Brandon River Coene

The 1960s, Netherlands. Thomas doesn’t realise it yet, but he has special powers. The nine-year-old sees things others cannot. He lives in a strict, religious family where his father, quick to cite the word of God, often resorts to violence. As a sense of injustice grows within him and a longing for freedom takes hold, Thomas begins writing his Book on Everything. In it, he wishes for his father’s punishment and encounters a host of unusual characters: Jesus Christ, a levitating lady with a piano-loving cat, tropical fish swimming in city canals, a young peg-legged witch living next door, and many others.

Klokhuis is an educational show for early teenagers produced by Omroep NTR of the Netherlands. The show started in 1988. It is broadcast every weekday at 18:25 on Nederland 3 and lasts about 15 minutes. The subjects vary wildly, but often use an angle that is uncommon in other shows, which also makes it popular with adults. Quite often, factories are visited, where a complete production process is explained. The serious parts are interspersed with funny sketches, which sometimes have aspects that only adults would understand, whilst still remaining funny for children. After 25 years, almost everybody in the Netherlands knows the show and generations grew up with it. It has become a so-called institution, which not much tv-programs have achieved.

The hopeless friends Sinan, Danny, and Leroy spend their days hanging out on the streets, eating döner, and trying to pick up girls, until Sinan falls in love with Hannah, the girlfriend of their archenemy Tabaka. As Tabaka sets out on horseback to hunt down the boys, Sinan tries to win over the love of his life. And so, the boys tumble from one bizarre adventure to another.

How do you tell your classmates that you're staying home this summer while they talk about faraway destinations and exciting adventures? What do you do when you are ashamed because there is no money at home for a hot meal, let alone a holiday? How do you make a summer in your own neighborhood a constant time? The new BNNVARA drama series 'De Achterblijvers' follows Sven, Wiggert, Alicia and Hamza; four children die forced to stay at home while their classmates leave. What first feels like a summer full of missed opportunities quickly turns into an adventure they will never forget.