Fifth part of the “Allmen” series: What Heino Ferch loves about the character

Fans had to wait three years for a new film in the popular “Allmen” series. The fourth part, “The Secret of Eroticism,” hit screens in March 2021 and reached a record high of 4.86 million viewers. With “Allmen and the Secret of the Koi,” Das Erste will now broadcast a new adventure of the style-conscious bon vivant Johann Friedrich von Allmen on August 24 (8:15 p.m.).

In the fifth part of the series, which is based on the books by bestselling author Martin Suter (76), the entire action takes place in Tenerife instead of Zurich. For Heino Ferch (61), who plays the main role of the dandy detective, this is a “special pleasure”. He reveals what changes still await fans in an interview with the news agency spot on news.

“Allmen and the Secret of the Koi” is the fifth film in the series to be shown on TV. How much do you enjoy taking on the role of the dandy detective?

Heino Ferch: It is always a great pleasure to work with Allmen from the very first moment. I am looking forward to the first texts, the great dialogues by Martin Rauhaus. And in this case there is also a great new wardrobe, since we have a summer film and not, as usual, a darker “Zurich material”. So this time it was a special pleasure and I was really looking forward to what took place for five weeks in Tenerife.

Besides filming in Tenerife, did you have time to enjoy the island a little?

Ferch: When you’re on set every day, you don’t have any private time to enjoy the island. But what the film perfectly showcases is the incredible atmosphere and the great locations where we filmed. In these villas on the cliffs and the other extraordinary places, for example up on the Teide. The combination of the character’s acting, the lightness of being and the motifs that we used were a great pleasure. Otherwise, it was a jam-packed program.

Besides the setting, what other changes should fans expect in the new film?

Ferch: In this case, based on Martin Suter’s template, it is a vacation trip that Jojo (Allmen’s partner, editor’s note) invites them on. It was supposed to be a time out for the two of them to see what happens with their on/off love. Due to the fact that Allmen is blackmailed after just a few hours on the island and has to deal with a kind of case, the whole story goes completely differently than planned. Jojo’s role and presence are also more in the foreground. Which is great, because having strong people around you who have strong opinions increases the level and the fun of the game. Especially since Jojo is also the host and gets involved in the investigation. She notices that good old Allmen has an old score to settle and is being blackmailed.

So things seem to be getting serious between Allmen and his partner Jojo Hirt?

Ferch: Right. Allmen is still squirming a bit. When Jojo picks Allmen up, she alludes directly to the situation of withdrawing for a week – taking a break. Allmen has to face that too and I don’t think he has any other option.

What qualities do you envy about your role?

Ferch: I love this “anything goes attitude”, the ease of always dressing perfectly despite empty coffers, the precision with food and wine. None of us would contact our London tailor when our coffers are empty and have a very expensive suit made. But Allmen does it because he trusts that everything will turn out well in the end. And that is a quality that I really admire in this character.

You have appeared in numerous TV series. From criminal psychologist Richard Brock and Inspector Simon Kessler to special investigator Ingo Thiel and bon vivant Johann Friedrich von Allmen – do you enjoy playing the same character several times?

Ferch: Yes, I like doing that very much. It gives us the chance to see one and the same character from different perspectives. And especially with Allmen, who I really like a lot. You grow with the characters, you get older with the characters, new themes come into life. And the authors also let the characters continue to grow. So I think it’s really nice to keep dealing with these characters, because you can make them more complex and just get into them in depth.