EUR student Nizar El Manouzi to become new face of popular TV show

EUR student and former University Council member Nizar El Manouzi will be the new face of Het Klokhuis, a popular Dutch educational TV show for children. He was chosen from three thousand candidates. The first episode of the educational children’s programme to be presented by the 24-year-old Rotterdammer will be broadcast on 20 May.

Het Klokhuis, a long-running staple of Dutch TV since 1988, explains science and other phenomena to children in an entertaining way. Nizar told EM on the phone that he was ‘tremendously happy’ to be going on this new adventure. “It basically combines everything I’ve been doing in the lead-up to this: lots of things that are fun, socially relevant and educational. I can’t believe I’ve been chosen to pass these things on to the younger generation! I really didn’t expect to be chosen. When my mother heard the news, she was so glad she shed a few tears.”

Cyborgs

Nizar applied for the position by submitting an item on cyborgs. “They are half human, half technology. People tend to think of robots when they hear the word, but cyborgs can also be people with a hearing aid, or a pacemaker.”

So why was he chosen from three thousand candidates? “I think it’s because of my positivity, my energy, the passion with which I tell stories. I’ve always been very interested in the people around me. And I’m versatile.”

It’s true – Nizar really is versatile. He is an actor who has appeared in, among other things, the TV show Mocro Maffia, the film Catacombe and more recently, the educational show produced by EUR, Casa Loco. He is also doing several degrees simultaneously: Medicine, Philosophy and two master’s degrees in Healthcare Management and Media & Creative Industries. Two years ago he served on the University Council. So how is he going to combine all that with presenting Het Klokhuis? “I do a lot of things at the same time. For now, I’ve put Medicine on the back burner. And I really do enjoy all of it, even studying and writing theses. But yes, it does get stressful sometimes, and sometimes I have to burn the midnight oil,” he admits.

Nauseous

Nizar will be one of four Het Klokhuis presenters. By now he has recorded his first episode. “It was bizarre. It was about g-forces. That may sound pretty abstract, but it turned out I had to go on rollercoasters and into a centrifuge. I thought they’d give me an easy item to get the hang of it, but I ended up feeling incredibly dizzy and nauseous, and then I had to go on presenting!”

Nizar is not telling us whether he fainted or threw up. “If you want to find out, just watch the episode!” It will be broadcast by NTR on NPO 3 on Thursday, 20 May.