The role of German Comedy Ambassador can be a daunting task, but with ruthless efficiency Henning bridges the gulf between two great comic nations. He might explore why Brits cling to such traditions as late-running trains, and how Germany has scooped three World Cups and one world Pope.
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Comedian Henning Wehn is the (unofficial) German Comedy Ambassador to the United Kingdom. This is not the easiest of jobs because Germans allegedly do not have a sense of humour. Henning does not find that very funny.
Henning took office after watching an open mic night that left him convinced that he would do better, and has been performing as the self-styled German Comedy Ambassador ever since. Initially intending to stay for just a year in Britain, Henning claims to have been seduced by the country’s weather, cuisine and hospitality. He’s now a regular on the club and comedy festival circuit, and has toured the UK with wry insights on the age old rivalry between his new home and his native land. Whether it’s sport, economics, politics or war, Henning subtly mocks the stereotypes of both nations, brilliantly sending up Britain’s indifference and fondness for nostalgia and Germany’s efficiency and logic.
Now a TV and radio regular, Henning often appears on Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You?, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and QI, as well as Radio 4’s The Unbelievable Truth and 5Live’s Fighting Talk. He and fellow comedian Mark Watson filmed a travelogue, The Road to Rio, in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup. On more serious issues he’s presented Channel 4’s An Immigrant's Guide to Britain, a look at the cultural divisions between East and West Germany for the BBC World Service, and even performed standup on Newsnight as a contribution to the EU debate.
Henning’s ‘beautifully crafted diatribes’ (according to Time Out) are delivered with a passion that seems all too real and his material covers topics from football to the price of second-hand shoes; what the Germans think of our beloved sit-com 'Allo 'Allo, to why humour is overrated and stand-up comedy pointless.