Mark Rutte’s second appearance at the talk show table of Today Inside is over. But who is this actually fun for? After this boring broadcast it rains negative reviews.
After having had the Prime Minister at the table twice, it is clear that Inside today especially suitable for pub talk and not for a substantive interview. Even Wilfred Genee, who has a lot of experience with more serious interviews, makes a mud figure to Prime Minister Mark Rutte. What exactly is behind this?
Matt atmosphere
The rendezvous with Rutte was not only superficial, but the typical VI jokes and pranks were also missing. Was the broadcast destroyed by a PR team? Evert Santegoeds does not rule it out. “Whether it has been negotiated or not, but it was a bit of a lackluster atmosphere at the table,” he says at the desk of Show news.
Evert points out that at least a dildo helmet was put on the table last time. “I expected some fireworks. You can see a bit back on Twitter that people found it a bit boring and disappointing. (…) Especially if you looked at Van der Gijp. He hardly said a word. I don’t think he feels comfortable with that at all.”
Angela sounds the alarm
Angela de Jong even raises the alarm in one extra early published column, which the AD sent out as a push message. “Forgive me for using football jargon, but I can only think of one term that does justice to what happened on Monday at the table at Today inside. It was a total walkover.”
The VI trio was again ‘finally dried off’ by Rutte, Angela thinks. “And Gerard didn’t burp a single one, not even a little one. In short, everything that makes Today Inside Today Inside was missing. Out of respect to the Prime Minister or had his PR team negotiated vigorously?”
Completely absent
Talk show director Bert van der Veer had expected more. “René van der Gijp brought us a while out of the blue China was mentioned, but was otherwise completely absent. (…) Shall we just not do it, the monthly meeting with the Prime Minister?”, he writes on his opinion channel.
RTL Boulevard star reporter Joost Maiburg is disappointed. “If Gerard Joling’s performance is the highlight of the broadcast, you know enough…🥱😴,” he tweets.
Meilandjes biographer Jan Dijkgraaf writes: “Retesaai today, that Today Inside.”
Rens Muller, editor-in-chief of the Gooi- en Eemlander: “Dismiss Op1 and meanwhile be just as sleep-inducing.”
And Story boss Guido den Aantractor: “It was very boring.”
Complaining Muppets
Rob Ester, music boss of Qmusic, is not impressed either. “I saw an energetic Rutte who showed the slow and ill-prepared VI trio all corners of the studio. Tomorrow he will go back to work and those three old Muppets will continue complaining about everything and everyone in this country over a nut and a glass of wine.”
Investigative journalist Ton F. van Dijk: “Well, an evening with Rutte at Today Inside is a lost evening.”
Who does Wilfred Genee blame for this lackluster broadcast? John Derksen. He says in his talk show to Rutte: “Johan played them all in your feet, didn’t they? You could type them all in. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Ruth wants to go back
Rutte himself would like to come by again. “Well, monthly is too much, I have a few other things to do, but let’s see. I really like it, so if you say after tonight: ‘We also like it’, then I will be happy to come back.”
Angela counted on a roar of laughter from Wilfred, but it never came: “I’m sure there was laughter and high-fiving somewhere else at that moment. At the VVD that is.”