Despite being unknown in its homeland, the British sketch Dinner for One is a New Year’s tradition in Germany, airing on television several times on December 31st.
During his first state visit to Germany as monarch, King Charles III told an anecdote that had a great impact on his audience. Speaking in German at a banquet in Berlin, he joked: “It’s nice of you all to come and not leave me alone with a dinner for one”. As the room erupted in laughter, the joke would likely have confused his British audience.
The King referred to Dinner for One (Dinner for One), a British comedy sketch that is largely unknown in the United Kingdom but has achieved cult status in Germany.
Written by British playwright Lauri Wylie in the 1930s, the sketch was immortalized on German television in the 1960s, performed by Freddie Frinton and May Warden. In Germany, it has become a tradition to watch the episode on New Year’s Eve, and it is broadcast several times on December 31st.
Its popularity is so great that it even entered the Guiness Book of Records 2003 as the most repeated television program of all time (more than 230 times at that time) and Deutsche Post, the German postal service, even released a 45 cent commemorative stamp on the 55th anniversary of the first broadcast of the classic cult.
O 18-minute black and white sketchalso known as The 90th Birthdayrevolves around Miss Sophie, an elderly woman who celebrates her birthday with imaginary guests – her deceased friends.
His butler, James, impersonates the absent guests, serving food and drinks while imitating their voices and mannerisms. With each toast, James drinks a drink for each “guest”becoming visibly intoxicated and clumsier as the night progresses, repeatedly tripping over a tiger skin rug.
The sketch’s most iconic phrase, “Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?”, followed by his response, “Same procedure as every year, James”, became a cultural slogan in Germany. Its popularity is a testament to the humor’s enduring appeal and its unique journey into the hearts of German viewers.
Dinner for One owes its success in Germany to artist Peter Frankenfeld, who introduced it to the German public after seeing Frinton perform in Blackpool in 1962. The recording, made in Hamburg in 1963, was sporadically broadcast on German television before finding its home. permanent place on New Year’s Eve in 1972.
It has since inspired traditions in countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, but continues to be little appreciated in its homeland. Despite Sky Arts’ attempts to revive interest in the UK, the sketch has yet to achieve the same adoration it enjoys abroad.
