Willy's en Marjetten
Encyclopedia
Willy's en Marjetten is a Flemish
comedy TV series
created by Neveneffecten
and Bart De Pauw. The first season aired on Één
in 2006. The program was produced by Woestijnvis
.
Each episode takes the form of a broadcast made by a fictional pirate television station
from a fictional small-minded village in East-Flanders, manned by a small number of VJs who introduce various sketches
disguised as news
or human interest reports. The style of both the program and its official website is deliberately amateur
ish. Most episodes involve a framing story which intertwines with certain sketches. Many characters are recurring and feature several catchphrases. The series sometimes includes sketches about current news, such as a baby found at a railway station, but also reacted to some negative critique, not taking itself too seriously.
Originally, a 13-episode series was planned. However, shortly before the end of 2006 the VRT
announced that the final two episodes would not air, because of mixed reception and lower than expected audience shares, and that the eleventh episode (broadcast on 31 December 2006) would be a clip show. Though there are no current plans, a sequel has been considered.
The final episode included some new material, showing the main cast, now homeless, trying to survive a cold winter night out on the street. As the episode progressed, their condition deteriorated due to malnutrition
and hypothermia
. At the episode's end, a final shot showed the main characters had frozen to death.
It was reasoned that the show's absurd humour and satire might have had more success on Canvas, the public network
's cultural channel (Één
had shown programs with similar humour in the past, but had since become more family-oriented). Even though the series disappointed in audience shares in its original run, it has since gained popularity as a cult show, with the internet providing more suitable audiences; on sited such as youtube
several sketches have had twice as many viewers than when aired on television.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
comedy TV series
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
created by Neveneffecten
Neveneffecten (cabaret)
Neveneffecten is a Flemish cabaret quartet formed by Jonas Geirnaert, Lieven Scheire, Koen De Poorter and Jelle De Beule.-History:Their first tv appearance consisted of cousins Jonas Geirnaert and Lieven Scheire beating up a big teddybear dressed as giant bunnies and was badly received by the...
and Bart De Pauw. The first season aired on Één
EEN
EEN may refer to:* Eastern Educational Television Network, the original name for American Public Television.* Elemental Energy, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game booster pack.* Emerald Energy, an oil company...
in 2006. The program was produced by Woestijnvis
Woestijnvis
Woestijnvis is an independent Flemish television production company.-History:The name of the company refers to a famous mistake of a quiz-candidate in the Flemish version of Wheel of Fortune: the remaining letters were W . . ST . . NV . S and somebody answered "WOESTIJNVIS" , the correct answer...
.
Each episode takes the form of a broadcast made by a fictional pirate television station
Pirate television
A pirate television station is a broadcast television station that operates without a broadcast license. Like its counterpart pirate radio, the term pirate TV lacks a specific universal interpretation...
from a fictional small-minded village in East-Flanders, manned by a small number of VJs who introduce various sketches
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
disguised as news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
or human interest reports. The style of both the program and its official website is deliberately amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
ish. Most episodes involve a framing story which intertwines with certain sketches. Many characters are recurring and feature several catchphrases. The series sometimes includes sketches about current news, such as a baby found at a railway station, but also reacted to some negative critique, not taking itself too seriously.
Originally, a 13-episode series was planned. However, shortly before the end of 2006 the VRT
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
announced that the final two episodes would not air, because of mixed reception and lower than expected audience shares, and that the eleventh episode (broadcast on 31 December 2006) would be a clip show. Though there are no current plans, a sequel has been considered.
The final episode included some new material, showing the main cast, now homeless, trying to survive a cold winter night out on the street. As the episode progressed, their condition deteriorated due to malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
and hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
. At the episode's end, a final shot showed the main characters had frozen to death.
It was reasoned that the show's absurd humour and satire might have had more success on Canvas, the public network
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
's cultural channel (Één
EEN
EEN may refer to:* Eastern Educational Television Network, the original name for American Public Television.* Elemental Energy, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game booster pack.* Emerald Energy, an oil company...
had shown programs with similar humour in the past, but had since become more family-oriented). Even though the series disappointed in audience shares in its original run, it has since gained popularity as a cult show, with the internet providing more suitable audiences; on sited such as youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
several sketches have had twice as many viewers than when aired on television.
External links
- Willy's en Marjetten at één.be