View source for Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst

{{Short description|German television programme}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Aktenzeichen XY ungelöst Logo 2022.png
| runtime            = 90 minutes
| creator            = [[Eduard Zimmermann]]
| executive_producer = Claus Legal
| presenter          = Eduard Zimmermann (1967–1997)<br />Thaddäus "Teddy" Podgorski (1968–1971)<br />Peter Nidetzky (1971–2002)<br />[[Werner Vetterli]] (1969–1976)<br />Konrad Toenz (1979–1998)<br />Stephan Schifferer (1998–2002)<br />Sabine Zimmermann (1987–2001)<br />Butz Peters (1997–2001)<br />[[Rudi Cerne]] (2002–present)
| narrated           = Wolfgang Grönebaum (1967–1989)<br />Isolde Thümmler (1985–2005)<br />Michael Brennicke (1989–2019)<br />Joachim Höppner (2001–2006)<br />Christian Baumann (2019–present)
| opentheme          = Heinz Kiessling<br />Ernst-August Quelle
| country            = [[Germany|(West) Germany]] (1967–present)<br />[[Austria]] (1968–2002)<br />[[Switzerland]] (1969–2003)
| language           = German
| company            = Securitel, [[ZDF]]
| network            = [[ZDF]]<br />[[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] (1968–2002)<br />[[Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen|SRF]] (1969–2003)
| first_aired        = {{start date|1967|10|20|df=y}}
| last_aired         = present
}}
'''''Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst''''' ("Case number XY... unsolved") is a German interactive television programme first broadcast on 20 October 1967 on [[ZDF]]. Created by [[Eduard Zimmermann]], it aims to combat and solve crimes. The programme is currently presented by [[Rudi Cerne]]. It airs monthly, with 12 episodes in a year, on Wednesday at 8:15 PM.

From March 1968 until December 2002, it was produced in cooperation with the Austrian public service broadcaster [[ORF (television)|ORF]] and [[Schweizer Fernsehen]], a division of the Swiss public broadcaster [[SRG SSR]], who joined in January 1969 and left in December 2003. The programme was adapted by the [[BBC]] as ''[[Crimewatch]]'' and for the US market as ''[[America's Most Wanted]]''. Other adaptations of the format were aired in a number of countries including Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and Sweden.

== Format ==
The goal of the programme is to cast light on unsolved offences with the aid of viewers. Each episode contains three to five short films, each lasting about ten minutes, in which a real criminal case is reconstructed. The cases are mostly complex ones in which the criminals and chains of events are still unknown. In addition, cases are discussed in the studio in which, for example, the identities of criminals or unknown murder victims are sought with the aid of a photo. Viewers can use the telephone or internet to give information. According to a study by the programme's editorial department, about forty percent of cases shown on the programme are solved.

== History ==
[[File:Aktenzeichen XY Log.svg|thumb|200px|Logo used from the early-2000s until October 2014]]
[[File:Aktenzeichen XY Logo 2014.svg|thumb|200px|Logo used since October 2014]]
The creator and first presenter of the programme was [[Eduard Zimmermann]]. After the programme's 300th episode he passed the presentership onto [[Butz Peters]], who fronted the show together with Zimmermann's daughter Sabine. Since 18 January 2002 ''Aktenzeichen XY'' has been presented by [[Rudi Cerne]].

With ''Aktenzeichen XY'' Eduard Zimmermann and ZDF succeeded in starting a TV format that had not existed worldwide until 1967. Although news reports had often shown [[photofit]]s, an actual independent show of this type was unknown at this time.

The idea came to Zimmermann during his work with the programme ''{{Interlanguage link|Vorsicht Falle!|de}}'' (Eng: ''Beware, Trap!'') first broadcast in 1963, in which he warned the viewers of ''"Nepper, Schlepper und Bauernfänger"'' (Eng: ''[[Scammer]]s, Hustlers and [[Conmen]]''). The viewers frequently sent him information regarding descriptions of the [[fraudster]]s on the programme. This gave him the idea to use the medium of TV to work with the police on unsolved crimes. In a biographical statement Zimmerman also admitted that his motivation for both programmes was partly a personal one; he himself is a victim of fraud.

''Aktenzeichen XY'' was initially produced in the ZDF studios in [[Wiesbaden]], before moving to the FSM studios in [[Unterföhring]] from 1969. From 15 March 1968, the Austrian public broadcaster ORF became a joint producer of ''Aktenzeichen XY'', with a segment focusing on Austria hosted first by [[Thaddäus Podgorski|Thaddäus "Teddy" Podgorski]] <small>([[:de:Thaddäus Podgorski|de]])</small> from 1968 until 1971, then by {{ill|Peter Nidetzky|de}} from 1971 until 2002; which from 24 January 1969 was also joined by Schweizer Fernsehen (SF), with a segment focused on Switzerland hosted firstly by [[Werner Vetterli]] from 1969 until 1976, then by {{ill|Konrad Toenz|de}} from 1976 until 1998, and finally [[Stephan Schifferer]] from 1998 until 2002.

