Beau van Erven Dorens responds to the suggestion that he has stolen a TV idea. The presenter is very disappointed. “People like to have a riot, I understand that.”
There is a lot to do about the announcement of Beau van Erven Dorens that he wants to make television about women who deeply regret having their child. He mentioned the title ‘Regret Mothers’ and that is strange, because the competing production house Stepping Stone has been working on a documentary with that title for quite some time.
Beau about ‘riot’
In fact, that documentary by director Milou Gevers is about exactly the same subject. That her documentary is coming was already announced in July via the NPO fund and last Friday Stepping Stone sent out a press release about it. They say they are ‘slightly surprised’ about Beau’s initiative.
Is this vulgar stealing from Beau? He now comes up with a response. “I came home today and was notified that there is something wrong with my call for the Regret Mothers program, because another production house (Stepping Stone) is also working on this subject. People like to have a riot, I understand that. And maybe I wasn’t clear enough.”
What about?
What about Beau then? “In April, an employee of my production house Kale Jakhals Productions, director Eva Julia Manneke, reads an article in the Volkskrant that inspired her to make a program about the taboo of mothers who regret having a child. That happens a lot more often than you think.”
He continues: “We turn the idea into a program and ‘pitch’ it to Videoland. This will provide a research budget for the program in June. Our researcher, Milou, immediately comes up with the title on day one: Regret Mothers. Good title, I think.”
Hitch in the cable
Now, a few months later, there’s a hitch, Beau explains. “Last week Eva Manneke called Stepping Stone at Videoland’s request, because Videoland had become aware that they were also working on the subject. Eva called to ask what was going on. Well, so yes.”
He continues: “The day after that phone call, alarmed of course by that phone call, on September 30, Stepping Stone posted a press release on their site that they are also developing a program called Regret Mothers. I understand that too! I also find it annoying that we want to make the same program together.”
Lots of comments
Beau does not intend to shoot his TV idea, even though the competitor’s documentary has already been sold to the VPRO and will be broadcasted by the public broadcaster next year.
He concludes: “My appeal to find mothers who want to talk about this has already received a lot of reactions, thanks for that, and we will make it something very interesting, of course with integrity, as we always do.”
Beau’s post:
