Undercover boss
Undercover Boss is a British documentary soap produced by Channel 4 television . Company executives work undercover as unskilled workers in their own company with their employees in order to obtain an unadulterated or different view of the work processes in their company. Since 2011 there has been a German offshoot that can be seen on RTL , and in 2013 the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation launched an offshoot of the format. In addition to Great Britain, the United States and Switzerland, separate versions of the program were also created for Australia , Norway and Canada produced.
Action and sequence
Managers of large companies allegedly lose direct contact with employees and everyday work in practice over time. To change this, they should get to know their company and their employees on site as young professionals or interns. Changes to clothing and appearance (sometimes with wigs or false teeth) are intended to ensure that no one is recognized by employees. Under the pretext of filming a television report that accompanies an unemployed person, the camouflaged manager is openly accompanied by a camera team. Over the course of a week, the manager gets to know different employees and company departments and works actively like a new employee. In addition to suggestions for improvement for their work area and the company, employees usually also tell about personal wishes and problems. At the end of the program, an explanation of the experiment takes place, whereby the activities and perspectives of those involved are specifically addressed. Finally, the “victims” receive rewards such as a voucher, a trip or even a promotion from the managing director.
Some of the companies that have been involved in the German edition work or are structured according to the franchise system. As a result, the person appearing as the boss is not the direct superior of the employees visited. These are the managing directors of the companies that are licensees or franchisees.
Germany
| Television broadcast | |
|---|---|
| German title | Undercover boss |
| Original title | Undercover boss |
| Country of production | Germany |
| Year (s) | since 2011 |
| Production company |
Tower Productions |
| length | 90 minutes |
| Episodes | 55 (+ 2 specials) in 12 seasons |
| genre | Documentary soap |
| idea | Stephen Lambert |
| First broadcast | March 28, 2011 on RTL |
Just one day after the end of season 1, RTL announced that it would be commissioning another season.
Originally it was planned to show six episodes within the 2nd season, but these were not completed in time and therefore only three episodes were broadcast. The missing three episodes were finally aired from February 27, 2012 along with three new episodes as part of season 3. The fifth season, consisting of five episodes, was shown on RTL from April 15, 2013 to May 13, 2013. The sixth season, which consists of a total of five episodes, was broadcast from January 13 to February 17, 2014. The eighth season in 2016 reached an average of more than 5 million viewers when it was first broadcast. Undercover Boss thus became the most successful infotainment program in the advertising-relevant target group (14 - 49 years of age) with an increase in audience numbers of 16 percent.
Undercover Boss was awarded the Bavarian Television Prize in 2013. The format was nominated for the Golden Camera 2018 in the category "Best Docutainment Format".
RTL has been broadcasting two-hour episodes since 2019. The first broadcasts start at 8:15 pm and no longer at 9:15 pm.
1st season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | March 28, 2011 | Mika Ramm | Eismann frozen home service | |
| 2 | April 4, 2011 | Marcus Smola | Best Western Hotels Germany GmbH | |
| 3 | April 11, 2011 | Johannes Borgmann | ADCO Umweltdienste Holding GmbH | |
| 4th | April 18, 2011 | Karsten Freilang | Joey's Pizza Service Germany GmbH |
2nd season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | September 5, 2011 | Andreas Bork | Burger King | |
| 2 | September 12, 2011 | Erich Peterhoff | Building services Peterhoff | |
| 3 | September 19, 2011 | Reunion with participants of the first season |
3rd season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | February 27, 2012 | Jaap Schalken | Kamps GmbH | |
| 2 | March 5, 2012 | Stefan Kulas | Pitstop (workshop chain) | |
| 3 | March 12, 2012 | Douglas Saurma | Maltese relief service | |
| 4th | March 19, 2012 | Thomas Sapper | Deutsche Fertighaus Holding (DFH) | |
| 5 | March 26, 2012 | Mario pick | Welcome Hotels | |
| 6th | April 2, 2012 | Valerie Boenström | Mrs. Sporty GmbH |
4th season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | September 10, 2012 | Swen Neumann | Vienna Woods | |
| 2 | 17th September 2012 | Carsten Eisele | Zoo & Co. | |
| 3 | September 24, 2012 | Thomas Herzner | BauSpezi | |
| 4th | October 1, 2012 | Oliver Gross | SITA Germany GmbH |
5th season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | April 15, 2013 | Horst Becker | ISOTEC building renovation | |
| 2 | April 22, 2013 | Martin Paffenholz | Sunpoint | |
| 3 | April 29, 2013 | Michael Gomolka | Mister Minit | |
