's their bank balance," he said, asked for the defining clue to someone's class. Apart from a couple of nasty lines - working-class people used to be too busy working "to hunt for paedophiles or buy track suits from Sports Direct" - this was safe, obvious stuff.
Elisabeth Mahoney, The Guardian, 22nd March 2012German comedian Henning Wehn given a Radio 2 series
German comedian Henning Wehn is to present a six-part comedy show on Radio 2 early next year.
British Comedy Guide, 19th November 2011Henning Wehn: 'Of course ve haff a sense of humour'
Germany's 'comedy ambassador', Henning Wehn, talks to Dominic Cavendish at the Edinburgh Festival.
Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph, 19th August 2011Henning Wehn - Germany's premium comedy export
This one-man comedy war effort from Germany is well on the way to world domination.
Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph, 17th August 2011Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus! (Radio 4, 10.30am) is a tale of fan power. Forty years ago Alfred Biolek persuaded the Monty Python team to make two 45-minute specials for German TV. Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Biolek himself tell Henning Wehn (the German comedian who's always on Radio 4 shows) how it happened. From independents All Out.
Gillian Reynolds, The Telegraph, 7th May 2011Achtung! Fans of Monty Python and his enduring Flying Circus will want to catch this oddball programme in which the uniquely accented Henning Wehn winkles out the story of how the Pythons came to make two special episodes of the programme for German TV. Aghast at the lack of silliness on air in Deutschland in 1971, Alfred Biolek convinced the troupe not only to film the new shows but also to perform them in German, a language none of the cast were familiar with. This is packed with amusing reminiscences from all involved, and if you miss it you'll be sick as a parrot - or, if you like, an ex-parrot.
Tom Cole, Radio Times, 7th May 2011Henning Wehn: Outsider's perspective is useful
Myths of nationalist supremacy can inspire ugly behaviour, as German comedian Henning Wehn appreciates all too well. Taking the stage in Billericay, Essex, he found the entire audience wearing Hitler moustaches. Chuckling, he recalls: "That wasn't menacing. That was the Great British sense of humour. I thought it was hilarious they thought they were the first to come up with it."
Jay Richardson, The Scotsman, 20th March 2011News Quiz: the clink is going to shrink
Here's an advance dose of tonight's News Quiz, featuring Susan Calman, Jeremy Hardy, Henning Wehn and Sue Perkins. After Justice Secretary Ken Clarke announced the closure of three "outdated and expensive" prisons, Sandi Toksvig asks German stand-up Henning Wehn for an analysis.
Jon Aird, BBC Comedy, 14th January 2011Now Show Preview - Jeremy Hunt and the Cult of Hunting
On tonight's Now Show, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis take a topical trip around tuition fees and Today tongue-twisters. Musical Mitch Benn sees the world through Lennon's eyes; German stand-up Henning Wehn probes our World Cup hypocrisy; John Finnemore wonders at the sexual magnetism of a certain Lib Dem MP and Laura Shavin reveals what every woman wants for Christmas.
David Thair, BBC Comedy, 10th December 2010Interview: Henning Wehn
A German-themed Fringe show called My Struggle? No, it's not Prince Harry acting out again. Sarah Kendell catches up with the man behind the madness, Henning Wehn.
Sarah Kendell, Spoonfed, 14th May 2010