The week of Twan

We were ready. By ‘we’ you shouldn't interpret the whole nation, because they were happily watching Netflix, but we at the editorial office certainly were. I've talked more about the transfer of Twan Huys to RTL than that of Ronaldo to Juventus. Simply because I found the latter much less surprising than the former.

So off we went on Monday. I even left a press dinner early because I wanted to see Twan's debut live. It's now Friday and the week can only have been a ten-ride Python card for the presenter. Time to pull up the net and check the catch.

The cheese stick issue

They weren't there. That caused unrest. In response, the whole table was filled with cheese sticks and the table was indeed full of snacks in the days that followed. I missed the love in the presentation, even when there were snacks.

The guests

They were good. Wesley Sneijder, Anne Lok, Stormy Daniels. But a good guest doesn't make good television. The conversation with Wesley Sneijder was boring and awkward. Why would you present him with an unkind phrase from Hugo Borst when he is there to be honored? The guy is retiring. Give him the respect he deserves. This is not the moment to be critical.

Then Anne Lok, there was a critical note and a tightened screw in place, but Twan just kept nodding empathetically. The editorial team made a huge blunder by not seeking a response and gathering information from the magazine Privé. Anne Lok said she had off the record briefly spoken to a journalist from Privé over the phone when in reality she received the journalist at home for two hours (two hours, TWO HOURS), showed app conversations with Alexander Pechtold, and even posed for photos. She would have sent her resignation letter on Tuesday evening so they could create a publicity pyramid with the Late Night broadcast and the appearance of Privé. Twan really, really, REALLY missed something here. To Anne Lok I would like to say: if you are going to pose for the camera, wear something other than those chewed-up boots and that balloon skirt. Anyway.

The critiques

Twan received two ‘Angela de Jongetjes’ in four days. One mildly critical, the second quite harsh. And rightly so. Luuk Ikink (I still have to get used to him suddenly being presented everywhere as a media expert with his own opinion, but that must be on me) thought that Late Night with Twan is much earlier than it was with Humberto. Did I find that unkind? I believe so.

The viewing figures

They were not good. RTL Late Night is languishing in the lower regions of the viewing figure top 25 and is not much better than RTL Late Night with Humberto Tan. Every beginning is difficult, every talk show seems to need space and oxygen to thrive, so we will wait a little longer and know at least that Twan and the team are listening to us (hence the snacks), but for now, I still miss Humberto and his editorial team. Quite a bit. A lot.