The Hunt for the Culprit 1957 detective radio show
The Hunt for the Culprit (1957, West Germany)
Original title: Die Jagd nach dem Täter
In 1957 German NDR public radio station came up with a concept of radio show presenting crime stories, but based on true events. It was not that original idea, similar was used in American shows, like Dragnet, Whitechapel 1212 or British The Black Museum, but The Hunt for the Culprit (original title Die Jagd nach dem Täter) was presenting the stories in German. They brought well-known actors, skilled scriptwriters and the formula became instant hit. Each of 126 episodes presented different story set in a different place, where different crime took place. Close to the end of the show lifespan, they began to use scripts from foreign authors and fiction stories, f.e. written by Agatha Christie or Francis Durbridge.
The formula proved to be successful enough that NDR came up with the idea to turn The Hunt for the Culprit for TV series, called Stahlnetz, again inspired by the American Dragnet.
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