Comedian and WUR alumnus Rob Urgert: Wageningen is where I belong

Why did you choose Wageningen as the place you wanted to study?

Rob Urgert: "After school, I didn't know what to study. So I wrote down ten study programmes on pieces of paper and put them in a can. I then blindly picked one study at a time and scratched it from my list. I tried to determine how I felt about dropping that study which helped me make a final choice. In the end, a few remained, all of which were in Wageningen. A friend of mine also went to Wageningen, which made the decision easier.”

So which study programmes were involved?

"Environmental technology seemed fun and I also liked studies on food. I also considered Dutch, for example, in Amsterdam, but I thought better of that one. I never regretted my choice for Wageningen. I felt it from the start: Wageningen is the place where I belong. My wife also lived there when I met her. We don't live there now, but I don't rule out returning one day.”

What did you think of your study 'Human Nutrition'?

"I loved it. The study and the city suited me well. Wageningen may not have been as vibrant as Amsterdam, but I didn't mind that too much. I was not that outgoing. I think Wageningen attracts autonomous people, even back then. And in terms of research, Wageningen University & Research is a frontrunner. Take research on environmental issues, for instance. That was a leading topic even then..

You say you were not that outgoing. How did you end up on stage as a comedian?

"I wanted to do that back then too, but I was a scientist. I didn't think I could be on stage and thought that you needed different character traits for that. I liked the stuff I wrote, though, and thought: 'then I should be able to tell it too', but I really had to learn to perform. "

Did your time studying in Wageningen influence your work as a comedian and presenter?

"My first comedy shows were very personal. I wasn't really satisfied with that. It felt unpleasant. I then made the 'Spoedcursus Humor' with Bastiaan Geleijnse of the comic Fokke en Sukke, a science lesson on humour. That was the form that suited me. There should always be a scientific element. I am a scientist."

During the Wageningen Experience Day, you will present a quiz. Does science play a part in that as well?

"I don't want to give too much away, but it is indeed a quiz on factors that contribute to your success according to science. I spend a lot of time on the scientific evidence. It has to be accurate, that's something I take professional pride in."

Wageningen Experience Day for alumni and employees

Are you an alumnus or a WUR employee? Join us at the Wageningen Experience Day and take part in Rob Urgert's quiz.

You can register for the Wageningen Experience Day on this page and you can also find the full programme here.