Sonja Barend

In RTL Vanavond's new talk show, presenters Renze Klamer, Beau van Erven Dorens, and Humberto Tan are joined by a whole squad of well-known divers. And there are some notable names among them.

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Documentary about the work and life of Hedy d'Ancona (1937) and the issues she has always championed: women's rights, the right to self-determination, and a dignified end of life. Interviews with D'Ancona are interwoven with scenes of women who, in 2022, are committed to the same themes, such as abortion activist Eva de Goeij, PvdA alderwoman Marjolein Moorman, and euthanasia advocate Adrienne Buschmann. The fight for equality remains relevant, and D'Ancona's ideas are still worth fighting for.

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On February 29 – Leap Day – we celebrate Sonja Barend's birthday. She turns eighty then. She made countless programs, and when you watch them back, you can sense the spirit of the times. Sonja was the Netherlands' first true talk show host. She dared to ask anything, was critical, broke taboos, and had an opinion. In the night of Saturday, February 29 to March 1, we pay tribute to her. Dutch presenters will talk for an hour about what Sonja meant to them and to the Dutch television landscape.

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Colleagues and friends look back on the life of writer Joost Zwagerman.

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For thirty years she was the undisputed queen of the Dutch talk show: Sonja Barend. With Coen Verbraak, she takes one last look back: at her motivations, the history of her family, and her father.

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For nearly twenty years, she was the chief editor of the now-legendary VARA programs with Sonja Barend. In addition, she was instrumental in the creation of the still-successful general knowledge quizzes Per seconde wijzer and Twee voor twaalf. She has never had any trouble with a place in the background: program maker, director, and chief editor Ellen Blazer. Coen Verbraak spoke with Ellen and with various colleagues about her important role in Dutch television history.

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