Bassie and Adriaan
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| Bassie & Adriaan | |
|---|---|
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| Format | Adventure |
| Created by | Aad van Toor e.a. |
| Starring | Aad van Toor Bas van Toor Paul van Gorcum e.a. |
| Country of origin | Netherlands |
| No. of episodes | 144 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes (without commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nederland 2 (TROS) |
| Original run | 1978 – 1995 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
Bassie and Adriaan (born Bas and Aad van Toor) are a hugely popular clown and acrobat duo who had their own television series, taped between 1976 and 1993 and are still household names in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Prior to their television adventures Bassie and Adriaan were successful acrobats (The Crocksons) performing in circuses home and abroad. The first three series feature a parrot called Sweety as the first in a row of non-human sidekicks, it was subsequently replaced by Lara (Adriaan's dog, who died in 1992) and Robin, a robot born out of Bassie's attempt to fix a radio and an alarm clock. Bassie and Adriaan were long time fixtures on public broadcaster TROS but from the early Nineties on re-runs of the series were shown on commercial children's channel Kindernet; it's follow-up, the Dutch version of the American children's channel Nickelodeon continued to do so.
The series were shown as episodes ranging from ten to thirteen and have recognisable plots; Bassie and Adriaan get involved in criminal schemes by the clumsiest of all baddies, they get framed and spend the rest of the series tracking down the criminals and turning them over to the police. Some of the series are (so-called) treasure hunting trips leading them to exotic places in the south of Europe, like Spain, the Canary Islands and Greece. Well-known crooks in the series are the mafioso type "B1", the partly deaf "B2" (whose "Watzeggie ?" translates as "Saywhat ?" ), the misery magnet "B100" who looks more like a detective than a crook, the dud bomb producing "Handige Harry" ("Handy Harry"), the jewel snatching burglar "Vlugge Japie" ("Fast Jack"), and the evil masterminded "Baron" ("the Genius" to his US contacts). The last two seasons were filmed on location across Europe and the United States.
In 2003 Bassie and Adriaan embarked on their farewell tour, but six months before the last show fate had other plans; Adriaan was diagnosed with cancer and played his last show on July 31. For a while Bassie thought that this was just an excuse to duck out of the tour. Although Adriaan is now cured, he remains retired. Bassie made amends with his brother and continues performing jokes as a one-man show in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Initially Adriaan was replaced by a female magician, but children didn't accept her. A personal feud between her and Bassie ended the tour before it even started. His current show Bassie en zijn vrienden (Bassie and friends) does a lot better than the one with the magician and he also returned to making television series. Bassie and Adriaan turned their successful television series into a profitable company, selling products like comic books, DVDs and even sliced bread toppings with a Bassie faced core (the so-called Bassieworst).
The following series were aired on Dutch public television:
- 1976: Series 1 - Bassie en Adriaan en "de Plaaggeest" ("The Bully")
The jokerman-style Bully sabotages Bassie and Adriaan's alarm clock, leaving them abandoned by the circus entourage. With no dime to spend they pursue other jobs where a few more nasty surprises await them. Funnily enough, their knight in shining armour looks like the Bully without the cape, hat and comedy cheeks.
NB: despite regretting his actions in an open letter, the Bully was shown the door after the first series. His image and scary laugh caused many children sleepless nights.
Memorable moment: episode 2 (re-edited)
A school headmaster employs Bassie and Adriaan as stand ins for his sick personnel; Adriaan's acrobat skills make him a suitable PE teacher while Bassie is left with the less than glamourous task of cleaning the floor, not quite what he expected when he imagined himself fronting a classroom (featuring a sailor suit wearing Adriaan). Of course the Bully is there to take the dull moments out; sabotaging the climbing rope and giving Bassie a slapper by acting as a talking statue ("Come on, let's shake hands"). Eventually the headmaster (splashed down with dirty water) decides that enough is enough and bans "the Messrs Clown and Acrobat" from his school building. With their trademark trailer disconnected, Bassie and Adriaan make their way to a tower block where the Bully seems to have taken the elevator to the top floor. After Adriaan goes up and down by staircase it appears to be a boy with a laughing machine. "A gift from the Bully".
