television/the Theatre of the absurd From Christian radio to the first televised breasts, VPRO has navigated an obscure path to become a broadcaster with a clear vision of adventure, 19th-century anthropologist roam around surrealism and optimism in its programming. the Netherlands and examine well-known local subcultures as if they were com- By Venetia Rainey pletely foreign. In another, a Dutch pho- Photography Jussi Puikkonen tographer travels down the Yangtze River to speak to ordinary Chinese people about their country. A third, due to be aired later this year, takes an international look at the current and future role of artificial intelligence in people’s lives and what it means to be human. “We are always asking questions about this world,” says Stan van Engelen, editor in chief of the television depart- ment, which produces about 2,000 hours of shows a year. “Our programmes are a translation of those constant struggles.” This is not straightforward network television; think of it more as the broad- casting equivalent of the weekend paper. And the closest the network comes to the news is its “future affairs” show Tegenlicht, or Backlight (see page 159). could be compared to Vice TV (but for adults and perhaps watched by more people). Its eccentric and gripping content, which is aired on npo because vpro doesn’t have 1 2 its own channel, has no real competition Surrounded by cameras, a grey-haired Omroep, or Liberal Protestant Radio (1) Singer Giovanca Ostiana (2) in the Dutch market – and perhaps not in Frenchman dressed in black methodically Broadcasting Corporation, began life as Filming ‘Free Sounds’ (3) ‘Made the world. turns the crank on a hurdy-gurdy. Next to a Christian organisation back in 1926. in Europe’ advert (4) VPRO office Part of this is down to the fact that (5) Branded coffee break 6( ) Flo him, a young Dutchman works his fingers However, it later shed its religious affili- de Haan and Celine Dechamps Engelen likes to push his work “almost up and down an alto clarinet, the instru- ation and made its name pushing the putting content online to the edge of it becoming art”, with ments’ notes merging to create something boundaries of what could be shown on an emphasis on innovative storytelling between jazz and folk. Dutch television during the 1950s and 4 forms. “You [as a viewer] have to put your Throughout the rest of the day the 1960s, most notably broadcasting the first energy into it,” he adds. “It’s a risky way same cameras will record a German pair of televised breasts in 1967 as part of of making television these days but I think ensemble playing Renaissance-era melo- legendary visual artist Wim T Schippers’ that might be quite a Dutch thing because dies inspired by Martin Luther’s com- Hoepla programme. it’s very stubborn. We take a lot of risks. positions and a Belgian band fusing pop, These days the broadcast association There is an unwritten rule here that you rock, folk and classical music. It’s just is a bit more regular, enjoying a €66m don’t go looking for the easiest way.” another average Tuesday for the crew yearly budget, including support from Cue Made in Europe, which aired ear- behind vpro’s popular Free Sounds pro- 300,000 paying members and €41m in lier this year. Based on a book of essays gramme, a wonderful 50-minute Sunday- state funding. It employs 318 staff at its by the late Dutch journalist Pieter Steinz, morning show that is a classic example sprawling office in Hilversum (a media the fascinating eight-part documentary of the sort of outward-looking, unusual, enclave just outside ) to create series explored the culture and art that in-depth content that the Dutch televi- television and radio for national broad- bind an increasingly fractured continent, sion network is known for. caster npo, plus online content for its own from Beethoven and Pussy Riot to James “We don’t want to do what every- website and a printed weekly guide. Yet Joyce and Lego. one else is doing,” says Free Sounds the network still prides itself on produc- “We thought it was very interest- producer Barbara Duives as she takes a ing excellent work that goes off the beaten ing to use this book to tell a story about break between sets. “We see our show as track, straying into the absurd. Europe,” says Maarten Slagboom, a jour- adventurous.” One particularly interesting televi- nalist, researcher and editor who worked This might as well be the tagline for sion programme, De Hokjesman (The on the series. “Not about bureaucracy, vpro. The Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Pigeon Hole Man), sees a fictional Brexit and financial crises but the other 3 5 158 — monocle — no105 no105 — monocle — 159 6 television/ the netherlands

