By Earth Cousteau
– Published on Oct 05, 2024 at 12:30 p.m.
After more than 50 years of punctuating our afternoons, the emblematic program “Numbers and Letters” is preparing to say goodbye. A shock for fans of this cult program and for those who played it with passion. Bertrand Renard has a hard time hiding his annoyance.
For decades, “Numbers and letters” was a real daily event for many viewers. After being relegated to the weekend to make way for “Family duels, the regional match“, the program soon encountered audience difficulties. Patrice Laffontproducer of the show, did not hide his disappointment with this decision. “I am deeply disappointed with this decision. It’s sad. I even hesitated to snap and stop everything“, he confided to Nice-Matin. Despite his efforts to continue the adventure, the cult game failed to find its audiencefinally forcing France Télévisions to draw a definitive line on this historic broadcast.
Bertrand Renard angry after the end clap of “Numbers and Letters”
Even if the management of France Télévisions claims to have made a “difficult choice“, this decision did not fail to affect the key figures of the show. Impossible not to think of Bertrand Renardwho went from candidate status to co-presenter in 1975, before bowing out in 2022. For him, this news is far from going unnoticed.
In an interview with “La Tribune”, he did not mince his words, openly criticizing the strategy adopted: “When we were told that the show was moving to the weekend for a fresh start, I told myself that we were really taken for fools. How can we build public loyalty when the game is regularly replaced by sporting competitions?“
Bertrand Renard is not the only one disappointed
Feelings of sadness and nostalgia are not just the lot of Bertrand Renard; the two emblematic figures of the show, Laurent Romejko and Arielle Boulin-Pratalso share this feeling. On Europe 1 and in “ The Parisian “, Laurent, who was at the helm of the show from 1992 to 2024, said: “It’s an end that has been anticipated for two years, since the transition from weekdays to weekends. It’s perhaps not disappointment but sadness… There is emotion at the announcement of this judgment. It’s a UFO in the PAF.“
He did not fail to point out the recent changes, admitting: “For two years, when we switched to weekend programming, yes, we felt that there was a drop in performance. We knew we wouldn’t still be here in 50 years. The absence of fixed schedules does not help with the publicespecially with ours. These are not implementations that favored us.“
Numbers and letters: “We should have stopped two years ago”
Patrice Laffont, who rocked the small screen from 1972 to 1989, shared his grief with AFP. Speaking of the incredible longevity of the show, he said: “50 years of the show will never exist again. » He also expressed his regret: “We should have stopped two years ago, for the 50th anniversary. The weekend programming was the chronicle of a foretold death.“
Obviously, this announcement left our three friends, Bertrand Renard, Laurent Romejko and Patrice Laffont, in great depression. These emblematic figures, for whom “ Numbers and letters ” has been a real pillar of their careerdid not hesitate to empty their bag. It’s a bit like an end to the series that we’ve been waiting for… But it leaves us wanting more, without the happy ending that these heroes of the small screen deserved.