| 4th | May 6, 2013 | Matthias Machauer | Enchilada | |
| 5 | 13th of May 2013 | The bosses return |
6th season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | January 13, 2014 | Stephi Hopp | Heath Park Resort | |
| 2 | 20th January 2014 | Bernd Mueller | Robert Müller butcher's shop | |
| 3 | January 27, 2014 | Michael Mücke | Accor | |
| 4th | February 10, 2014 | Hans Mosbacher | Stölting Service Group | |
| 5 | 17th February 2014 | Thomas Sander | Reisswolf Germany GmbH |
7th season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | January 12, 2015 | Jörg Lüssem | Johanniter Accident Aid | |
| 2 | 19th January 2015 | Fabrizio Sepe (his partner Stefanie Hilger was on duty) | Serengeti Park | |
| 3 | January 26, 2015 | Matthias Schubert | Euromaster | |
| 4th | February 2, 2015 | Werner Block | CAP market | |
| 5 | February 9, 2015 | Armin Alt | R + S solutions Holding |
8th season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | January 18, 2016 | André Schwämmlein | MFB MeinFernbus / Flixbus | |
| 2 | January 25, 2016 | Lars Horstmann | easyApotheke (Holding) AG | |
| 3 | February 1, 2016 | Armin Funk | Charles Vögele | |
| 4th | February 8, 2016 | Manuela Halm | Dormero | |
| 5 | 15th February 2016 | Pure block | TÜV Hessen |
9th season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | January 16, 2017 | Maik Klokow | More! entertainment | u. a. in the Starlight Express in Bochum |
| 2 | 23rd January 2017 | Thomas Hoyer | Hoyer group of companies | |
| 3 | January 30, 2017 | Guido Laukamp | Nicko Cruises river trips | |
| 4th | February 6, 2017 | Antje thirty | Bakery Thirty | |
| 5 | February 13, 2017 | Ralph Schiller | FTI GROUP |
10th season
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | 29th January 2018 | Michiel Illy | Tropical Islands | |
| 2 | 5th February 2018 | Harald Piendl | Beate Uhse Group | |
| 3 | February 12, 2018 | Patrick G. Weber | Arko | |
| 4th | 19th February 2018 | Dr. Michael Friday | Friday group | |
| 5 | February 26, 2018 | Dirk Bader | Landgard |
Special offers
Following the tenth season, two episodes with celebrities were broadcast for the first time in 2018.
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | 5th March 2018 | Detlef Soost | ||
| 2 | March 12, 2018 | Angelo Kelly |
11th season
The eleventh season of the show aired at the beginning of 2019. For the first time, RTL broadcast 2-hour XXL episodes.
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | January 21, 2019 | Christian Gieselmann | Warsteiner | |
| 2 | January 28, 2019 | Jasmin Schröter and Wolfram Simon-Schröter | Time freight | |
| 3 | 4th February 2019 | Daniel Krauss | Flixmobility | |
| 4th | 11th February 2019 | Thomas Weckerlein | Woehrl SE | |
| 5 | 11th February 2019 | Gregor Ries | Eder group |
12th season
At the beginning of 2020, the twelfth season of Undercover Boss continued, RTL continued to broadcast 2-hour XXL episodes.
| episode | date | boss | company | comment |
| 1 | January 27, 2020 | Stefanie Brandes | Aldiana | |
| 2 | 3rd February 2020 | Achim Less | Vedes AG | |
| 3 | July 13, 2020 | Marco Hammer | Bien-Zenker GmbH |
Austria
| Television broadcast | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Undercover boss |
 | |
| Country of production | Austria |
| Year (s) | since 2013 |
| Production company |
Tower Productions |
| length | 46 minutes |
| Episodes | 21 in 3 seasons |
| genre | Documentary soap |
| idea | Stephen Lambert |
| First broadcast | January 16, 2013 on ORF eins |
In Austria, the format was broadcast for the first time on January 16, 2013 in the evening program of ORF eins . The pilot episode is about ASFINAG board director Klaus Schierhackl.
1st season
Attendees
- January 16, 2013: Klaus Schierhackl ( ASFINAG )
- January 23, 2013: Manfred Denner ( Merkur )
- January 30, 2013: Hannes Lechner ( Accor Hotel Group )
- February 13, 2013: Georg Ketzler ( Brantner Group )
- February 20, 2013: Undercover Boss - Revisit
Audience ratings
The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation recorded 472,000 viewers for the pilot episode, which corresponds to a market share of 22 percent in the advertising-relevant target group.
2nd season
The second season will be broadcast for the first time on October 9, 2013 under the motto Undercover Boss is back . The episode about the security company G4S was taken out of the program at short notice because the corruption prosecutor wanted to submit a report on an ongoing investigation at the same time. For the time being, the ORF will not broadcast the episode that was produced in summer 2013. The show will finally be broadcast in 2016 as part of the third season.
Attendees
- October 9, 2013: Karl Steinmayr ( HABAU )
- October 16, 2013: Christian Sterba (Simacek)
- October 23, 2013: Kris Rosenberger ( Rosenberger )
- October 30, 2013: Oliver Schmerold ( ÖAMTC )
- November 6, 2013: Christian Laschet ( Schirnhofer )
- November 13, 2013: Ernst Mayr ( Fussl Modestrasse )
- November 20, 2013: Erich Weichselbaum ( ELK prefabricated house )
- November 27, 2013: Undercover Boss - Revisit double episode
3rd season
The third season started on October 13, 2016.
