He wanted to make the announcements before children's television programmes more appealing by having an animal puppet next to him.

Samson, a Bearded Collie,[2] made his screen debut in the Christmas period of 1989.

The plot would be interrupted for contests, fan mail and a variety of cartoons, such as Tom & Jerry, The Smurfs, Ovide and the Gang, and Mrs. Pepper Pot.

The production of new episodes ceased in 2005, but the series is still broadcast in Flanders and the Netherlands and is popular with children.

Many fans were upset by this, because Danny Verbiest gave a really special, unique and specific voice to Samson.

Gert Verhulst intended to retire from the role at their 30th anniversary, leaving Samson in need of a new owner.

At the first performance of their farewell tour in December 2019, it was revealed that this role will be fulfilled by Marie Verhulst (the daughter of Gert).

[3] The final performance was initially planned for 19 April 2020, but as COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, the rest of the tour was postponed for two years.

[5] Samson is a sweet naive Bearded Collie who can speak but consistently mispronounces certain words and cannot get names right.

Samson and Gert live together in a big house at 101 Main Street, where a lot of funny and chaotic situations take place.

Their original (clumsy) neighbour, Joop Mengelmoes, broke the doorbell at the house when they first met, in the very first episode.

The local grocery store is run by Octaaf De Bolle and his overbearing mother Jeannine.

He wants to be called "Alberto Vermicelli", because this name fits him more as an opera singer.

In 2009, actor Koen Crucke, who played the role, told the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad that Albert is based upon the role of the gay hairdresser he played in the film Koko Flanel but does not reveal anything about the sexual orientation of Albert.

The owner of the friture, Fred Kroket, is an unseen character who tries to sell jars of mayonnaise and pickles by phone.

A couple of characters are often mentioned but never shown on screen: Fred Kroket, Albert's mother and uncle, Gert's love rival Jean-Louis Michel and the mayor's housekeeper Marie.

Van De Velde reprised his role as Octaaf one final time in the film.

During these theater shows, Samson and Gert perform their most popular songs while their friends try to entertain the audience.

It was written by Danny Verbiest, Gert Verhulst and Hans Bourlon, while the stories were drawn by Jean-Pol,[7] Luc Morjaeu,[8] Wim Swerts[9] and Bruno De Roover.