Rob Scheepers

Rob Scheepers, from Sterksel in Brabant, made his name in the barrel. At the Keiebijters Kletstoernooi in Helmond, one of the carnival contests where tonpraters compete, he took the Zilveren Narrenkap in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2014, and that success gave him the base for a theatre career in Dutch that stays close to the region he comes from.

The theatre work falls into two strands. One is the New Year's conference, the Dutch end-of-year tradition of looking back on what the year brought, which he has done under punning titles such as Afgescheept, Opgescheept, Uitgescheept, Scheepers Checkt Uit and Scheepers Zet Af; Uitgescheept played Parktheater Eindhoven. The other is the touring show, with Schroot, Kom maar op, Gulzig, Bekant and Weerlicht.

Broadcast work runs alongside. He has been heard on Omroep Brabant, wrote a weekly column for Radio 8FM, supplied short jokes to Radio Veronica and appeared in the BNN programme Padoem Patsss. National television audiences know him from guest spots on De Wereld Draait Door, a run on the quiz De slimste mens that reached finals week, and episodes of Veronica Offside. He has also published a run of books, beginning with Gebundel.