Educational stories on the one hand, comic sketches on the other: the basicformula of The core has been a hit since 1988. Tuesday marks the 35thanniversary of the first episode. Why is the youth program so popular?
Sesamstraat en Het Jeugdjournaal bestonden al in 1988, maar eenkinderprogramma dat dieper inging op ingewikkelde vragen ontbrak nog. Chefjeugdprogramma’s Ben Klokman en televisiemaker Aart Staartjes (die van_Sesamstraat_ ) sprongen in dat gat, met een educatieve show waar in elkeaflevering een nieuw thema werd uitgewerkt. Spanning werd het eerste onderwerpvan Het Klokhuis.
In die eerste aflevering zagen we hoe Staartjes een overwerkte ober speelde,die woest werd op zijn veeleisende klanten. Een volgend fragment liet zien hoespanningsopbouw in een film werkt. Later werd er nog een bezoek gebracht aanhet dok van het Batavia-schip, om uit te leggen hoe stijf hout in een krommevorm wordt getrokken. Het is 35 jaar geleden dat die aflevering voor het eerstte zien was, maar hij zou het in 2022 nog steeds prima doen op televisie.
“Je ziet tegenwoordig wel dat alles ‘snappier’ wordt gemonteerd”, vertelt oud-presentator Jeroen Kramer aan NU.nl. Hij presenteerde in totaal meer danzeshonderd afleveringen van het programma.
“Het flitst meer dan vroeger, naar de smaak van de huidige jeugd. Maar hetbasisconcept is nog steeds hetzelfde: informatieve stukjes, gelardeerd metliedjes en sketches. Die sandwichformule heeft de tand des tijds doorstaan.Geen enkel ander programma doet het op die manier.”
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Program saved by signature campaign
Obviously it’s not that The core has existed for so long. In 1990, the _NOS_put an end to it, but that was reversed after a signature campaign. Eleven-year-old Nina de Waal, who collected 30,000 scribbles, later returned to theprogram several times.
Kramer himself started in 1989 and thus presented hundreds of broadcasts. “Myfirst episode was about dancer Angelika Oei. I had no nerves, actually I wasjust curious. We were on the road with a nice camera crew, I immediatelythought about fun shots. Actually, I had the idea that I was in a kind ofplayground had ended up. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
It has always been that playground for Kramer. “But it was also hard work, youknow. In the early days, the length of shooting days was not yet legallylimited. I have experienced eighteen-hour days. It was quite common that youhad to report somewhere in a Zeeland meadow at 9 a.m. and ‘ was home at 9.30pm. So in that sense it was not just playing. But I had a lot of fun with it.You are actually always tinkering with a team.”
Continued over the years The core largely the same. In addition to smoothreports, drama scenes and songs, an online environment was later set up. Therewas also a regular sketch about office workers from the children’s show. Thecast has recently changed, after the death of actor Gijs de Lange. His threeopponents gave a touching tribute and then decided to retire. The sketch cannow be seen with new actors.
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Mummy reconstruction with the latest techniques
Kramer happily looks back on eleven years of highlights. He cites a doubleepisode from 1998 as one of his favorites. “In it, the mummy of a sixteen-year-old girl was put through a CT scan to make an analysis of the skeleton.That skull was then recreated with a 3D printer, which was state-of-the-art atthe time. An English expert then reconstructed a face. Later came there isstill a make-up artist to match to complete the picture.”
“Wonderfully beautiful,” says Kramer. “History, technology, emotion:everything came together. That same year we won the Silver Honorary NipkowDisc. But there are many more highlights. For example, I found our visit toJan Wolkers on Texel very inspiring. He was able to reflect on every plant andmake a telling an enthusiastic anecdote. That man was a ceaseless volcano ofenergy.”
In 2000 Kramer called it a day. “At one point I came to a licorice factory forthe third time to explain the making process. I found that less exciting, soit was time for something else. But I experienced many beautiful things. Ihung on a parachute , sailed in a submarine, crawled through the sewers of TheHague. Literally too much to mention. You explain everything that enters achild’s world. You satisfy the amazement. Very nice, to make complicatedmatter accessible in this way to make.”