An attempt to extend ''Aktenzeichen XY'' beyond West Germany first took place on 18 July 1969, when ZDF and the Dutch public broadcaster [[Nederlandse Omroep Stichting|NOS]] produced a joint episode featuring Dutch journalist [[Johan van Minnen]] from a studio in [[Enschede]], with NOS providing simultaneous translations from German to Dutch. That project was however unsuccessful due to [[language barrier]]s and was abandoned after said broadcast. A more successful attempt took place on 14 July 1972, when the West German branch of the [[American Forces Network]] (AFN) took part in a broadcast of ''Aktenzeichen XY'', with simultaneous interpretation into English on AFN TV. The first colour episode of ''Aktenzeichen XY'' aired on ZDF on 16 January 1975.

On 8 November 2002, the broadcast of the 350th episode was celebrated, after ''Aktenzeichen XY'' had been on the air for 35 years. Eduard Zimmermann was the guest of Rudi Cerne on his own programme, which concerned a several-decades-old crime that had particularly touched him – the [[Ursula Herrmann kidnapping]], about a young girl who was buried alive in a crate for extortion on 15 September 1981 (a case similar to the case of [[Barbara Mackle kidnapping|Barbara Jane Mackle]].) At the time 3,228 cases had been featured on the show, of which 1,182 had been solved. 1,880 people had been sought and 914 of them had been caught. This included 624 murder cases.

In April 2012 the program received international public attention of a somewhat amusing nature when one of its case re-enactment performers, German actor {{Interlanguage link|Aaron Defant|de}}, was erroneously arrested in [[Stuttgart]] following his portrayal of a jewel robber in the episode of 14 March 2012 and a call to the police by one of the program's viewers. This misunderstanding was, however, cleared very swiftly.<ref>Jens Witte: ''[http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/0,1518,829134,00.html So gut wie echt]'', Spiegel Online, 23 April 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012 (de).</ref><ref>''[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/actor-aaron-defant-arrested-for-reenacting-heist_n_1446260.html Newser.com: Actor Aaron Defant Arrested For Heist He Reenacted On TV]''. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.</ref>

A 2-hour special episode of ''Aktenzeichen XY'' aired on 16 October 2013, dealing with the case of [[Disappearance of Madeleine McCann|Madeleine McCann]], who disappeared in Portugal in 2007 at the age of three. McCann's parents and a [[Scotland Yard]] detective were also featured in the broadcast. A record 24.3% audience share was recorded in that episode alone.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dwdl.de/zahlenzentrale/43069/fall_maddie_treibt_aktenzeichen_auf_rekordhoehe/|title=Fall Maddie treibt "Aktenzeichen" auf Rekordhöhe|first=DWDL de|last=GmbH|website=DWDL.de}}</ref> On 3 June 2020, the [[Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)|Criminal Police Office]] presented a new suspect on ''Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst'' and made a public appeal again for information relating to the case.<ref>{{Cite news|date=3 June 2020|title=New suspect identified in Madeleine McCann case|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52914016|access-date=4 June 2020}}</ref> The police stated that they received useful information regarding the new suspect in 2013 after the case was first featured on ''Aktenzeichen XY'', but that it took years to find substantial evidence for prosecution, and that they still need more information.<ref>[https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/maddie-mccann-ermittlungen-1.4926556 "Wir gehen davon aus, dass das Mädchen tot ist"] (German)</ref>

The programme is known for its high viewership across all age groups. In 2014, ''Aktenzeichen XY'' was watched by around six million viewers, with an audience share of 20%.

== Similar formats ==

=== In Germany ===
The private broadcaster [[Sat.1]] and the public broadcaster [[Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk|MDR]] both produced similar programmes, known as ''Fahndungsakte'' (English: ''Manhunt Files'') and ''Kripo live'' respectively. Sat.1 cancelled ''Fahndungsakte'' in 2000 after a three years' run due to low audience figures. MDR has had more success with ''[[Kripo live|Kripo Live]]'' on air since May 1990, which concentrates on [[Kriminalpolizei]]. Sat.1 briefly aired a revival of the format, titled ''{{ill|Fahndung Deutschland|de}}'', in 2016.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://m.dwdl.de/a/58805 | title="Fahndung Deutschland" kehrt nicht mehr zurück }}</ref>

Others include ''{{ill|Täter – Opfer – Polizei|de}}'' ([[ORB Fernsehen]] later [[RBB Fernsehen]], since 1992), ''Crime! – Der Justizreport'' ([[HR-Fernsehen]], 2004), ''Ungeklärte Morde – Dem Täter auf der Spur zeigt'' ([[RTL II]], 2002–2003 and 2011–2013), ''{{ill|Kriminalreport|de}}'' ([[NDR Fernsehen]] and [[WDR Fernsehen]], 2008–2011; [[Das Erste]], 2018 and its regional versions ''[[Maintower kriminalreport]]'' (HR, since 2014) and ''Kriminalreport Südwest'', which was later retitled ''Vorsicht Verbrechen'' ([[SR Fernsehen]], 2018–2020).

