Peter van der Vorst was working on plans for a return of The Voice of Holland, but after his blunder with Matthijs van Nieuwkerk he decided against it, say TV watchers.
It was really strange: in January, RTL Boulevard had built an entire item around some internet poll showing that most people would like to see The Voice of Holland on television. That is of course very at odds with reality – you really don’t hear anyone talking about that talent show anymore – but apparently there was a purpose behind it.
Voice return
Kirsten Jan van Nieuwenhuijzen, who started his career as one of the first four creatives by John de Mol, states in his podcast Content Wars that RTL boss Peter van der Vorst was working on a return of The Voice. “I understood – rumors from the grapevine – that RTL was trying to see if they could restart The Voice.”
Already this year? Yes, says Kirsten Jan. “The wish was to make that happen again this year. The question is whether that will now also be shelved, because I honestly think that within the next few months Peter will not be able to come out with the message about The Voice. He has hurt himself in so many ways with Matthijs van Nieuwkerk.”
Suspicious
Media critic Victor Vlam also thinks that Peter was preparing for a Voice comeback, he says in the podcast The Communicados. “What I find remarkable is that a few weeks ago RTL Boulevard had a topic in which they speculated about the return of The Voice. If they come up with an item like that, I’m a little bit suspicious.”
Victor then wonders what is behind it. “They had hung it a bit on a poll, in which only 1,600 people had voted. I interpret that as that they have received a signal that RTL 4 is considering bringing it back and that this is a way to at least see how that goes down with the general public.”
‘Can’t do Peter’
Can The Voice come back? “I think that the situation with Matthijs van Nieuwkerk and the error of judgment, as he himself called it, that Peter van der Vorst made there… That actually makes it much more difficult for Peter van der Vorst to bring back The Voice” , says Victor.
He continues: “If he were to come up with that in six months’ time, for example, I think a lot of people would say: ‘Yes, but Peter, you were much too eager and much too premature in bringing in Matthijs and now you do the same with The Voice. Once again you are way too premature.’”
Ali case
The cases against Ali B and Jeroen Rietbergen will take a very long time. “So all those criminal cases have not yet been completed when you announce in six months that you will return with The Voice, so the criticism that this is too premature is logically likely. And given the blunder with Matthijs, I think they can very much expect that.”
It would be disastrous if even more incriminating information came out during a new Voice series, as happened with Matthijs. The media critic concludes: “I think I would advise them to be very cautious about this. I would really wait longer, guys.”