Tuesday 16 December 2008

Dutch QI

A Dutch version of QI will begin broadcasting in the Netherlands on the 27th December. Details are thin on the ground at the moment but we do know that it will still be called QI and it is presented by Arthur Japin, a popular Dutch author and regular guest comedian Thomas van Luyn. This is the first time that QI's format has been sold abroad.

Some parts of The Netherlands already receive the British QI because some parts of the country receive BBC TV broadcasts from over the channel. More details if and when we get them (unfortunately the language barrier has prevented us from learning about this until now).

Edit (18/12/08):

Thank you very much to the people who have added a few comments about the Dutch show. To reiterate those comments, there may well still be tickets to recordings. Unlike the British version it would appear that the Dutch version is being produced with a much shorter edit time so if you're in the Netherlands you might have a chance to go and see one. The website you want is here. Also, for non-residents of the Netherlands, you may find that the show is available outside of the country here after it has been shown (much like iPlayer). Lets hope for some English subtitles.

In the meantime, we'd love for someone who's fluent in Dutch and English to get in touch about writing some reviews of the show when it airs towards the end of this month. Obviously we'd prefer fans of the British version who can give us a comparison between the two. If you're interested send us an email and we'll get in touch.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

The recordings are in progress and as far as I know there are still some tickets available for the recordings, You can find more info on http://omroep.vara.nl/Q-I.1643.0.html or call 0900-0123 (if you're in the Netherlands, that is)

I'm not 100% sure but I think the shows will be available to watch online after they are, at www.uitzendinggemist.nl

Kasper said...

I'm Dutch and a bit skeptical about this. Arthur Japin never presented anything on Dutch television before, so I guess I should give him the benefit of the doubt, but I do know none of his books ever made me laugh.

Anonymous said...

There was an interview about it on dutch tv this week and it showed some clips about the dutch version. They were too short to get a good impression but from the interview it seems like the emphasis was more on telling jokes than on being interesting. hmm... let's just hope for the best. It could still be an interesting show.

Anonymous said...

I'm also dutch and watched the interview in the talkshow ("De Wereld Draait Door") last week. Seemed to confirm what I already feared: that Japin isn't going to good enough. It was nice to hear he is a great fan of the original (as am I), but the clips they showed really were quite terrible. Japin doesn't seem to be interacting with the guest like Fry does it, but just reads them the anwser after they're done guessing. I still hope I'm wrong about this, and I know it was his first time presenting a television show, so there is a chance he will show huge improvement, but it doesn't seem too promising.

Also disappointing to see they recycled english questions, instead of doing new research, it's going to take a bit of the fun out if it for those of us who have already seen the original.

I do think Thomas van Luyn is a very good choice for the regular contestant, he's a funny guy, especially when he get's competetive. Though it damages the credibility of the show a bit that he (a self proclaimed fan of the british version) supposedly doesn't already know the anwsers to the recycled questions.

This might be getting a bit too dutch, but I really think they should have asked Wim T. Schippers (avant-garde artist/television maker) to do this. Not only was he brilliant at presenting the similar National Science Quiz, he also is one of the very few persons I can think of that have Fry's wit, gravitas, as well his really nice way of keeping conversation and the skills to present a quiz show.

ro rebbel said...

Guess what? I am also Dutch.
Although i didn't see the item in "De Wereld Draait Door" i am, too, afraid that it'll be a weak attempt to be quite funny...
As is, imho, the case with "Dit Was Het Nieuws" (apart from the first one or two seasons)and the Dutch version of "Never Mind...."
Wim T. would be nice indeed.
And maybe also good for the job: Adriaan van D.

But let's be un-Dutch and give them a chance...!