Citizens of former East Germany were subjected to communist dictators, an all-imposing secret police and material shortages. Yet these issues became the butt of many knee-slapping jokes.
Germans have long been stereotyped for being humourless, and even have a word, Treppenwitz, that implies getting to a joke too late. Is it true that Germans miss the punchline?
Do you need an excuse to watch more comedy TV? We have researched and compiled a list of our favourite German TV comedies ranging from sitcoms to slapstick - all guaranteed to make you laugh.
In a country that was voted in 2011 the least funny in the world, being crowned Germany’s King of Comedy isn’t quite so impressive. But since his death in the same year, no German comedian has come close to dethroning the hilarious satirist and national treasure Loriot.
Turkey has officially complained to the German Foreign Ministry about a defamatory poem read on air by TV comedian Jan Böhmermann, meaning he could be prosecuted under a little-used German law.
Germany’s hippest young comedian faces a jail sentence of up to five years if Turkey decides to press charges over a poem he wrote insulting its head of state.
Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler really did have only one testicle, a German historian has claimed, apparently confirming an urban legend that has persisted for decades.
Germany may not be British comedy's natural home, but it hasn't stopped comic Bill Bailey visiting Berlin on his whistle-stop Europe tour. The Local caught up with him under a giant fish tank to pick his brains.
Making Germans laugh can seem a thankless prospect in any language and trying in freshly learned German might seem the project of a masochist. Eddie Izzard tells The Local why he is game.
US comedian Margaret Cho is heading for Germany as part of her latest tour. She told The Local why she is looking forward to trying out her rather rude routines on a German audience.
Thomas Quasthoff left behind a sparkling career as a concert bass-baritone last year to pursue new projects. Now he stars in a comedy show in Berlin's West End. One of the country's most acclaimed performers, he is our German of the Week.
An American comedian who spent 30 days visiting Mosques across the US is bringing his stand-up show about the trip to Germany. <b>Aman Ali</b> spoke to The Local.
Comedian Hape Kerkeling, the favourite to succeed host Thomas Gottschalk to host Germany's top television show <i>Wetten, dass..?</i>, told an audience of nearly 10 million on Saturday that he did not want the job.
The Local's series "Making it in Germany" presents Bob Edwards, a former US soldier who has conducted his way to the top of the country’s musical scene.
With the Obama-inspired slogan "Yes Weekend" and a pledge to make a bunny the national symbol, a mock candidate for German chancellor has injected some much-needed humour into a drab election campaign. AFP’s Richard Carter reports.
The Local's series "Making it in Germany" presents John Doyle, an American comedian with a knack for turning the foibles of expat life into German-language stand-up.
