It must have been a while since Laurence Boccolini stopped letting himself be overwhelmed. Installed in her dressing room, a few minutes from the recording of the bonus dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Children of TVbroadcast this Saturday, November 23 on France 2, the host appears relaxed and smiling. After several decades of career on television, the one who forged herself thanks to game shows returned, in October 2023, to the presentation of the cult show launched in 1994 and still broadcast every Sunday at the end of the following year. -noon.
“I wondered if I was legit“: Laurence Boccolini looks back on his beginnings in TV Kids
Tele-Leisure : In your television career, what does this show represent?
Laurence Boccolini: It's a show in which we were always a little afraid of being invited. We wondered what would come out of us. I see the same thing in my guests today. For me, this show is a superb gift, it represents everything I like to do: interviews and then, you don't have to push me too much to act like a clown. It represents a space of freedom. It's a treat for an animator.
Have you learned anything about yourself from the Children of TV ?
I haven't done a hosting show like that in a very long time. By playing games with anonymous people, I had a split second, before starting this show, where I wondered if I was legitimate, if the personalities were going to come for me, and if I was going to know do it or redo it. It took me two or three shows to understand that yes!
For this anniversary, we can regret the absences of Arthur and Laurent Ruquier. What do you think?
I would have loved to make an entrance with Arthur and Laurent. Afterwards, we are not on the same channels, I think it is not as simple as that. I've worked with both, I love them. Afterwards, we will see many messages from them during the evening. As for Pierre Tchernia (died in 2016, editor’s note.) I had the chance to meet and interview himhe's a great man. He did a lot for this show.
“It's a big responsibility“: Laurence Boccolini evokes the thirtieth anniversary of Children of TV
How do you feel, just before going on set?
It's a big responsibility. I feel responsible for this big machine, with the surprises, the guests and the bonus. At the same time, I do it as if I were doing the Sunday show. Technically nothing is different.
Do you fear the surprises that the teams could have concocted for you?
I finished dreading all that, I understood from the first day that I would have the right to it! All of a sudden I see improbable things that teams have been looking for and finding. I thank them, it’s very nice! I expect everything, the worst and the best. Often, shows include the song I sang with Pascal Sevran, except that I'm super proud of it, I loved Pascal! But hey, I hope it won't all be about me.
Can you say a word about the guests?
Often, when we do a bonus, we try to mix styles: we want them to be nice, good friends and not necessarily there to promote. They sometimes come, just to accept, to see images again that do not always highlight them. We're going to see Élie Semoun, Michèle Bernier, Liane Foly, Hélène Ségara… people who agree to revisit things with a lot of self-deprecation.
