This is what *didn't* happen. N-TV / Joerg Sarbach/PA N-TV / Joerg Sarbach/PA / Joerg Sarbach/PA

GERMAN CHANCELLOR AND leader of Europe’s foremost economic power Angela Merkel missed a phone-a-friend call on the German version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

A member of Merkel’s party, Wolfgang Bosbach, was taking part the a charity version of the show when he ran up against a tricky question about a washing machine from the former East Germany.

He was stuck at €125,000 at the time.

So he decided to use his phone-a-friend option to call the German premier, who grew up in the former communist state.

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Sadly, she missed the call. Possibly she was busy deciding Europe’s economic fate.

Otherwise she might have known that the correct reason that the WM66 washing machine is so famous is that many owners also used it to stew fruit.

However, she DID reply in a text while the show was still on air. She wrote, unhelpfully: “OK whatever it was, kind regards am”

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Bosbach told the host that Merkel is “always happy to see me and hear my voice”, the BBC reports.

Here’s the full incident:

Bosbach didn’t know the answer and walked away from the show with €125,000 for good causes.

More: Fergie ‘won’ £50k on Who Wants to be a Millionaire… how would you have done with his questions?>