| Schalkse Ruiters | |
|---|---|
 Series banner with Tom Lenaerts and Bart De Pauw | |
| Genre | Talk show, Game show, Comedy show, Sketch show, Mockumentary |
| Created by | Bart De Pauw, Tom Lenaerts, Michiel Devlieger |
| Opening theme | Flight of the Intruder (Basil Poledouris) [1][2] |
| Ending theme | Flight of the Intruder (Basil Poledouris) [1][2] |
| Country of origin | Belgium |
| Original language | Dutch |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 23 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Original release | |
| Network | VRT |
| Release | 8 December 1996 – February 1998 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Schalkse Ruiters, translated as "Roguish Horsemen", was a Flemish humoristic TV talk and game show, broadcast on the TV channel Eén between late 1996 and early 1998. The program was a cross between a comedy show, a talk show, a game show and a mockumentary. Hosted by Bart De Pauw and Tom Lenaerts viewers were shown three video reports about three different topics. The people in the studio and viewers at home had to vote whether they believed each individual video to be real or staged. In between these reports hidden camera segments and comedy sketches were shown.
At the time Schalkse Ruiters was notorious for their sensational reports, unpredictable atmosphere and enjoyable comedy. The final episode of the first season, when managing director of the Vlaamse Radio-en Televisieomroep (Flemish Public Radio and Television) Bert De Graeve was their guest, was watched by 2.166 million people. A ratings record that stood for decades, until it was surpassed by De Slimste Mens ter Wereld in 2012. The second season continued the high ratings. Schalkse Ruiters made Bart De Pauw, Tom Lenaerts, Michiel Devlieger, and the comedy character de Man van Melle (The Man from Melle) famous to a huge audience.