Achter het verhaal van Vlaanderen - Season 1

Ingeborg Van Eetvelde, together with her team of hair and make-up artists, makes more than 700 wigs for the 10 episodes of 'The Story of Flanders'. We went to see how she works. What does she look for to keep it historically correct? And we also find out why Tom Waes has boring Belgian blonde hair.

"We'll fix that in post-production" is something you often hear on set. But who solves that? Bert Steyaert. He and his team of visual effect artists make wooden swords look like iron ones, let the blood fly where and when it is needed and bring mammoths to life in the Zwin. Tom Waes discovers exactly how that happens.

Raïssa Hans dresses hundreds of extras and actors for 'The Story of Flanders'. She travels to France and Madrid to find the right costumes and makes them herself for the leading roles. From design to last minute adjustments on set.

But when can she use which fabrics, colors or patterns? How does she ensure that it is historically correct? Tom Waes asks her.

Tom Waes experiences what it must have been like to see French horsemen rushing at you. "Nodding knees" and yet it happens in a safe way thanks to the work of Dietrich Verzele, the stunt coordinator and horse trainer. Bob, Jean and Céline construct a good, old-fashioned model that clearly explains all the phases of the Battle of the Golden Spurs.

Historian Maïka De Keyzer takes us to the State Archives and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek to demonstrate, based on a number of unique archive documents, how history is a living, active science.

During a dinner in 1567, Hertog Alva has the Counts Horn and Egmond arrested and imprisoned. But what was on their plate then? Food archaeologist Jeroen Van Vaerenbergh investigated and created an overflowing buffet. Discover together with Tom Waes what was served.

577 extras and actors were hired, dressed, with make-up and wig to tell 'The story of Flanders'. What is it like as a director to work with so much acting talent? Tom Waes discovers why extras like to do what they do.

Jeroen Van Vaerenbergh helps the makers of Het Verhaal van Vlaanderen in their search for the right locations and their appropriate decoration. And which props can be used for which period so that everything is historically correct? Tom Waes wonders whether the sounds are correct.

As a researcher, Leen Vermont selected the best stories for Het Verhaal van Vlaanderen. For more than a year she searched for the full police report of the murder of Pot en Grijp. And how does she know that Albert I had his letters proofread? And by who? Tom Waes asks her.

It was too much work for one director to make 'The Story of Flanders'. So it became two: Bert Ceulemans and Filip Lenaerts look back on what they themselves learned by working on this programme.