Presentator, Journalist
"Studio program. Prominent Dutch figures and psychological motivations. A good idea, but a less successful show. It felt 'too contrived'."
Home Sweet Home was a good idea, but a less successful program. As I became increasingly fascinated by the deeper stirrings of the human psyche, I wanted to portray central figures along psychological lines.
The concept was to create a "house of life" in the studio, shaped around the personal histories of intriguing guests, including lawyer Gerard Spong, writer Connie Palmen, hard-hitting journalist Willibrord Frequin, and singer Lenny Kuhr.
We would wander through their life stories in a changing set, surrounded by a live audience, with psychologist Ingeborg Bosch as a sidekick on the tribune.
Her role was to intervene during conversations with psychological insights and interpretations.
But as the series progressed, I wasn’t feeling at ease.
There were beautiful moments, but my self-doubt grew: it all felt too staged, I was tense, and psychological exploration didn’t suit a studio format. I felt constrained. It was a concept better suited to reportage. Fortunately, those opportunities would return in abundance.