It would be an outright hit on SBS 6: a TV soap over the moles. A glimpse with Linda, John and Johnny de Mol guarantees high viewing figures. “But John cannot be poking for that.”
Gert Verhulst, a kind of Flemish mini-john de Mol, has had a successful television soap at our southern neighbors for years. With us John would not be to poke for something like that, his son Johnny de Mol believes. “I sometimes say to that old man: we will!? But our family is very different, much more reserved,” he says in De Telegraaf.
Mediaschuw
Certainly since the entire voice scandal, the moles are extremely mediaschuw. “We don’t do much in publicity, certainly not when it comes to our private life,” he says. “Next month I will be in the Linda with my family. My wife Anouk especially, with an extensive story. And the children also come into the picture, but a bit covered.”
John last celebrated his 70th birthday in Marrakesh; That must have been very soapy. “There we were there after twenty years after we celebrated his fiftieth. It was a great party. With the biggest surprise and highlight for him a video that we had recorded in his office.”
Funny video
What kind of video then? “With our children such as John, Els and Linda. Little John comes, just like him, comes in his coat over his Emmy as John often does and then sits down behind the desk. It was very good and was very popular.”
In any case, they keep that family fun indoors. Too bad, says Telegraaf reporter Jordi Versteegden. “But if you want … I mean: Massa is cash register in terms of viewing figures. If you really want a viewing figure hit on SBS … I am sure the family will score De Mol,” he says in the podcast Strictly private.
Dad doesn’t want
Colleague Evert Santegoeds indeed thinks that John would never agree with a TV soap. “Of course you don’t get dad that he’s all that he has and keep his house and his house and his plane and his plane and show everything. No, that is not the De Mol family. The Verhulstjes do, and with success, but that is simply not possible in the Netherlands.”
“The Netherlands is not there either, that you can show what you have achieved. That only causes crooked faces. That only causes jealousy. That is different in Belgium and completely natural in America. (…) In the Netherlands that is all only reason for envy and misery.