To mark the 30-year career of its star host, TF1 is devoting a documentary to him which retraces his greatest successes without eluding his failures.
Sans Arthur television would not be what it is today. To mark his 30th career (37 years if we count his radio debut on RFM), TF1 is devoting a documentary to him, Arthur, the TV kid which traces his greatest successes but also his failures. In three decades, Arthur has presented – more than any other – a slew of shows, some of which are etched in the memories of viewers. However, nothing predestined him to become one of the most emblematic hosts and one of the biggest producers on television.
Born in Casablanca in 1966, to a chartered accountant father and a stay-at-home mother, Jacques Essebag, his real name, started radio at a very young age. At just 16 years old, he cut his teeth at the microphone of Radio MassyPal then on Radio Carbone 14. RFM, Skyrock, Fun Radio, Europe 1, Europe 2… Over the years, the young man – self-proclaimed “the host the stupidest on the FM band” – made a name for himself before trying his luck on the small screen.
For his first television experience, Arthur made an impression with “L'Émission Impossible”. Drawing on his years on the radio, the host mixes improvisation and provocative sketches. Broadcast at midnight on TF1, the totally crazy program is a mix of talk show and provocative sketches and features comedians such as Franck Dubosc and Élie and Dieudonné. “It’s not the show in terms of quality that will have marked my career, but in terms of fun, pleasure and live action, we had everythingadmet Arthur. And she revealed me not as a great entertainer but as a troublemaker.”
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After two years of absence, the host made his return with “Les Enfants de la télé” (first broadcast on France 2 then on TF1) thanks to which he achieved recognition. For twenty years, he hosted the great stars of cinema (Alain Delon, Jean Rochefort, Michel Serrault, Jacques Villeret, Gérard Depardieu), music (Annie Cordy, Serge Lama, Chantal Goya) and television (Denise Fabre, Philippe Bouvard). Almost everyone was treated to their famous casseroles. “It humanized who we were, that is to say artists who struggled at the beginning”summarizes Dany Boon. The excesses were also legion in the show. “It very quickly became a playground where the artists only wanted to cause chaos”Arthur remembers.
In the mid-1990s, he launched “La Fureur”, a giant karaoke pitting two celebrity teams where, sometimes, renowned artists such as Indochine, Cher, Barry White, Sting and Phil Collins came to perform their hits. . Building on the success of the show, Arthur even took over Bercy (1998) and the Parc des Princes (1999), memorable evenings attended by Johnny Hallyday, Mylène Farmer, Supertramp, Robbie Williams and Lionel Richie. A bygone era, unfortunately!
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In parallel with his activities as vice-president of Endemol France, which notably produces “Loft Story” and “Star Academy”, Arthur tried his hand, in 2004, at a new genre: the game. “Take it or leave it” attracts an average of 6 million viewers each evening. But what they will remember most is Arthur's attitude. Faced with the emotion of certain candidates, he does not hesitate to show himself very close to them. “When I was offered this show, I didn't want to host it and become a classic. There were often girls crying, I went to console them and took them in my arms. Today, we could no longer do that.”recognizes the one who has thus been able to show an empathetic side of his personality.
Since his debut, Arthur's main goal has always been to entertain. “His life is to transform everything into joy”assures Isabelle Nanty who directed it in 2006. And he also succeeded with “Les Touristes”, “Stars sous hypnose” and “Diversion”. In “Friday anything goes”, Arthur opened the door to a host of young comedians. “There are two generations who owe him a lot”recalls Michel Boujenah. “He’s not a facilitator, he’s not a producer, he’s an anticipator”adds Nikos Aliagas. In 30 years, Arthur has transformed television into a great show. Proof of this is that you can be the stupidest host on television and still manage to leave your mark on it.
