This week, on 7 December, sees the start of a new season of De slimste mens ter wereld (The Smartest Person in the World), which is guaranteed not only to keep the nation from staying out too late for the next few weeks but also to harvest countless column inches in every Flemish newspaper, with daily blow-by-blow accounts of the previous evening’s events.

The format of the show on channel één is simple: three contestants per evening battle for two places in the next evening. (One new player comes in every night.) In the end, the three who performed the best come back for a final showdown. The questions are brain-teasers rather than straight-answer questions: we’re looking for relationships or connections rather than rote knowledge. That approach allows the contestants, even if they don’t know the answer, to nevertheless give a good account of themselves.

The host is Erik Van Looy, an award-winning film director (Loft), who appears to be having a ball. In the past, he’s had a sidekick in the form of either egghead editorialist Marc Reynebeau (who once toured in a Roller with Johnny Rotten) or canon law professor Rik Torfs, both of whom offered commentary on the proceedings that managed to be both catty and waspish.

This year, the one-man sidekick has been replaced by a nine-member jury, featuring stand-up comedians Philippe Geubels and Gunter Lamoot, ex-minister Mark Eyskens, cartoonist Kamagurka, actor Frank Focketyn, Leuven mayor Louis Tobback, actress Sien Eggers, Humo editor emeritus Guy Mortier and comedy actor Urbanus.

Apparently, however, it’s not the format that ensures the success: the same concept was tried in the Netherlands and Turkey, where it pretty much flopped. The show’s popularity is really down to its extremely high BV content – Bekende Vlamingen, or well-known Flemish people. The level is extremely high and very diverse.

Top politicians who have taken part include new prime minister Yves Leterme, then-prime minister and Europe’s new president Herman Van Rompuy, new foreign minister Steven Vanackere, Antwerp mayor Patrick Janssens, N-VA party leader Bart De Wever and Brussels mayor Freddy Thielemans, among many more. Notable by their absence: anyone from the current Flemish government, none of whom has ever taken part.

As well as politicians, the three contestant places are filled every evening by actors, comics, singers, TV presenters, journalists, writers and musicians.

This year there’s been some controversy over the lack of women in the jury: only one in nine. But Annelies Rutten, a journalist with Het Nieuwsblad, and to date the only woman to have won De slimste mens, in 2007, says the show is actually making progress. “There are now 10 women out of 28 candidates; in my year, there were only eight,” she says. “I think Woestijnvis [the producer] does its best to find women candidates. You see quite a few women in other quizzes, too; the old cliché says that men are more competitive than women and more able to retain useless information. But while I was taking part in De slimste mens, I wasn’t immune to the competition bug. If you’re there, it’s because you want to win.”

Kristl Strubbe, meanwhile, TV presenter and alderperson in Mechelen, who took part in the 2004 season, thinks there is a bias. “It’s a missed opportunity,” she says. “There are so many smart women out there, with a great sense of humour. It strikes me that there’s a certain ‘jobs for the boys’ aspect to Woestijnvis that plays a role here.” Still, Strubbe admits that women might just have less of an interest in taking part in quiz shows than men. “I don’t know many women who feel the need to show off their general knowledge and fabulous memory.”

This year includes second runs by actress Maaike Cafmeyer, TV presenter Marcel Valthilt and top editor Peter Vandemeersch, as well as first tries from actor Koen De Graeve (De helaasheid der dingen), flu czar Marc Van Ranst and TV producer Bruno Wyndaele. It’s a bit of a reunion for Wyndaele; he served as the host of the first season of the show.

Flanders Today’s tip for the top: stand-up Wim Helsen. The jury this year includes three comedians, a comic actor and a cartoonist. More importantly, the series has been won twice by a stand-up comedian, once by a comic journalist and once by a comic actor.

www.deslimstemens.be