Matthijs van Nieuwkerk. That name suddenly sings around in today inside. Not in the corridors, but directly from the mouth of commander Johan Derksen. “Yes, I want him as a raid.”
The search for a Wednesday replacement for René van der Gijp is starting to take grotesque forms. Since Albert Verlinde threw the towel in the ring, it has become one big waste race. Candidate after candidate is put forward, openly hailed or publicly served. And in the meantime, René’s chair is still empty.
Matthijs in the picture
Johan Derksen first pushed Victor Vlam forward, but after his embarrassing application in Shownieuws he got the boxing glove full in the face. Exit Victor. Johan no longer wants him, he thinks Gerard Joling is ‘Te Clownesk’ and he thinks Lale Gül is ‘very good’, but is not specifically in the picture.
Only Wierd Duk always remains proud, although the question is whether his serious tone fits on the site of VI’s Hofnar. Or does this story still get a surprising turn? Suddenly the name of Matthijs van Nieuwkerk falls again. The fallen TV emperor who is currently wearing his days in small halls in the country is suddenly in the picture again for a permanent place at VI.
Unjustly canceled
It would be really great, says Johan. “Wilfred and I are very charmed by Matthijs van Nieuwkerk. That also has to do with the fact that he was of course very unjust and wrongly canceled. I don’t know how Matthijs is doing, but we would also like to have it,” he says in the podcast Greetings from Grolloo.
“Maybe he thinks he is too big. We also see something like that man giving a chance. He deserves to be on TV anyway, he was the best presenter in the Netherlands for years, he has put something down unavoidable and spoke with a few employees who did not function so well. Well, I did not do anything else before.”
Golden chance
For Matthijs it could be a golden chance. After years of silence, small halls and a nagging image loss, there is suddenly a serious opportunity to become part of the most popular talk show in the Netherlands. As a table guest, he can rebuild his reputation by just talking. Provided he dares of course.
Matthijs’s doubt is probably in doubt that VI is in a right-wing conservative sentiment and bitterball talk. That is a world away from the glorious DWDD studio full of writers and violinists. He runs the risk of relegating from television institute to sidekick-with-a-meninkje.
Then just
If Matthijs does not want, then Johan will stay with his preference for Wierd Duk. “We are dealing with a war in Ukraine, in Gaza, with the upcoming elections and Wierd is a specialist in those topics. I think you really have to opt for content. There will be voices to put a kind of clown there, Gerard Joling for example.”
But he doesn’t want that. “I think that is going too far again. A talk show is allowed to treat current events and it is already clownesk enough, our program. To put a clown there, I think a bit exaggerated. I also think Victor Vlam is good, but I agree with Wilfred: maybe more suited to put at the bar.”
Victor-Exit
So his preference for Victor is off the table again? “I think Wierd as top journalist of De Telegraaf has much more status. If Wierd says it, it has more status than Victor Vlam. I think Victor Vlam is very good, but it is more a media aritor.”
If it becomes it, Johan wants to see him less often in news of the day. “Yes, he has to sit less at six hours. It is actually a shame that Wierd is in a small program with his good opinions.”
Finally: who makes the decision? “Wilfred and I actually do that. We are almost on the same line.”