The Famous of Flanders
For BSCW members, a significant opportunity to sell your work exists abroad, particularly in Europe. Gill Smith caught up with Top Belgian comedian Jacques Vermeire to find out a little more about Flemish comedy.

Jacques describes the cunningly named "The Jacques Vermeire Show" as a show of two main parts. First there are short sketches and quickies, filmed on location and supplied mainly by the British who he says "have a long tradition in this respect." Secondly there are longer sketches, usually with a strong Flemish bent to them. Jacques says that "This sort of humour would probably not work in Britain, but for a popular Flemish comedy show it is indispensable." His show is a run of thirteen episodes, two of which are compilations. It is shown once a week for a thirteen week run each year. The show is on VTM, a commercial channel, and is aimed at the 18-44 group, but Jacques is pleased that it gains a much wider audience.

To give our members an idea of what to expect of the show, Jacques described which English programs have similarities: "As far as the quickies are concerned, Benny Hill immediately comes to mind. Our stand-ups are to a certain extent influenced by Jasper Carrott." As for what Jacques himself watches, he believes that "British comedians and comedy series are too renowned and too good to be ignored, and I really like them."

Interestingly, international comedy was not always easily accessible: "British humour found its way to Belgium only at the end of the sixties, beginning of the seventies. I learnt to appreciate Peter Sellers and Monty Python's Flying Circus." Jacques has a few favourites: "I especially love the classics: On the Buses, Fawlty Towers, Benny Hill, Tommy Cooper, 'Allo 'Allo, Alas Smith and Jones, also Monty Python." Jacques finds a lot of things funny, across a wide range of comedy styles but "I am not so much interested in people who do pretty much the same thing as I do: I have a reputation for funny faces and so I am not so interested in Jim Carrey's work." Modestly he adds, "But who am I to compare myself to Jim Carrey?"

I wanted to know how Jacques became interested in working in comedy: "I have always liked to do comedy. Everyone knows what he is more or less good at. Some people play football, others like mathematics… and when I was a kid I performed comedy in front of my fellow boy-scouts... after a while I started playing in theatres for a small fee." Like many other comedians, Jacques did not fall straight into a full time comedy career, nor did he want to: "At first I had no ambition to be a fulltime comedian. I wanted to take an average job and do comedy in my spare moments, which I actually did for quite a number of years." From this, Jacques went on to appear in a game show called 'De Drie Wijzen' or 'The Three Wise Men' and this led to a New Year's Eve Special on VRT, the public broadcaster, followed by a part in a sitcom.

Like many celebrities, Jacques big opportunity was offered by the start of a commercial channel. In Flanders, this first channel - VTM - started as recently as 1989. This gave him the opportunity for his own television show, another sitcom part and a game show all on VTM: "These three programmes are successful, which, however, was not a foregone conclusion: you always need a bit of luck in television."

I asked Jacques what was the best thing about having his own show: "Fame: being a celebrity opens a lot of doors: people want you to perform in their theatres, they want to buy things with your name on it, etc..." However this does also have its down side, as Jacques worries that the public will grow bored with him. "That is the great risk of being on television year after year for 13 consecutive weeks with a sketch-show in which you play all the main characters. My New Year's Eve Special on VRT was less risky in that respect...(VTM) had a New Year's Eve show with all their celebrities, but most of the viewers watched my Special on VRT: we had 70% market share."

However in the sitcom, this is very different: "Playing in the VTM-sitcom (Verschoten & Zoon, about a garage manager and his son) is also less risky than doing the Jacques Vermeire Show, because although I have the main part in the sitcom, other characters are far more on the foreground than in my sketch-series."

Unlike many comedians who deny believing they are funny people, Jacques reflects "I suppose I am fairly funny. I am a comedian after all. It is my job to be funny. I cannot imagine David Beckham answering 'no' when he is asked if he can play football. On the other hand, I am a rather quiet person privately." This does of course have a downside "people do expect me to be funny all the time, certainly when I go out for dinner, for example. To some of them it comes as a bit of a surprise when I am having a serious discussion." Jacques wouldn't want to be a constant joker, surrounded by attention, but believes that being Flemish has advantages here "I am rather introverted. Not that I am worried about that. Comedians like Rowan Atkinson are probably a lot more reserved than I am. But then Britain is a country where a lot of celebrities need bodyguards, whereas the famous of Flanders still have to do their own shopping."

Between these shopping trips, Jacques is very proud of his two young children, having only recently started a family. One goal in life is to ensure their continuing good life. However, even as one of the country's top comics, this isn't as easy as it might seem "I have the impression that - for celebrities at least - it is easier to make a lot of money in Britain than it is in Flanders. I may be mistaken, but I have the idea that one good show in Britain should do to make a living, certainly as Britain is a world market. We have a market of only a few square metres, so to speak, and I have to work very hard for three programmes at the same time to be worth my pay." And when the contract with VTM runs out? "After that I will look for something different to do professionally."

Jacques has also made a film 'Max'. He explains his involvement: "It is not a trifle to make a film in Flanders, but the really tricky thing is to convince more than 27 people to come and watch a Flemish film in the cinema. In other words, there is not much of a chance to make big money out of a Flemish film. It is a risky enterprise. I was involved in most aspects of the production of the film, I put money in the project, and I was the main actor as well as co-producer... Out of a potential 6 million viewers, 700,000 people came to see the film in the cinema. By our standards, that is a box-office hit, and I am very proud of that."

I thought that something must annoy such a positive, modest, fascinating representative of the 'Famous of Flanders.' "Unfair criticism. Criticism can be very useful, but I resent journalists who are out to destroy you completely, especially if they themselves are total failures in any creative business." This seems fair enough. Jacques continues "They are also the sort of people who start fencing with concepts like 'freedom of press', especially if you dare to have comments on what they write about you." As an English girl who hasn't seen much of 'The Jacques Vermeire Show', when he moved on to a complaint about critics who don't really know all the facts of your career, I decided it was time to move on...

In the next e-zine, Jacques tells us what sort of work he's looking for from BSCW writers, how to submit your work to him, and how decisions are taken over what gets to go into the show.