Wat Als? wins International Emmy Award
The Flemish TV sketch comedy show, Wat Als? has won an International Emmy Award for Best Comedy
Shelter makes history
Accepting the award was the team from the Antwerp production house Shelter, which is the first producer in Flanders to win two International Emmy Awards. The company’s hidden camera show Benidorm Bastards also won an International Emmy for Best Comedy in 2011.
“How fantastic is comedy?!” exclaimed Shelter’s Tim Van Aelst from New York. “I am incredibly proud of this awesome programme that has now earned top international recognition. There’s nothing better than an Emmy.”
The second season of Wat Als? – which starts every sketch with the phrase, followed by an absurd situation (What if… Barbie was a real woman? What if… yoga came from the Netherlands?) – aired on 2BE in Flanders last year. Van Aelst says there will be a third season but isn’t mentioning a date.
The first and second seasons of Wat Als? won numerous international awards previous to the Emmy, including a BANFF Rockie Award and a Rose D’or, both for best comedy. The format of the show has been sold to several territories that are making their own versions.
Photo: clip from Wat Als? courtesy 2BE
About the author
Lisa Bradshaw is the editor-in-chief of Flanders Today. She worked as an editor and journalist in her homeland, the United States, before moving to the awesome city of Ghent in 2004. If she’s not in the office, she’s probably at a film festival.
