A well-deserved retirement. Philippe Bouvard, the tireless voice of RTL, is preparing to turn the page. In recent years, the journalist has been more discreet, without completely leaving his position, and also keeping a monthly column in the magazine “VSD”. His goal: to leave RTL in January, to mark his 60 years behind the red microphone. His last appearance in public was on Saturday November 30. He appeared on stage in Cannes for the premiere of “A Thousand and One Lives of Philippe Bouvard”, a Paris Première documentary retracing his career in the press, on television and on the radio.
“At 95 years old, I think it is time to leave with peace of mind”
This December 6, Philippe Bouvard celebrates his birthday by announcing a decision which is not sudden. At 95, the creator of “Grosses Têtes” officially bows out. From his home, once again at the microphone of his radio, he shares a moment full of tenderness and lucidity about his life, evoking his journey and this unique bond with listeners.
“At 95 years old, I think it is time to leave with peace of mind“, he confides. No regrets or big speeches, just a touch of malice: “95 years old is a canonical age. Especially since I'm getting over it a little, I'm not saying 'I'm 95 years old', I'm saying 'I've just entered my 96th year of age'“, he laughs. And when we ask him what he would like people to remember about him, he replies: “Nothing at all. I don't deserve to be held! I held my position for a very long time. Not too bad. That’s all, says Philippe Bouvard. I did my job. Goodbye and thank you. Finally, 'goodbye'. Farewell.” Still, he admits to having had a valuable relationship with listeners. “Talking to people is offering them a part of yourself. It’s a bond that reading, however lasting it may be, cannot always recreate.“
It's impossible to talk about Philippe Bouvard without talking about “Grosses Têtes”, which he hosted for 37 years, day and night, on radio and television. “It was one of the successes of my life and in any case, it is part of my daily life“, he says with pride. But his track record does not stop there: 11 simultaneous collaborations at a time when he was everywhere, on the radio, on TV, in the press. “It's a record“, he concedes. “I am a journalist who was first multimedia“, he analyzes. “I came at the right time and stayed long enough to have a little influence, but not to blow my mind“, he confides again with a smile.
Philippe Bouvard remains lucid about the marks of time. He speaks frankly about his health concerns, between loss of sight and declining hearing. “Growing old, especially over 95, is a small achievement, but not without handicaps, and without the fact that people look at you in a different way and hear you in a different way.“, he laments. “I still try to slip into the skin of the listener, but by straining my ears a little“. “You have to wish me to still have a hint of life for a while, to make my voice heard from time to time, but without overdoing it“, he slips, “like pleasant conversations like this. Thanks for coming to see me“, concludes “Mr” Bouvard.
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