Barend Is Weer Bezig
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''Barend is weer bezig'' () was a Dutch television show written and directed by
Wim T. Schippers Willem Theodoor "Wim T." Schippers (; born 1 July 1942) is a Dutch artist, comedian, television director, and voice actor. During the 1960s, he worked mostly as a visual artist, associated with the international Fluxus-movement. As a television ...
with
Wim van der Linden Wim van der Linden (1 January 1941, Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 ...
, Gied Jaspars, and
Ruud van Hemert Ruud van Hemert (29 October 1938 – 5 July 2012) was a Dutch film director known especially for (dark) comedy. In the 1970s he helped produce and direct TV shows on VPRO before starting a career as a film director. Biography Ruud van Heme ...
and broadcast by the
VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for ''Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep'', lit. 'Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcaster', nowadays known as ''Omroepvereniging VPRO'') is a Netherlands, Dutch Public broadcasting, public broadca ...
in 1972-1973. The show was produced by Ellen Jens. Four regular episodes and a Christmas special were made. The series caused considerable controversy, particularly because of a scene in which the then-reigning
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke ...
was mocked.


Genesis and content

The show was built around the character of Barend Servet, a clumsy journalist played by IJf Blokker, who had first appeared in the 1971 TV show ''
De Fred Haché Show ''De Fred Haché Show'' is a 1971 Dutch television show written and directed for the VPRO by Wim T. Schippers, Ruud van Hemert, Wim van der Linden, and Gied Jaspars. The show marked the return to television for Schippers, van der Linden, and J ...
''. Other characters who returned from the ''Hachéshow'' were Sjef van Oekel (played by
Dolf Brouwers Dolf Brouwers (31 August 1912 – 23 September 1997) was a Dutch comedian, singer, and television actor who rose to fame late in life playing the character Sjef van Oekel in the 1970s satirical television shows aired on VPRO, written and directed ...
) and Fred Haché (played by
Harry Touw Harry Touw (7 April 1924 – 14 April 1994) was a Dutch comedian and television actor from The Hague, who rose to national prominence playing the characters Otto Kolkvet and Fred Haché in the satirical comedy shows written and directed by Wi ...
). In typical Wim T. Schippers fashion the show, like its predecessor, derived its comedy from low-brow humor involving silly costumes, dog turds, nudity, and chaos; it combined the trivial and banal with controversial content. To some the show appeared to be 'anti-television' (a hidden protest against TV productions being too polished and error free.)Schumacher 247. There were four episodes plus a Christmas special, ''Waar heb dat nou voor nodig''. ("What Does It Need to be Like That Anyway?") The Christmas special was notable, especially for two songs written by Schippers and Van Mechelen for Dolf Brouwers, "Vette jus" ("Fat Gravy") and "Juliana onze vorstin" ("Juliana Our Monarch").


Controversy and praise

The show provoked national controversy with a skit in which Barend Servet interviewed
Juliana of the Netherlands Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...
(played by "Ria", one "RiMiCo ladies"); the queen drank sherry, and cleaned Brussels sprouts in order to pretend to feel close to the Dutch people, before throwing them in the trash or donating them to a children's home. The show rose quite a few questions in Dutch parliament about the depiction of Her Majesty the Queen. VPRO was reprimanded by the minister of culture, narrowly escaping having its broadcasting hours cut. While there were plenty of negative reviews, one notable supporter of ''De Fred Haché Show'' and ''Barend is weer bezig'' was Frans Haks, an art historian and critic who in 1978 became the director of the
Groninger Museum The Groninger Museum () is an art museum in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. The museum exhibits modern and contemporary art of local, national, and international artists. The museum opened in 1874. The current post-modernist building c ...
(where he became known and controversial for his appreciation of avant-garde art). In the '' Museumjournaal'', a well-established magazine for art and art history, he praised the show and said that its apparent clumsiness and triviality in "een geprofileerd and consistent kunstbegrip", "a well-shaped and consistent conception of art". His article also provoked strong reactions: the issue sold out quickly, at the same time that some readers canceled their subscriptions.


Main cast

* IJf Blokker - Barend Servet *
Harry Touw Harry Touw (7 April 1924 – 14 April 1994) was a Dutch comedian and television actor from The Hague, who rose to national prominence playing the characters Otto Kolkvet and Fred Haché in the satirical comedy shows written and directed by Wi ...
- Otto Kolkvet *
Dolf Brouwers Dolf Brouwers (31 August 1912 – 23 September 1997) was a Dutch comedian, singer, and television actor who rose to fame late in life playing the character Sjef van Oekel in the 1970s satirical television shows aired on VPRO, written and directed ...
- Sjef van Oekel * Cor Brak - Gerrit Dekzeil *Elisabeth Roelink, Mieke van de Sande, and Bertina Maas - the RiMiCo ladies


DVD release

The four episodes and the Christmas special were released on DVD as part 3 of ''Wim T. Schippers' Televisiepraktijken - sinds 1962''; bonus material includes and the television plays ''De ondergang van de Onan'' (April 1976) and ''Echo's uit het Alpendal'' (August 1976).


Comic strip

In 1971 the TV show was adapted into a celebrity comic, ''Bakken aan de bar'', drawn by the main actors themselves:
Harry Touw Harry Touw (7 April 1924 – 14 April 1994) was a Dutch comedian and television actor from The Hague, who rose to national prominence playing the characters Otto Kolkvet and Fred Haché in the satirical comedy shows written and directed by Wi ...
and IJf Blokker.


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barend is weer bezig 1972 Dutch television series debuts 1973 Dutch television series endings Dutch drama television series Wim T. Schippers 1970s Dutch television series Scandals in the Netherlands Dutch-language television shows Dutch comedy television series Dutch satirical television shows Television shows adapted into comics Television controversies in the Netherlands Political controversies in television Cultural depictions of Dutch monarchs Cultural depictions of female monarchs Lèse-majesté