Unpredictable satire about the entertainment world in ‘Rundfunk: Duco and Roy’

After a TV series, film and two theater shows, the men of Rundfunk are coming up with a new series, Rundfunk: Duco and Roy. Housemates and best friends Duco Baardmans (Yannick van de Velde) and Roy Bloothooft (Tom van Kalmthout) are determined to break through as actors. One problem: the men are not talented. After yet another rejection from acting schools and casting directors, Duco and Roy remain convinced of the success that awaits them: “We are going to break through terribly hard together!”

Rundfunk: Duco and Roy is not a sequel to the earlier TV series Rundfunk (2015-2016), but is a completely new story with new characters. The series is absurdist and atypical. That’s not just the striking feature looks of the boys and the comic dialogues, but also in the form. For example, episodes four and seven do not focus on the main characters, but on some supporting roles. And the fifth episode is also out of place. For half an hour you see Duco and Roy watching TV in their dingy, noisy student house with their naked landlord and a lonely bicycle courier. Something like that can go wrong, but it works here. Rundfunk would Rundfunk not be if it were predictable.

Superficial world

With the series, Van de Velde and Van Kalmthout, who also made their directorial debut with this production, criticize their field. Duco and Roy is full of celebrities like Ruben van der Meer, Paul de Leeuw and Michiel Romeyn who play a vain, arrogant version of themselves.

Overconfidence and chest-thumping are not only an issue among celebrities, Roy and Duco can also do something about it themselves. For example, Roy sighs in episode two: “What if I’m way too handsome for this job? How can I ever credibly play someone from healthcare, for example?”

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<strong>Yannick van de Velde</strong> as Duco Dico Baardmans and <strong>Tom van Kalmthout</strong> as Roy Bloothoofd during the recording of Rundfunk in Zaandam.” class=”dmt-article-suggestion__image” src=”https://images.nrc.nl/tquSmHgi3NtUYhOCihDuOqbjLF4=/160×96/smart/filters:no_upscale()/s3/static.nrc.nl/bvhw/files/2022/08/data89581763-decf0b.jpg”/></p><p>In addition to the acting world, various social themes are also mocked: cancel culture, gender diversity, slumlords, alcohol abuse, transgressive behavior.  Various heavy topics are discussed, but everything is embedded in a context of unusual situations and well-timed one-liners, so that even an episode about a terrorist attack never becomes heavy material.</p><p>For example, Roy finds out during the television evening in episode five that he has participated in the program <em>Dating on Drugs</em> – a parody of dating shows like <em>The Villa</em> and <em>Temptation Island</em>, who have come under fire several times for sexual abuse.  Roy had forgotten his participation due to the drugs.  As he watches his date abuse him, Roy remains positive.  After all, he had a beautiful face on national television.</p><p>Van de Velde and Van Kalmthout once again prove to have an excellent grasp of the absurdist genre.  The men push the boundaries of political correctness and are not afraid to go beyond them.  Although the dialogues are often uncomfortable and at times even downright bizarre, they are spoken as normal text, resulting in bizarre scenes.  The mix of very lame, sharp, clumsy and rude jokes makes… <em>Duco and Roy </em>a wild and extremely entertaining ride<em>.</em></p><p><span class=https://youtu.be/BzdB4SkC9Io?si=QC4j8WHRfMVi_NmO


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