American fans sent dish cloths used in VRT series Professor T as an anniversary surprise
Michael and Helen Salapke from Washington State in the United States are great fans of the VRT series Professor T. So much so in fact that they wrote to Antwerp University to ask where they could buy the dish cloths Professor T uses in the series to wipe things down. As the cloths are only used in the series and are not available elsewhere, the university got some special made and sent them the many thousands of kilometres to the west coast of the United States.
Michael and Helen Salapke became hooked on Professor T after a local TV station in Washington State started showing the Flemish series. In the series Professor Teerlinck teaches at Antwerp University and in addition to this helps the police solve crimes. Michael Salapke told VRT Radio 2 Antwerp that he and his wife particularly like the character Jasper Teerlinck (Professor T), played in the series by the actor Koen De Bouw.
Professor Teerlinck suffers from incurable mysophobia (a fear of dirt) and is constantly cleaning using special cloths that bear the logo of Antwerp University.
Michael Salapke told VRT Radio 2 that "I was looking for an original gift for my wife on our 35th wedding anniversary. You can always buy jewellery or perfume, can you? The cloths Koen De Bouw uses to clean everything with play such a prominent role in the series that I decided to try and order some”.
However, this proved easier said than done, as the cloths are not available for sale in Antwerp University’s web shop. The cloths had been made specially for the series.
Antwerp University’s Evi Hofmans told VRT Radio 2 that when they read the e-mail all the way from Washington State staff at the university decided to get some Professor T cloths made specially for Michael and Helen.
Arrived safe and sound
Michael Salapke says that the cloths have since arrived safe and sound and that “We are deeply grateful to the people at the University of Antwerp. I would have liked to have paid for them, but we got them for free. We have now got dish cloths that are unique in the United States”.
The actor Koen De Bouw was delighted when he heard the story. “This is incredible. It’s really nice to hear. The series has been broadcast in several other countries and this hasn’t gone unnoticed. I sometimes get reactions on Instagram from fans from Great Britain or the United States”.