Robert Spaapen

About Robert Spaapen

Robert Spaapen grew up in Cambridge, England. At an early age he was impressed by leading English comedians like Rowan Atkinson en Stephen Fry, who, as students, were performing in small theatres.

Spaapen studied in Leyden, The Netherlands, and formed the comedy duo Basterd with Onno Innemee. They won prizes at the Amsterdam Kleinkunstfestival 1991.

Robert worked as a comedian, director and scriptwriter for television shows, but couldn’t ignore his English roots. He decided to become a stand up comedian and joined the Dutch Comedytrain.

His alias dr. Howard Beckman was born when he was invited to perform at the annual meeting of KPN, a Dutch telecom company. With his tailored fake speeches he has fooled many international managers and politicians. English humour at its best!