- 1978: Series 2 - Bassie en Adriaan en "het geheim van de sleutel" ("The secret of the key")
Bassie and Adriaan take a well-earned holiday in Spain but are constantly chased by B1 and B2 who mistakenly gave Bassie a very important key. The diamond snatchers launch one attempt after another to grab it back; spiking their teas with sleeping drugs, overpowering the clown at the elevator or at the beach, sabotaging their car (B2 cuts the brakes instead of the water-supply), it all fails but back home they finally manage to lure Bassie to their car and drag him inside. After his release it transpires that the key gives access to a vault at Rotterdam Central Station; and that's where B1 and B2 (disguised as street organ players) are arrested and exposed for a shameful parade through the inner city.
- 1979: Series 3 - Bassie en Adriaan en "de diamant" ("The diamond")
Escaped from prison with their cigar-cracking boss (BB), B1 and B2 dress up as Bassie and Adriaan to steal a diamond named after the circus duo. The real ones end up with a damaged reputation and three days to prove their innocence. They manage to do so (with help from a VCR) but Bassie and Adriaan won't return to the circus; they now have their own (Circus Bassie & Adriaan was launched in March 1980; it ran for two years when lack of organisation forced them to close it down)
Memorable moment: episode 3 (re-edited)
As if a diamond named after them isn't enough, Bassie and Adriaan are also invited to have dinner with the Governor (played by Paul van Gorcum); a three-course meal solely consisting of creamcake. Bassie looks very posh in his black suit and while the others get involved in a food fight he remains spotless, but that won't last for long and at least he's fond of creamcake. Still on a high from the evening Bassie and Adriaan drive back to their trailer only to see it go up in flames (B1 and B2 were there to nick clothes for their dress-up act and accidentally knocked over a candle). Realising that Sweety is still inside, Bassie risks his life by saving the bird and ends up in hospital. He recovers to the extent that he's staging a puppet show at the children's wing.
- 1982: Series 4 - Bassie en Adriaan en "de huilende professor" ("The crying professor")
Professor Chagrijn (Prof. Chagrin) wants the whole world to be exposed to his crying gas ("Laughing is a waste of time"), starting off in the Netherlands where his assistant Joris (George) ensures that the teary-eyed become frontpage news . Bassie (immune to crying gas), Adriaan (not immune, as proven during a crying gas/laughing gas-battle) and the newly-built Robin track them down and fly to the Canary Islands to make a significant change in the formula for the crying gas bomb.
- 1987: Series 5 - Bassie en Adriaan en "het geheim van de schatkaart" ("The secret of the treasure map")
Bassie and Adriaan discover a treasure map and fly to Lanzarote to solve the clues. B2, now joining forces with Vlugge Japie (played by Bas) and the Baron (played by Aad) pursue them. The treasure appears to be a black box stuffed with pepper. Bassie and Adriaan are tied to the box but manage to free themselves. Back home the search turns out to be more fruitful than expected; the box is made of pure gold.
- 1988: Series 6 - Bassie en Adriaan en "de verdwenen kroon" ("The lost crown")
The Baron (now played by Paul van Gorcum), B2 and VJ escape from prison to steal a museum based crown. Bassie and Adriaan are instructed to bring the release money but they're heading for a boobytrap that leaves them with accusations of sticking the money in their own pockets. Time to give the crooks a taste of their own medicine.
- 1989: Series 7 - Bassie en Adriaan en "de verzonken stad" ("The drowned city")
Bassie and Adriaan take a holiday in Greece to ease their minds; an idea sadly shared by the Baron, B2 and VJ. The discovery of an ancient stone with hieropglyphs leads to another treasure hunting trip, one that could make the finder the richest man in the world. The treasure in question consists of freedom, health and happiness; you don't need to be a wise or a powerful man, let alone a Colossus of Rhodes to possess those things.
