Fliege (lost episode of German talk show; existence unconfirmed; 1998)

This article has been tagged as NSFL due to its disturbing subject matter.

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The logo of the show, alongside host Jurgen Fliege.

Status: Lost/Existence Unconfirmed

Fliege was a German talk show hosted by Protestant pastor Jurgen Fliege, which was broadcast between 1994 to 2005. While generally being a controversial show in its own right, due to Fliege's outspoken views on various topics (like religion and Germany's role in the Yugoslav Wars), one alleged episode has gained infamy in the years since the show's release. An alleged 1998 episode of the show has gained renewed interested among internet sleuths and lost media enthusiasts in recent years, due to its links with the so-called 'Teddy Bear Man' case, which concerned a still-unidentified man found dead in 1992 in Hardangervidda National Park, Norway.

Background: The 'Teddy Bear Man' case

On September 12th, 1992, a group of hunters found human remains in Hardangervidda National Park, Norway, just over 124 miles west of Oslo. The person remains unidentified to this day, but DNA testing in 2022 confirmed it was a male, while being in their 20s (between 22 to 27 years old). The authorities concluded that the person in question froze to death due to their positioning (1,200 meters above sea level) and how the summer of 1992 was known for its extremely bad weather, even for the region. Even that could not be fully determined however, as several of the person's items were from 1991, including much of the currency he had on him, as well as the German bread he was carrying, all the while estimates gather at how his body was in its spot for up to two years at the point it was discovered.

The man became known in the Norwegian press as the 'Teddybjørn-mannen' (or 'teddy bear man' in English), due to the teddy bear that the man had on him at the time of his death. This, alongside the various other curious items recovered at the scene (such as a map of South Norway not intended for hiking and non-hiking clothing, like a pair of Levi's jeans), led the authorities to conclude that the man was not an experienced hiker, as well as unfamiliar with Norway more broadly, as they carried extra water bottles that were unnecessary, as the water in that park was drinkable, something locals and visitors were generally aware of. A bust of the person's face was released soon after his discovery, albeit it didn't lead to any witnesses coming forward:

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The alleged Fliege episode

The case would remain forgotten about for some time afterwards until 2022, when the Norwegian true crime series Åsted Norge (which deals with unsolved mysteries) aired an episode examining the case. Following its release, a person came forward to allege that they had seen an episode of Fliege from 1998 whereby the case was discussed, albeit in an offhand way. Here, a German guest appeared, discussing how her son had gone missing on vacation in Norway.

Despite this, the episode hasn't been confirmed to exist, all the while both Fliege himself and the network that hosted the show (Bayrische Rundfunk) noted that they couldn't find anything in their archives of the show relating to that specific episode. On top of this, while much of the German media gave that episode renewed attention because of the content it supposedly contained, no-one else came forward to divulge any further details. Some on Reddit, in a discussion board about the case in general in its r/unsolved mysteries subreddit in turn either concluded that it didn't exist, or the person coming forward was referring to a different show.

Availability

The episode, to this day, hasn't been confirmed to exist. While there were two episodes of Fliege that are confirmed to have been aired in 1998 (according to the show's IMDb page), it is unclear as to whether either of them concerned the 'Teddy Bear Man' case, and to what capacity they did so.

Whether this Fliege episode, or a different talk show episode entirely, exists has yet to be determined. The case of the 'Teddy Bear Man' is ongoing.

Gallery

True crime YouTuber Lazy Masquerade's video discussing the case.

Lost media YouTuber blameitonjorge's coverage of the case.