=== Internationally ===
The format has been sold to several countries,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://presseportal.zdf.de/pressemappe/aktenzeichen-xy-ungelost-1 | title=Pressemappe }}</ref> including [[Great Britain]] where it has been known as ''[[Crimewatch]]'' (originally ''Crimewatch UK'') since 1984 and has spawned a number of spin-offs, one of which is still on air (the daytime version, ''[[Crimewatch Live]]'') as of 2023. ''Crime NI'', a regional version was broadcast monthly in Northern Ireland from September 2021 to April 2022. Previously, a localised version for the English Midlands ran for five series from 1987 to 1991.

''Aktenzeichen XY'' is the first German television format to have entered the American market, where it is known as ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'' and was originally broadcast from 1988 to 2013 before being revived in 2021.

Other versions include:
* Hong Kong (''[[Police Report (TV series)|Police Report]]'', 1973–2020; ''{{ill|Brought to Justice|zh|繩之於法}}'', 1985–1997)
* Netherlands (''{{ill|Opsporing Verzocht|nl}}'', since 1975; ''{{ill|Crime Desk|nl}}'', 2021)
* Israel (''Crime Investigation'', 1986)
* Singapore (''[[Crimewatch (Singaporean TV series)|Crimewatch]]'', since 1986)
* Poland (''{{ill|Magazyn Kryminalny 997|pl}}'', 1986–2010, since 2017; ''997: Fajbusiewicz na tropie'', 2013–2017)
* New Zealand (''[[Crimewatch#New Zealand version|Crimewatch]]'', 1987–1996; ''NZI Crimescene'', 1997–1998)
* Australia (''[[Australia's Most Wanted]]'', 1988–1999; ''[[Wanted (2013 TV program)|Wanted]]'', 2013)
* Italy (''{{ill|Chi l'ha visto?|it}}'', since 1989)
* United Kingdom (''Crime Monthly'' (later ''Crime Weekly''), [[London Weekend Television|LWT]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rts.org.uk/article/jeff-pope-reflects-his-tv-career-screenwriting|title=Jeff Pope reflects on his TV career in screenwriting|date=21 October 2019|website=Royal Television Society|access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref> 1989–1998; ''Britain's Most Wanted'', [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], 1998–2000; ''[[Manhunt – Solving Britain's Crimes]]'', 2006–2007)
* Finland (''{{ill|Poliisi-TV|fi}}'' (originally ''PTV – suunta 931''), 1989–2013)
* Brazil (''[[Linha Direta]]'', 1990, 1999–2007, 2023)
* Norway (''I søkelyset'', 1990–1991; ''{{ill|Øyenvitne|no}}'', 1992–1997; ''Efterlyst'', 1998–2000, 2007–2008; ''{{ill|Åsted Norge|no}}'', since 2016)
* Sweden (''[[Efterlyst]]'', since 1990)
* Hungary (''Az XY Akta Megoldatlan'', 1992; ''Kékfény'', since 2002)
* Ireland (''[[Crimeline]]'', 1992–2003; ''[[Crimecall]]'', since 2004)
* France (''{{ill|Témoin numéro 1|fr}}'', 1993–1996)
* India (''[[India's Most Wanted]]'', 1999–2005)
* Denmark (''{{ill|Station 2 Efterlyst|da|Station 2}}'', since 2001)
* Belgium (''{{ill|Telefacts Crime|nl}}'', 2008–2013; ''{{ill|Faroek|nl|Faroek (televisieprogramma)}}'', since 2013)
* Austria (''{{ill|Fahndung Österreich|de}}'', since 2021)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Literature ==
* Ummenhofer, Stefan and Thaidigsmann, Michael: ''Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst – Kriminalität, Kontroverse, Kult'' {{ISBN|3-9809278-1-4}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://aktenzeichenxy.zdf.de/}} {{in lang|de}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aktenzeichen XY... ungelost}}
[[Category:ORF (broadcaster)]]
[[Category:ZDF original programming]]
[[Category:Non-fiction television series]]
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[[Category:Law enforcement in Austria]]
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[[Category:1960s German television series]]
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[[Category:1970s Austrian television series]]
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[[Category:1960s Swiss television series]]
[[Category:1970s Swiss television series]]
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[[Category:German-language television shows]]
[[Category:German crime television series]]
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