The Dutch TV culture

| Lisa Waldera

Lisa Waldera (24) is a master’s student Communication Studies from Bremen, Germany. For three years now, she’s been living on campus. Next to her study, she regularly visits the cinema and enjoys concerts of all music genres. Every other week she writes about her life at the University of Twente.

Photo by: Annabel Jeuring

I started watching Dutch TV shows and series regularly. It is an easy way to learn about culture and language. While I preferred English shows with Dutch subtitles in the beginning, I was able to move on to Dutch shows by now. The range of available talk shows did not disappoint. I barely remember watching a talk show before. Here, everything is presented, promoted, discussed and explained in a daily discussion round. Every channel seems to have their own studio with a round table and one or two hosts. Recently, even with changing hosts every day.

What I otherwise appreciate are the familiar tv formats that are also being shown in different countries. First Dates, The Voice, All you need is love, Boer zoekt vrouw. Now that I think about it. There are quite a lot of the same shows in Germany and the Netherlands. However, I started noticing some differences. I think especially with these familiar formats, cultural differences pop out more. Everything is allowed on Dutch TV. Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, Nudity. Every topic is being discussed. And actually, I came to appreciate this. The Dutch TV culture is very liberal. Jokes about sex seem to be a daily fare. Casts are ethnically diverse. Oh and Belgian people are being made fun of all the time.  

Another difference I noticed is the number of used swearwords. I am not used to people being so expressive and still be allowed to appear on the next show. No one on Dutch TV has to ever watch their words. A plus is that I learned a whole lot of swearwords in no time.

But I have one more question. I am aware that the Netherlands is a small country but why are always the same people participating in every single show? It seems as if RTL is employing 10 people who are constantly rotating to fill seats in celebrity quiz shows. But I guess that is why there are also many British and German channels available.

The only disadvantage is that I find German TV quite shallow now. No one is testing the effects of drugs. No swearwords. And no Eva Jinek. While Dutch people go for confrontation with difficult topics, Germans just do not discuss it on TV at all. Boring.

Recommended

  • EN
  • NL

De ondergrondse campus

Speciaal voor de kersverse eerstejaars onthult columnist Hiska Bakker een bijzonder campusgeheim. 'Alleen een klein groepje ingewijden weet dit. Aan hen de taak om anderen in veiligheid te brengen als dat nodig is. Afgestudeerd of een baan elders? Dan wordt een opvolger gezocht.'
  • EN
  • NL

The underground campus

Columnist Hiska Bakker reveals a special campus secret for our brand-new freshmen. 'Only a small group of insiders knows this. It’s their job to get others to safety should the need arise. Did someone graduate or find a job elsewhere? Then they look for a successor.'
  • EN
  • NL

Ontspoorde doctor

De column van Wiendelt Steenbergen uit het meest recente Campus Magazine, over rechten en plichten die komen kijken bij een doctorstitel. 'Stel nu dat iemand die aan de Universiteit Twente gepromoveerd is later het eerder uitgesproken vertrouwen overduidelijk beschaamt...'
  • EN
  • NL

Wayward doctor

Wiendelt Steenbergen's column from the latest Campus Magazine, on rights and duties that come with a doctoral degree. 'Suppose that someone who got their PhD at the University of Twente blatantly betrays the trust...'
  • EN
  • NL

Tinky Winky en seks

Vanuit Enschede fiets ik de campus op door het Pinetum. Een van mijn meest favoriete plekken: een glooiend landschap met een verzameling coniferen uit alle continenten en een slingerend fietspad dat van de drukke Hengelosestraat naar het autoluwe terrein van de uni voert. Een krachtige lentezon maakt het gras felgroen. En opeens denk ik aan Po, Laa-laa, Dipsy en Tinky Winky.
  • EN
  • NL

Tinky Winky and sex

I’m cycling from Enschede towards campus through the Pinetum. One of my all-time favourite places: a rolling landscape with a collection of conifers from all continents and a winding bike path that leads from the busy Hengelosestraat to the university’s almost car-free grounds. A powerful spring sun colours the grass bright green. And suddenly, Po, Laa-laa, Dipsy and Tinky Winky come to mind. The Teletubbies.
  • EN
  • NL

Playing in times of crisis

Is life a game? Or is it deadly serious? Take, for example, student pranks that are sometimes dismissed as being frivolous or even inappropriate in our time of all sorts of crises. Think of students walking around with a big wooden mallet slung over their shoulder for days during the introduction. Or with a pink tutu over their trousers. The artwork The Head suddenly wearing a tie. Or practical jokes by colleagues.
  • EN
  • NL

Spelen in crisistijd

Is het leven een spel? Of is het bittere ernst? Neem nu studentengrappen die soms worden veroordeeld als lichtzinnig of zelfs ongepast in onze tijd van allerlei crises. Studenten bijvoorbeeld die tijdens de introductie dagenlang rondlopen met een grote houten hamer over de schouder. Of met een roze tutu over hun broek. Kunstwerk The Head dat opeens een stropdas draagt. Of practical jokes van collega’s.

Stay tuned

Sign up for our weekly newsletter.