One of the Netherlands’ most popular TV presenters, multi-award winning Matthijs van Nieuwkerk – whose boss once said he was worth a multiple of the €363,000 he was paid in 2019 – has been accused of bullying, belittling production staff on his programmes, and creating “a culture of fear”.
The allegations refer to the years 2005-2020 when he fronted an evening show, De Wereld Draait Door (The World Keeps Turning), which, unusually for Dutch public sector broadcasters, consistently attracted audiences in the millions and generated huge advertising earnings.
It was van Nieuwkerk’s easy style on camera and ability to get the best out of any interview without pushing too hard that made him an institution. But, as revealed by an eight-page investigation in De Volkskrant newspaper on Saturday, the reality behind the scenes couldn’t have been more different.
Van Nieuwkerk admitted over the weekend “going too far on occasion” and said he was “sorry that not everyone felt safe in the working environment”, but such half-hearted sentiments are unlikely to answer the seriousness of the allegations – or the investigation that began on Monday.
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According to former staff on the programme – which was due to have been followed next year by a new format – “outbursts of rage targeted at individuals” were not unusual.
Some staff say they developed serious psychological issues. There were several cases of burnout. Others told how they’d suffered panic attacks after being shouted at or belittled in front of their colleagues.
One editor alleged that after a particular technical gaffe van Nieuwkerk identified the technician involved, who then got down on his knees to apologise. “It was as if a devil got inside him,” he said of the presenter.
Another staffer confirmed the story. “We were in shock”, he recalled. “I decided I never wanted to work with Matthijs again.”
The investigation alleges that despite being alerted several times over the years, broadcaster BNNVARA took no action.
At the weekend, however, it did issue a response acknowledging: “The pressure of creating good programmes should never be at the expense of our staff.”
It also noted that despite having held immediate “in-depth discussions with Matthijs”, he had since issued two statements “which do not do justice to the conversations we had with him. We are disappointed”.
A Christmas special already in production is suspended pending an internal investigation. However, he has been courted assiduously by private sector broadcasters over the years and has never moved. Now may be the time.
His position will not be helped, however, by the second statement issued over the weekend in which he described the De Volkskrant investigation as “a Draconian caricature of 15 years work” on the programme.
