With a familiar face
ZDF adds a new event to its programming
November 19, 2025 – 17:02Reading time: 2 minutes
Journalist Jan Fleischhauer gets her own show on public television. Production will start soon.
“No talk show – Locked up with Jan Fleischhauer” – that is the name of the new talk show format that will be launched on ZDF. According to the press release, this is an event where “two opinions collide and differ greatly.” The concept: “There is no presenter, no players, no audience, only the topic is given.” Columnist Jan Fleischhauer served as host.
The first episode will be available next Friday, November 21 at 10 am on the in-house streaming portal. The edition will then be broadcast on linear television the following Tuesday, November 25, starting at 12:15 p.m. Jan Fleischhauer welcomed writer and rapper Reyhan Şahin aka Lady Bitch Ray as the first guest and talked to her about the topic of “integration”.
ZDF editor-in-chief Bettina Schausten said of the new format: “At a time when positions are polarized, it’s important for us to stay in touch. That’s why we wanted to try a new format. The aim is to allow for a tough but always fair exchange of blows. Jan Fleischhauer and his guests each wrestle openly and spontaneously to get the best arguments and show that arguing can be fun – even if the opinions are very different.”
Jan Fleischhauer’s own show originally included a four-episode pilot season; This program is scheduled to run for one year. The moderator is looking forward to his new work: “With the new format we are entering new territory that gives us a lot of freedom. I look forward to controversial guests who challenge me to rethink my own arguments,” said the 63-year-old.
