'Baziel' strip (2000). Translation: "And? Did you catch a lot?" - "You're the third, today."
Guido Depraetere was a Belgian TV manager and producer, best known as co-founder and programme director of the Flemish commercial TV channel VTM. He also hosted two shows 'Klasgenoten' (1989-1992) and 'HT&D' (1994-1998). In the latter show, he first told jokes about the West Flemish comedy character 'Baziel', around which he later built entire stage shows and a 1998-2006 gag comic, which ran in De Krant van West-Vlaanderen and was also collected in comic books. Together with Guido Beuckels, Guido Depraetere is one of two comic artists to use West Flemish dialect in his cartoons.
Early life and career
Guido Depraetere was born in 1946 in Izegem, in the province West Flanders. Between 1968 and 1981, he was a math, physics and economics teacher at the Royal Atheneum in Assebroek. During weekends, he was a party DJ, travelling around Flanders with the Studio Barcka company. In addition, Depraetere appeared on stage as presenter of the classical choir Vagantes Morborum and as theatre actor. He was also a member of the municipality council for Bruges (1971-1982), representing the christian democratic party CVP.
'Baziel' strip (2000). Translation: "The new railway will pass through your home. It will enter at your front door and leave at your back door." - "That's not gonna work, you know." - "Why not?" - "You don't presume I'll be opening and closing those doors for every train passing through!"
TV career
Through the 'Moeders Mooiste' talent contest, Guido Depraetere was discovered by the Flemish public channel BRT. In 1982, he became producer of their radio channel Omroep Brabant (nowadays Radio 2), while also creating various game shows on the public channel BRT 1 (nowadays Eén). One of these was 'Hoger, Lager' (1983-1989), of which the format was based on the American show 'Card Sharks'. 'Hoger, Lager' was a tremendous ratings hit, effectively becoming the decade's most-watched TV show in Flanders. Since Flanders only had two public TV channels at the time (BRT 1 and BRT 2), they had little other competition, except from foreign channels. Despite being responsible for making the BRT a ratings champion, Depraetere had difficulty convincing the elderly network heads of modernizing the channel and being open to new ideas. This motivated him to start his own TV channel.
By 1987, Depraetere and his business partner Mike Verdrengh - in the popular press both men were nicknamed "Mike & Guido" -, established VTM. Nine publishing companies were willing to invest in this new endeavor. Depraetere became head of TV programming, while Verdrengh was named deputy director. On 1 February 1989, VTM was launched as the first commercial TV channel in Flanders. They bought away many popular TV hosts and actors from the BRT, along with popular international TV shows, like 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty'. VTM offered more room for comedy, game, children's and variety shows that general audiences actually wanted to see. One of their biggest hits was 'Tien Om Te Zien', a live show where Flemish pop singers who had received little air time on the BRT could now make weekly appearances. In 1991, VTM also attracted more loyal viewers through the first Flemish soap opera, 'Familie'. Despite criticism of "dumbing down" viewers, VTM dethroned the BRT as the most-watched channel in Flanders. By 1995, they launched a second channel, Kanaal 2.
Guido Depraetere presented two shows personally. 'Klasgenoten' (1989-1992) was based on the Dutch TV format of the same name, in each episode interviewing a media celebrity in the company of his fellow students and former school teacher. He also hosted 'HT&D' (1994-1998), in which six media figures told jokes in front of a live audience. In 1996, Mike and Guido stepped back as heads of VTM, though remained involved as external consultants for new productions.
'Baziel' strip (2000). Baziel misinterprets the dismissal "Fuck the women!" and asks: "Do we still have time for that?"
Baziel
When Guido Depraetere hosted the TV show 'HT&D' (1994-1998) during its first seasons, he joined his guest comedians by telling jokes starring the character 'Baziel' ("Little Baziel"), an archetypical dumb person speaking West Flemish slang. Although the character became closely associated with Depraetere, he wasn't the one who invented him. As early as the 1970s, jokes starring Baziel, his wife Flavie and his best friend Hector, were told by Germain Gardin in the West Flemish coastal towns of Zeebrugge and Ostend. They eventually became widespread in the rest of the province. Depraetere collected more than 600 jokes with Baziel, though some were jokes from abroad about similar local dumb protagonists, circulating in South Africa, Ireland and the United States, which he slightly rewrote with a West Flemish "couleur locale". After leaving VTM in 1996, Depraetere kept 'Baziel' alive with stage shows, directed by his good friend comedy actor Carry Goossens (best-known as trainer Oscar in the TV sitcom 'F.C. De Kampioenen').
In 1998, Depraetere launched a 'Baziel' gag comic in the regional newspapers De Streekkrant and De Krant van West-Vlaanderen, writing and drawing every episode personally. Contrary to his stage shows, the dialogues were presented in standard Dutch instead of West-Flemish slang. Four volumes of 'Baziel' gags were published by Roularta Books between 1998 and 2001.
Final years and death
In 2004, Guido Depraetere was jury chairman of the International Cartoon Festival in Knokke-Heist. Along with fellow jury members Ilah, Bart Schoofs and Karl Meersman, he had to select the best cartoons from 3,100 submissions by 882 cartoonists from 69 countries. In 2005, Guido Depraetere was diagnosed with lung cancer. Despite initially recovering, he died in 2006 at age 59. As a homage, a compilation book was released, 'Het Beste van Baziel', with a CD recording of Depraetere telling 99 jokes in front of a live audience. In 2022, 'Baziel' was also used as a mascot for the wine brand Picon.
After his death, his son Jeroen Depraetere also wrote and drew 'Baziel' cartoons, of which one book was published in 2010. In 2026, twenty years after his father's death, Jeroen Depraetere also began performing them on stage.
Guido Depraetere on the cover of his comedy record 'Baziel Live'.