The most popular politician in Flanders is a man who rarely smiles, who praises the virtues of conservatism and who tends to speak in Latin quotes. How did this youngish grump find his way into Flemish hearts?

Journalists had come to appreciate De Wever long before he shot to fame because of his frankness and authenticity. But it was a the television quiz show De slimste mens ter wereld (The Smartest Person in the World) that started De Wever off on the road to fame.

That De Wever should have participated in this show was anything but obvious. Geert Bourgeois, who preceded him as president of the N-VA, abhorred the idea of politicians taking part in popular TV programmes. How the man who succeeded him shot to unexpected heights precisely because of one of these shows is just one of the finer ironies of this story.

Even before he took part in De slimste mens, De Wever was secretly convinced that he indeed was the cleverest person in the world, mastering not only ancient military history but also the entire Abba back catalogue. However, during his first appearance in the quiz he failed miserably. He was offered another chance the following year, making it through to the final in early 2009.

Although he lost to news anchor Freek Braekman, the darling of Flanders, De Wever was nonetheless the real winner of De slimste mens. He had by now become a familiar face to thousands of voters - and this provided the foundation for his massive 2010 election victory.

Now the makers of De slimste mens want to add a final series of the quiz, De allerslimste mens (The Smartest of All), in which the finalists from all the previous seasons compete for the ultimate title. Again, there was some doubt about whether De Wever would take part. The timing is a bit odd, after all. Surely he should be busy negotiating the formation of new federal government, rather than appearing in some light- hearted entertainment?

Still, De Wever has agreed to appear yet again in the popular show. Is this one more signal that new elections are on the way?