In de Gloria

For ten years I have not owned a television, relying on family or friends if I wanted to see something really good or - in my case - a soccer game. Only a few shows are worthwhile and "In de Gloria" definitely is one of them.

This is state of the art humour that must be difficult to translate to other languages because of the multitude of cultural references it contains. Basically the show mocks TV-makers that abuse any poor soul whose behaviour is slightly out of the ordinary and who are only too willing to show off in front of the camera. It is true that Human Interest is polluting the media landscape as never before. Just one of the plots to give a slight idea what the show is like (all are actors):

A man in his fifties, vaguely resembling Jesus Christ is being interviewed in view of the annual procession that goes around town. He has been playing Christ's role, carrying the cross, for more than 20 years now, but the end of his reign is dawning: recent scientific research has shown that Jesus looked much different from what is commonly accepted. (They show an article with drawing in the paper - real) So the organization has decided to engage another, utterly unsuspecting and younger, citizen, who indeed remarkably looks like the "new Jesus" (hilarious make-up). Moreover, the older guy recently has had trouble kneeling, while Jesus at several occasions "kneels".

The TV-crew will now closely follow how the elder hands over the "practicing cross" to the younger. The unwilling old Jesus, the bemused new Jesus, the arrogant organizer and the caring (but cruel) interviewer, all actors do a wonderful job in this hilarious "human interest show".

If you want to know what Belgium looks like, watch this.