A quiz about the past year with fragments? It is involuntarily reminiscent Viewer of the year once a regular spot at the VRT. But rest assured; Before the bomb falls contains a different concept. At that time it was only about fragments from TV programs, now the candidates are presented with questions from all the small and big news that made it to the TV screen. Guaranteed success? We list why this quiz might catch on.
Australia’s ratings gun
This formula was not invented in Flanders. The quiz is an adaptation of Have you been paying attention, a format that saw the light in Down Under in 2013. After a hesitant start, the quiz became a major viewing hit that also received rave reviews. 264 episodes have already been broadcast in Australia. So it can’t be the basic concept.
The right time
While in the original format everything revolves around the news facts of the past week, the Flemish makers take it a bit more broadly. In a period that overwhelms us with end-of-year lists and overviews, all questions and videos here also have to do with the past year. The Christmas period is always the ideal time to look back. Divided over several rounds, the highs, lows, interesting, remarkable, funny and sad events of 2022 pass in review.
The presenter
You can’t ignore him this week, but at the same time you never get tired of Pedro Elias. The man with the high cuddliness factor, predisposition to hypochondria, compulsive neuroses and Catalan blood has Control Pedro, De idioten in The container cup already enough kilometers on the counter not to fall through the basket as a host and at the same time not to derail the quiz. Which can sometimes happen if you get opposition from Maaike Cafmeyer and Alex Agnew, among others.
Cohosts
A common complaint in BV games is that you always see the same faces, but not everyone is in the right place in a quiz. Just think of Paul D’Hoore or actor Bert Haelvoet recently Equally good friends. Also Before the bomb falls wants to come out original. Athlete Jean-Marc Mwema, once a candidate in The smartest person, is cohost tonight. Next week it will be actress Isabelle Van Hecke, aka the pinnacle Carine in the success series Uncles. But although announced as a cohost, their share in the program is very small.
Well-known people participate
Often an advantage: if well-known Flemish people participate in quizzes, the viewing figures are usually a lot higher. Just think about Switch of The smartest person. A conscious choice has been made for familiar faces who know how to bring panache to a game. In the first episode Pedro gets the help of comedian Alex Agnew, actor Rik Verheye, comedienne Amelie Albrecht, the only cop who ever won Humo’s Comedy Cup Vincent Voeten and director Erik Van Looy.
Our prognosis?
Happy sitting Before the bomb falls not on VTM, because their track record has been with recently The upside down world, Just as good friends, The positivos in Popquiz quite negative. Still, the Flemish love (good) quizzes. Many compatriots hit The smartest person apparently never tired of it, and last month was the quiz in response to 25 years Canvas another gem in the quiz genre. Before the bomb falls is well put together, the difficulty level is not too high (and compared to Blocks also not too low). This may sometimes work.
“Before the Bomb Drops,” Play4, Thursday at 10:10 p.m
