When smart minds like Markus Lanz, Miosga and Co. discuss the big issues of our time, fundamentally different opinions often come together. Heated verbal battles don’t take long to arrive. The result: a civilized debate can often turn into a real argument. A talk show freakout is so shocking that it remains unforgettable to this day: When an angry guest suddenly pulls out an ax, he causes one of the strangest TV scandals ever.
One of the most blatant TV freaks ever: The clip has been circulating online for ages
Anyone who is regularly on Instagram, TikTok and the like has definitely seen the freakout before. Although the ax incident took place on December 3, 1971 on the WDR talk show Ende Offen, the video simply cannot be killed on the Internet.
No wonder. When can you see such a strange moment on TV? Talk show guest Nikel Pallat was talking himself into a rage during the show, then suddenly he pulled out a small hand axe. With surprising calm he announced: “And that’s why I’m going to break this table here.” Then he hits the tabletop again and again with full force. The other guests flee to the side while glasses and decorations are broken. In the end the shoot has to be stopped.
You can see the powerful moment here:
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Why did he want to destroy the table? That’s what the person responsible behind the TV scandal says today about the freak out
One reason why the clip went viral online: ironically, guest Nikel Pallat unfortunately didn’t manage to destroy the table. After countless hits, he simply gave up. Today, Pallat can laugh about his freak out (including the fail), as he admits to buten and binnen. The table was to blame: “War shitty glued. I really struggled. But with 13 hits I didn’t break it.”
What many people forget today: Nikel Pallat didn’t just attack the table – the strange moment was intended as a socially critical statement. The former manager of the political protest band “Ton Steine Scherben” wanted to set an example, as he reveals today: “It was a totally reactionary society. You weren’t allowed to be gay. You weren’t allowed to do this. You weren’t allowed to do that.”
Today he wouldn’t repeat the ax act, but he still stands by his freak out: “I think drawing sharp boundaries every now and then is still a very good approach.”