Zondagavond Laat

A minister, ravenous with hunger, craving just one thing: the greasiest possible fries with mayonnaise. It was a memorable ride with Guusje ter Horst, then Minister of the Interior. Loaded with bags full of official documents, she stepped into the car after an evening appearance at her ministry.

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There was plenty of homework to tackle during the ride—those piles of papers were all begging for her signature. The viewer got to witness this ministerial homework in real time, while we played André Hazes songs in between. After a whole ride of her complaining about being hungry, we made a detour to a snackbar and got to know her a bit better. “Is anyone still waiting for you at home?” was the final question. She disappeared, alone, into the Amsterdam night.

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Zondagavond Laat (Sunday Night Late) was a beautiful concept—both in content and visually. Not only did it look great, driving along the highways at night, but the added advantage was that in the cocoon of the car, the interviewee had nowhere to escape. It was perfectly suited—especially for a late-night time slot—for personal reflections, more intimate questions, and the occasional playful detour. These were 45-minute interviews aired as the day's closing segment on the channel.

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I did rides with, among others, singer Guus Meeuwis, man-of-the-people Johan Derksen, singer Liesbeth List, comedian Freek de Jonge, speed skater Erik Hulzebosch, and football coach Mario Been. And I’ll never forget Frans Bauer. He had just come from a wildly successful concert and, once home, he woke up his wife and kids—“They’d love to be on TV for a moment too,” he said. Frans even suggested we listen to the entire concert again—apparently a tradition of his. It was already three in the morning.