← Back to the front page

This is What Life was Like in Communist East Germany

Tim Flight December 18, 2019 25 min

Berlin Wall - Checkpoint Charlie — A man peers over the newly-built Berlin Wall in August 1961. The Guardian

19. TV chef Kurt Drummer had a show on East German television for 25 years

Kurt Drummer filming his TV show, 1950s or 1960s. Tag24

The SED closely controlled the television network in the GDR. It set up an institution called Deutscher Fernsehfunk (‘German Television Broadcasting’) to oversee content. Propaganda took up much of the broadcasting time. However, one of the most popular shows saw TV chef Kurt Drummer show people how to cook healthy, delicious meals. Between 1958 and 1983, Drummer presented nearly 650 episodes. At a time when available food had little variety, Drummer told people how to make the most of available ingredients. But after 25 years, even Drummer ran out of new ideas, and the show ended when he fell ill.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk