It is an important day for Sam Hagens: tonight he starts at the time of Bar Laat with the summer alternative Good evening Netherlands. Does he cut the chair legs of Jeroen Pauw?
Sam Hagens has it to grow into a big talk show talent, but of course he has to prove himself. From tonight, together with Welmoed Sijtsma, he will present four evenings a week in the Netherlands at the late evening of NPO 1. It is the summer replacement of Bar Laat, which will return after the summer as Pauw & De Wit.
Also in 2026?
If Sam and his co-host Welmoed Sijtsma score high viewing figures and do well as a duo, it may just be that Good evening the Netherlands will be the late talk show of NPO 1 and that Pauw & De Wit has to give way after the New Year. Whether that will be the summer replacement – nice for Jeroen, because he wants to be in Curaçao in the winter.
Sam is humbly in De Telegraaf: “I have never done this, at such a time. So in that respect I really think this is a great chance. I am not at all concerned with: will this perhaps be even more?”
“They can call”
That is of course not true. “I want to go again next summer,” Welmoed notes.
Sam: “Yes, that would be nice.”
Do they only want in the summer? Or secretly on the site of Jeroen Pauw? Welmoed: “Well if they call us, we will of course go … then we don’t say no.”
And Sam: “They can always call, but let’s first do this summer.”
Passed
But then Sam and Welmoed must first put high viewing figures. What is the goal? Sam: “Good question … We didn’t get a goal from: you have to score so much. I think Bar now leaves around 400-500,000 …”
So that’s what he wants to score? “No, I’m not going to say what is realistic or what our goal is.”