5 6 Europe: what we have in common and Key shows what people often forget.” This quest for a different perspective Tegenlicht (Backlight): A weekly marks all of vpro’s television output, from formatless documentary show that documentaries and music shows to youth explores “future affairs”. programming and dramas. The network also has a whole department called Dorst, 1 or Thirst, where young artists can try out (1) Villa VPRO (2) Maarten Slagboom (3) Nel more experimental ideas. Koopman has worked at VPRO for about 40 “vpro has pioneering and experi- years (4) Filming ‘Free Sounds’ (5) ‘Free Sounds’ studio in Utrecht (6) Lunchtime (7) Managing menting in its dna,” says Slagboom. “It’s director Lennart van der Meulen (8) Stan van always researching new forms of making Engelen, editor in chief of the TV department television. For us it is not a disposable medium; we want something to be worth (Sunday 7 seeing two or three times.” with Lubach): A weekly satirical “We are Considering it was about art and news show hosted by comedian Europe (“Two words that people find . always asking kind of offensive,” says Slagboom, laugh- questions ing), Made in Europe did well, garnering about this about 275,000 viewers weekly. Its target 8 world. Our audience, the Dutch creative class, is programmes around two to three million strong. vpro’s in a serious effort to do so, by subtitling travel documentaries regularly get about its programmes into other European are a 700,000 viewers weekly. The most popular languages and distributing them for free translation of show on the network, Sunday with Lubach – on YouTube thanks to funding from the those constant a sort of Dutch version of John Oliver’s Zenith: Black comedy series for European Commission. struggles” Last Week Tonight – now gets upwards teenagers about two children whose Located on the fourth floor of the 2 parents have replaced themselves of one million viewers. Its host, Arjen with robots. network’s headquarters – an architec- Lubach, is the closest thing vpro has to tural triumph designed by Dutch agency travel series and world stories. Their focus a celebrity presenter. The comedian shot mvrdv that’s known as Villa vpro – just is currently Spain, France, , the to fame after his satirical “Netherlands outside Amsterdam, the YouTube team’s UK and Ireland, with Germany in their second” video mocking desk doesn’t look out of the ordinary. sights further down the line. went viral and was aped by countries But this is one of the few places in the Some may think vpro’s content is across the world. sprawling building where Dutch is not too unconventional and left-leaning to Overall, however, the broadcaster king. “vpro is well known here but not gain widespread appeal but managing eschews widely recognised names in so much abroad,” says Celine Dechamps, director Lennart van der Meulen is bull- favour of experts and opinion leaders who Himmler’s Hersens Heten who helps put content online and seed it ish about the network’s prospects and are well known within their field, some- Heydrich (Himmler’s Brain is on social media. “Some people who are stridently defends its unapologetically Called Heydrich): A docu-drama thing its loyal but fiercely critical audience series about an attack on a top Nazi passionate about documentaries know liberal outlook. “I think that if you define appreciates. Made in Europe, for example, by two Czech soldiers in 1942. us because we win awards but the rest of your public as the creative class you can was presented by Belgian writer and poet the world does not. So we’re trying to get reach an audience that is not only Dutch. Dimitri Verhulst, who few outside the more attention.” “In the fight between patriotism and Benelux literary world are likely to have The team runs three channels: the globalism, we are globalists,” he adds, heard of. most popular, Metropolis, features short gesturing outside at the trees that can This doesn’t mean that vpro isn’t videos about strange habits all over the be seen from his floor-to-ceiling office interested in reaching outside the Dutch- world presented by locals; another col- windows. “We are rather optimistic but I speaking world. In fact, it claims to be the lects classic vpro documentaries such as think you can’t be too optimistic in this only network in the Netherlands engaged The Pigeon Hole Man; and a third shows time.” — (m) 3 4 160 — monocle — no105 no105 — monocle — 161