Van Kooten en De Bie were a Dutch comedy duo formed by Kees van Kooten and Wim de Bie. They started performing together in 1963. They started off as radio comedians, but gained more prominence from 1966 on by working for television.[1] In 1974 they began a weekly TV sketch show on Sunday evenings, "Het Simplisties Verbond", broadcast on VPRO, which continued for three decades under various titles, while remaining the same concept, until finally coming to a close in 1998. Despite the varying titles of their TV show the general audience always referred to them as Van Kooten en De Bie.
In the Dutch-speaking world Van Kooten en De Bie enjoy both a high popularity and critical acclaim for their satirical portrayal of society, with numerous classic sketches and comedy characters. They also created many musical singles, audio plays, calendars and books.[1]