Theo Maassen is the new presenter of the interview program Zomergasten. The VPRO, the broadcaster where the TV show can be seen, announced this on Thursday.
The 56-year-old comedian and actor says he is “happy and proud” with his interview job. Maassen succeeds Janine Abbring, who presented the program from 2017 to 2022.
“I look forward to the six meetings and the preparations for them. I am fascinated by the genesis of someone’s talent,” says Maassen. “How did someone develop? What were the obstacles? Is talent, a matter of luck, or sheer monomania the secret ingredient that gets these people this far? And what did it bring someone in the end?”
Editor-in-chief Sarah Sylbing of VPRO says she is “delighted” with Maassen as presenter. “We were looking for a discussion partner with a lot of personal input, curiosity and talent for improvisation. Maassen is known as a comedian who does not shy away from controversy, but it was the exceptional conversations with artists for his own podcast that put him in sight as the successor to Janine Abbring.”
Zomergasten can be seen on NPO 2 on Sunday evenings from 23 July to 27 August.