How the pilot became so much more

Guest show Johann Philipp Spiegelfeld He confirms the impression in the KURIER interview: “I think you can tell that people enjoyed being on the show. Of course, at first there might have been some turbulent feelings here and there because you didn't know who was coming to visit. But it's a great, fun team, and we're making sure we don't break any Something. The mood is always good. In the evening we sit together for a beer and think about our day and it brings us together in a way.”

It was also important for him to make it clear “that these people – although you don't have to feel sorry for them – have to earn money through creativity so that the castle does not collapse.”

Behind the scenes stories

And now all this can be read in book form. “We wanted to write the history of these families and castles again, but we also wanted to offer ‘behind the scenes’, with very funny stories behind the scenes,” says Spiegelfeld.

At one point you can see how the creator of the show and the creator of the series, martin s. BushUsing a hair dryer to dry sweat stains on Spiegelfeld's shirt. Bush, the book's co-author, also chooses most of the music for the shows. A nice detail in the book: for each episode shown there is a QR code that takes you directly to the playlist of the songs used (see below).

Spiegelfeld himself always contributes a skewed version of the Beatles' evergreen “Yesterday” to broadcasts. Bush points out in the book that it is also about addressing the “yesterday” of the old walls, but: “Yesterday is the only piano piece that is difficult for our star pianist to play.”

He said the fact that Spiegelfeld also had an odd job as an airline pilot was one of the reasons he was chosen ORFProgram Director and Head of “Seitenblike”. Ines Schwandner In the show. There was also an indication that Spiegelfeld, as a scion of a former aristocratic family, was able to respond well to his hosts. However, he had to go to the casting, but according to Schwandner, it was said: “He came, he saw and he won.”

Movable clam castle

The show was actually a surprise hit. Originally intended to fill the summer slack, a shorter pilot was filmed at Clam Castle. These 25-30 minutes convinced the officials and five episodes were commissioned.

When it became clear that the ratings were not “summery” at all, but rather more competitive, “Burg Clam” was supposed to be broadcast as a “bonus”. In order to reach 45 minutes, filming had to take place in August. The episode then aired as the big season finale, Spiegelfeld wrote in the book. It was not noticeable that some hairstyles and shoes might look a little different. The fact that the red bag, now a cult item, didn't exist yet — just a brown bag — didn't really bother anyone.

“Everyone said how much I had grown over the course of the season, how confident and relaxed I was,” Spiegelfeld notes with self-deprecation. “But those were actually the first minutes I was in front of the camera.

Season 4 – And then?

Season 4 is scheduled to air next August, but with only three new episodes due to the Olympics. These become castles Covidish (picture), Bruges (No and Frontal (STMC) lead.

When asked if we would continue with Season 5, Schwandner said: “This is a great wish, but at the moment we are a little short of money at ORF. But the intention is there.”

But fans shouldn't worry too much. Because Spiegelfeld and Busch are already planning another “experiment” – for the possible new formula “Herrgottsszeit!”

That's why you want to visit monasteries. First of all, Herzogenburg Monastery (Lower Austria).