Jan de Hoop thinks that Boyan Ephraim, one of his successors at the RTL Breakfast News, tried very hard to imitate him. “He even put on the same kind of sweater as I did!”
He was a fixture in the morning programming of RTL 4: Jan de Hoop for years. He has since left the morning news and his spot is being filled by young talent. One of his successors is Boyan Ephraim and Jan was initially not very enthusiastic about him, he reveals in the Nieuwe Revu.
Sneeze at Boyan
Boyan tried very hard to look like him, says Jan. “One of my successors, Boyan Ephraim, tried to look very much like me in the beginning and even put on the same kind of jersey as me. Do not!”
As a presenter you really have to build your own identity, he advises. “Be yourself and wear the clothes that suit you. Only then can you really enjoy sitting behind that desk.”
mug parade
Jan was always known for his mug which was the same color as his sweater. “In the early years of the Breakfast News, I indeed had to keep my leg up to be able to present the broadcasts in a sweater with a matching mug. They thought that was strange at RTL.”
However, the presenter was not put off. “The closing jokes when we switched to the weather forecast were also absolutely not done, but I continued with it.”
Mattress advertising
Now that Jan has stopped working on national television, he does not change into a kind of Henny Huisman who advertises the first and best furniture manufacturer. “I say no to a lot of things, like the other day a commercial for mattresses that I was offered. I could make a lot of money with it, but it didn’t feel right.”
What is he considering? “Weekblad Margriet has asked me to become a columnist and I am now thinking about it. Can I do it and do I have enough to report at all? I’m not quite there yet.”
