Scheibenwischer

Scheibenwischer had its focus on solely Kabarett and used a more solemn way of humor, as opposed to lighthearted stand-up comedy. As such, the topics discussed by the artists on the show have sometimes had a potential to cause uproar and scandals with contemporary politicians, especially conservative ones like Franz Josef Strauß.

Alongside Hildebrandt, who hosted the show until 2003, a number of prominent artists were guests on the show, such as Gerhard Polt, Wolfgang Stumph, Andreas Rebers, Hagen Rether, Philipp Weber, the musical group Biermösl Blosn or singer Konstantin Wecker. The guest artist was an essential part of the show, which served as a framework for different artists to be featured.

In 1982, the sketch Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal was broadcast, addressing the corruption charges against members of the governing Christian Social Union of Bavaria who were involved with companies building the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (the canal was a favorite project of the Bavarian government).[10] The broadcast led to several complaints by the involved members with SFB, but ultimately only served to make the show more popular.[11]

On 22 May 1986, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), being the relaying network for the ARD in Bavaria and at that time still closely linked to the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, cut broadcasting the show across the whole ARD.[12] Helmut Oeller, the program director for BR, justified the move saying that the sketch Der Verstrahlte Großvater (The Radioactive Grandfather), performed in response to the Chernobyl disaster, contained "non-community-friendly elements".

The sketch, written by Werner Koczwara, starred Lisa Fitz at the phone calling the Commission for Radiation Protection and asking whether her 91-year-old grandfather "who had inadvertently been left out on the veranda in the rain and had died soon after, could be buried normally" or if he should be handled as "hazardous waste"; and if the priest must hold his sermon in a radiation protection suit.[12][13]

Oeller's request to have the sketch removed from the show was unsuccessful.[10] The failure to broadcast the program in Bavaria led to harsh criticism and claims of censorship against BR.[2] The controversy triggered people to bring copies of the sketch into Bavaria for private screenings as well as artists refusing to work with BR again, and caused the Munich Abendzeitung to publish excerpts of the script.[2]