Attendees
- October 13, 2016: Ralf Mittermayr ( Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG )
- October 20, 2016: Thomas Blaguss ( Blaguss )
- October 27, 2016: Gerald Kumnig ( ARBÖ )
- November 10, 2016: Isabella Rohrer-Pucher (Rohrer Group)
- November 17, 2016: Erich Steinreiber ( ISS )
- November 24, 2016: Johann Pichler ( Internorm )
- December 1, 2016: Matthias Wechner ( G4S ) and Undercover Boss Special: The toughest industries in Austria
Switzerland
| Television broadcast | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Undercover boss |
| Country of production | Switzerland |
| year | 2012 |
| length | 45 minutes |
| Episodes | 2 in 1 season |
| genre | Documentary soap |
| idea | Stephen Lambert |
| First broadcast | May 2012 to 3 plus |
The private broadcaster 3 plus produced a Swiss version of the program in 2012 . The first season aired from May 2012.
1st season
- Episode 1: Peter Michel, CEO of Best Western Swiss Hotels
- Episode 2: Martin Lehmann, CEO of Mobilezone AG
International
Great Britain
The concept of the show originally came from Great Britain. There season 1 was broadcast from June 18, 2009 on Channel 4 and consisted of two episodes. The manager of the first episode was Andy Edge of Park Resorts , which operates holiday parks in the UK. Season 2 aired from July 15, 2010 and consisted of seven episodes. Season 3, which aired from July 5, 2011, consisted of six episodes.
United States
Season 1 consisted of 9 episodes. The first episode aired on February 7, 2010 on CBS with Larry O'Donnell, chairman and chief operating officer of Waste Management following Super Bowl XLIV , and reached 38.7 million viewers. Season 2 aired from September 26, 2010 and consisted of 22 episodes. Season 3 aired from January 15, 2012 and comprises 13 episodes.
Web links
- Undercover Boss on RTL.de
- Undercover Boss on orf.at
- Undercover Boss on 3plus.tv
- Undercover Boss on channel4.com
- List of broadcasts in the German , US and UK editions
Individual evidence
- ↑ New docu-soap on RTL: Bend over, boss! dated March 28, 2011
- ^ "Undercover Boss" on RTL - The boss as an intern from March 29, 2011
- ↑ "Undercover Boss": The successful RTL documentary will be continued. Press release of April 19, 2011
- ↑ "Undercover Boss" returns in the spring of September 22, 2011
- ↑ "Undercover Boss": Six new episodes from February 22, 2012
- ^ "Undercover Boss" broadcast dates for the fifth season from April 14, 2013
- ↑ "Undercover Boss" broadcast dates for the sixth season from January 14, 2014
- ↑ DWDL.de GmbH: TV Hits: The most-watched programs in 2016 - DWDL.de . In: DWDL.de . ( dwdl.de [accessed on January 23, 2017]).
- ↑ Bavarian TV Prize 2013 for MME production: Executive Producer Arne Kreutzfeld receives "Blauen Panther" for entertainment format "Undercover Boss" (RTL) . In: presseportal.de . ( presseportal.de [accessed on January 23, 2017]). Bavarian TV Prize 2013 for MME production: Executive Producer Arne Kreutzfeld receives "Blue Panther" for the entertainment format "Undercover Boss" (RTL) ( Memento of the original from January 23, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked . Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Undercover Boss . In: IP Germany . ( ip.de [accessed on January 22, 2018]).
- ↑ Undercover Boss: The big reunion on RTL.de from September 7, 2011
- ↑ imfernsehen GmbH & Co. KG: Undercover Boss (D) Season 11 episode guide. Retrieved January 28, 2019 (German).
- ↑ imfernsehen GmbH & Co. KG: Undercover Boss (D) Season 9 episode guide. Retrieved January 23, 2017 .
- ↑ a b ORF brings "Undercover Boss" »Opinion Leaders Network
- ↑ a b c d "Undercover Boss": Austria's top managers dare the TV job experiment | ORF, January 8, 2013 | ots.at
- ↑ Start of "Undercover Boss" on ORF eins | ORF, October 8, 2013 | ots.at
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ orf.at - start of "Undercover Boss" . Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- ^ Imfernsehen GmbH & Co. KG: Undercover Boss (A): Episodenguide. Retrieved November 28, 2016 .
- ↑ http://www.3plus.tv/undercoverboss
- ↑ Undercover Boss (UK) - Series 1 on Channel 4
- ↑ Undercover Boss (UK) - Series 2 on Channel 4
- ↑ Undercover Boss (UK) - Series 3 on Channel 4
- ↑ http://www.cbs.com/shows/undercover_boss/about/
- ↑ Undercover Boss (USA) at CBS
- ↑ Undercover Boss (USA) ( Memento of the original from July 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at Studio Lambert