- 1992: Series 8 - Bassie en Adriaan en "de geheimzinnige opdracht" ("The mysterious mission")
Legally released from prison, the Baron is forced to replace B2 (left behind in a 'history repeats' moments) and VJ (who got itchy feet) with Handige Harry and B100. The latter is sent out to spy on Bassie and Adriaan who tour across Europe to search for parcels carrying strange jigsaw pieces. Bassie, who also seizes the opportunity to sample the international creamcakes, spots B100 (to whom he then refers as "that dodgy geezer") everywhere but fails to convince Adriaan, till they arrive in Luxembourg where the Baron stages his Operation Genious (B100: "Why do you call it Operation Genius ?". Baron: "Because 1) I made it up, and 2) I'm a genius"). Back home the jigsaw pieces appear to form the countries of the European Community.
Memorable moments: the Baron breaks his telephone everytime B100 moaningly reports that he lost sight of Bassie and Adriaan and that he's always on the receiving end. Harry is no help either with his bombs exploding either too early or too late but never at the right time. "Mistakes can happen" he explains, but as far as the Baron concerns "the only mistake I allowed to happen is now in my hands".
- 1994: Series 9 - Bassie en Adriaan en "de reis vol verrassingen" ("The journey of surprises")
The Baron learns from the whyabouts of Bassie and Adriaan's trip through Europe and apes their "mysterious missioner" by luring them to Curacao. The plan backfires, thanks to VJ nicking the parcel and exploding himself into legend. Because the crooks are out of money they stage a burglary back home and watch Bassie taking part in a television quiz; in a luck over wisdom manner he wins a trip through the United States. "Pleased to see the back of them" Harry comments. "But they won't see the back of ours" the Baron insists. Off they go for a journey that covers all aspects of America. Again Adriaan refuses to believe that B100, Harry and the Baron are chasing them, but once he does they lure the crooks to the joint island of St Martin and Sint Maarten, and the firm hands of the Dutch police.
Memorable moments B100 and Harry get on the Baron's nerves again; the former by losing sight of Bassie and Adriaan on Curacao or plugging his never-failing nose ("Keep this up and you'll end up with an ever-failing nose"); the latter by the usual bombing problems or simply smiling ("Wipe that stupid grin off your face before I'll do it"). Staging another burglary they're welcomed by Siegfried and Roy's faithful tigers, If only they listened to B100's nose.
- 1995: Series 10 - Bassie en Adriaan en "liedjes uit grootmoeders tijd" ("Songs from grandma's days")
TROS initially saw no point in airing three shows worth of children's songs from days gone by and only bought the first two, but when viewing rates proved them wrong they also went for the third show.
- Following the artistic disaster of their own circus, Bassie and Adriaan split with TROS in 1983 and took an offer to make a series of educational shorts (about 5 minutes an episode) for Belgian television. Dutch viewers took notice and it was only a moment of time before their heroes were back on TROS again. In the second half of the Eighties Bassie and Adriaan made another series of shorts in between work on feature length series.
[edit] End of an era, beginning of an era: The New Adventures of Clown Bassie
Since 2005 Bas van Toor (Bassie) is making his own TV shows, replacing Adriaan with the cast of the Bassie en zijn vriendjes roadshow. But the absence of Aad van Toor (Adriaan) means that Bas has to do all the things his brother's production company (Adrina Produkties) took care of; i.e., writing scripts, directing them, and co-writing/composing the songs. As a result the new show has a completely different feel to the original Bassie & Adriaan series, much to longtime fans' annoyance. He may never repeat the success of Bassie & Adriaan again, but Bassie landed pretty well on his feet. These are the series he made so far; they were available on DVD before even shown on television. A third one is expected to see the light of day in 2008.
- 2005: "De reis van Zwarte Piet" ("The journey of Zwarte Piet")
Bassie's solo-debut consists of two episodes that sees him meeting St. Nicholas (played by Paul van Gorcum) and his assistants, and finding out how they supply a nation with toys, gifts and sweets. He even travels through time to spend life as a pirate.
- 2006: "De speurtocht naar Charly" ("Searching for Charly")
This second series is reported to be shown on either RNN7 Bassie discovers that Charly the ventriloquist doll is missing and goes as far as Austria to rescue him from his abducters.
