In de gloria

In de gloria ("In the glory") was a 2000-2001 Flemish TV sketch comedy show, directed by Jan Eelen and produced by the company Woestijnvis. It was a mockumentary series which satirized reality television and human interest shows, especially the way regular people are exploited by media. ^[1]

The show ran on the Belgian public tv channel Canvas for two seasons of 10 episodes each. In Flanders itself the series enjoys a high popularity and much critical praise, with several sketches having gained classic status. Despite the local popularity the show has never been exported. ^{[2] [3]}

Concept

In de Gloria is a mockumentary in sketch show format. Every episode consists of a series of sketches that are mostly improvised around a central idea. The tone is tragicomical. Eelen based some of the spoof targets on already existing TV formats, including some shows of his own company Woestijnvis. In an interview Eelen said he was inspired by the Dutch mockumentaries of Van Kooten en De Bie and Arjan Ederveen's 30 minuten. ^[4]

Cast

Cast of In De Gloria. From left to right: Lucas Van den Eynde, Wim Opbrouck, Tom Van Dyck and Frank Focketyn (first row), Sien Eggers, An Miller and Tania Van der Sanden.)

• Sien Eggers
• Frank Focketyn
• Kris Focketyn as Jos Vermaelen from Vermaelen projects
• An Miller
• Wim Opbrouck
• Lucas Van den Eynde
• Tania Van der Sanden
• Tom Van Dyck

Status

In de Gloria has been lauded by TV critics ever since it first aired. In 2002 it received the Prijs van de Vlaamse Radio-en Televisiekritiek for "Best TV show". ^[5] It's also popular with viewers. All seasons are available on DVD.

Internet notoriety

In 2006 one of the sketches, "Boemerang" (Boomerang) gained notoriety on YouTube. It features the host of a talk show, "Boemerang", breaking into fits of giggles after hearing the voice of one of his guests, who spoke in a squeaky manner due to a failed tonsillectomy. The video uploader who added English subtitles to the footage implied the footage was real and shortened it especially to remove all indications of it being fake. The full sketch shows the TV host in a supposed archive TV show (hence the title Boomerang) looking back on the infamous moment that got him fired in the past. All people in the footage are actors. The show's host, Erik Hartman, is played by Tom Van Dyck, his two guests Valère and Marijke are portrayed by Lucas Van den Eynde and An Miller.

It quickly became an Internet meme among foreigners who mistake it for being real. In september 2006 the Youtube clip was even shown during The Tonight Show with Jay Leno^[6] and Star Channel news, with both hosts announcing it as being real.

Part of the Boemerang sketch were also featured in an Argentinian television advertisement for Quilmes beer, titled Risas (laughs), where Hartman is seen laughing.^[7]

References

External links

• Official website
• In de gloria at the Internet Movie Database