Frank Plasberg is back. In the true crime documentary “23 – The Mysterious Death of a Hacker,” the “Hard but Fair” presenter investigates the mysterious death of Karl Koch.

Frank Plasberg actually ended his TV career in December 2022. With the “Annual Review 2022 – The Quiz”, the long-time “Hard but Fair” presenter said goodbye to the screen – and was even given a surprise serenade by Bonnie Tyler. But now Plasberg is returning again. He guides you through the Sky documentary “23 – The Mysterious Death of a Hacker”, which will be shown on Sky and the streaming service WOW from December 7th.

In a new documentary: Frank Plasberg tries to solve the death of hacker Karl Koch

The true crime documentary sheds light on the mysterious fate of Karl Koch, one of the pioneers of hacking in Germany. He rose to prominence in the 1980s when it was revealed that he was selling hacked Western computer systems to the Soviet secret service, the KGB. Karl Koch committed suicide in 1989, but the persistent rumor persists to this day that his death may have been a murder – for political reasons or because of his involvement in criminal activities.

The documentary “23 – The Mysterious Death of a Hacker” offers insights from contemporary witnesses who take a new look at Karl Koch and his activities. They draw interesting parallels up to the present day. Among the interviewees are people like Hans-Heinrich Hübner, who was also involved in the KGB hack, Freke Over, a close friend of Koch, Hannah Over, who was an important contact person for the hacker, and Steffen Wernéry, a member of the Chaos Computer Club . At the same time, Frank Plasberg embarks on an intensive search for clues, particularly with regard to possible political backgrounds, and uncovers files that were previously kept secret.

“23 – The Mysterious Death of a Hacker” is a joint production by Sky Deutschland and Ansager & Schnipselmann, a company in which Frank Plasberg is involved. The film was directed by Carsten Gutschmidt and written by Benjamin Braun. The production was carried out by Jürgen Schulte and Anja Bruchhausen from Ansager & Schnipselmann and Christian Asanger and Marietta Gottfried from Sky Deutschland.

The story of Karl Koch was filmed in 1998 by Hans-Christian Schmid in “23 – Nothing is as it seems”. This adaptation is also available on the streaming service WOW.