TThree moments have marked the career of Laurent Ruquier so far, the host tells us as he welcomes us to the RTL premises in Neuilly, after a recording of “Grosses Têtes”, exhausted but happy. The return on stage, after thirty years of absence, in 2005, at Bouffes Parisiens, of his friend Marie Laforêt, a comeback of which he was the initiator. The day, in 2011, when he signed to become co-owner, with Jean-Marc Dumontet, of the Antoine theater (1). And his first at the helm of “Big heads”, ten years ago, on August 25, 2014.
In the multiple lives of this presenter-comedian-author-producer-theater owner, like a hyphenated magnet, the show traces an astonishing common thread. As a teenager in Le Havre at the end of the 1970s, solitary Laurent Ruquier, secretly passionate about radio, already dreamed of hosting RTL's flagship event. ” I was bored. I had the impression of being excluded, a feeling which undoubtedly had to do, even if I did not express it at the time, with my homosexuality. I had created for myself, in my room, an imaginary universe, with my own radio, and my own “Big Heads”. » The story is so beautiful that we make a skeptical face, but he protests: “It's the truth! »
“Beware of political correctness”
Laurent Ruquier, 61, is one of the lucky guys who made their childhood dream come true. And his pleasure does not seem to have diminished despite going through the mirror. You have to see the greed with which he orchestrates, for almost three hours, the concert and valve competition delivered by his “members”, alert minds and champions of histrionics, galvanized by the microphone, the lights, the public (80 people) .
Although he laughs a lot, doubling his bursts of laughter with jumping in his chair, he never weakens in his concentration. His eyes slalom from one speaker to another with the speed of a ping-pong ball. Everything is happening very quickly. The questions from the listeners, the guests on the phone or in the studio (that day, the actress Judith Magre, the writer Damien Lecamp, the French MMA star Cédric Doumbé…), the games, the imitations, the stupidities, quite funny (poor Slimane renamed “Slipmane”), the outbursts of the columnists, who fear nothing, neither of being heavy (it happens), nor of being salacious, at a time when ribaldry exposes to the moral condemnations of social networks. “The public loves “Les Grosses Têtes” precisely for this freedom! We absolutely must resist the injunctions of political correctness,” believes the host.
Strong competition
The show, created in 1977, for a long time played by Philippe Bouvard, clearly dominates its time slot (3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.). Around 900,000 followers (1.8 million cumulative listening). But audiences are tending to decline, in unison with one station, RTL, which has been left behind not only by France Inter but also by Franceinfo since this fall. “Don’t panic,” judge Laurent Ruquier. Fair play, and skillful, he explains: “It’s more of a rebalancing, predictable, after two years during which competition on Inter and Europe 1 was weak. They have regained their strength, with Cyril Hanouna on Europe and Matthieu Noël on Inter, well done to them! But we remain largely the leader. »
Every morning, the master of ceremonies continues to arrive at 6:30 a.m., and prepare for four hours for the show, recorded from 10:30 a.m., scouring the press, as he has done for thirty years. Passionate about news, the most journalistic of comedians even tried a year ago to host a daily show on BFM, an attempt cut short after three months. “I was hoping to offer a show built around my choices in the news. But the BFMTV line remains dominated by “hard news”. Real-time information, which is essential, was less my thing. »
“Misadventure” on BFMTV
Since this “mishap”, Laurent Ruquier appears much less on TV. Some very occasional incursions in games or entertainment shows. “Les Traitors”, “Mask Singer”… He refocused on radio, writing and producing artists (Gaspard Proust, Vincent Dedienne, Michaël Gregorio…) It seems that it’s torture, when you has been omnipresent on the small screen, to be less visible there. “In my case no. I don't suffer from this situation. I have been in television for thirty years: I am not bitter, but rather proud of what I offered there, and happy with the success I was able to experience. »
“Rien à cer” on France Inter, “On va s’gêner” on Europe 1, “We tried everything” or “On n’est pas couche” on France 2… His programs on the radio and on TV have been known exceptional longevity (five to fifteen years), and have always traveled between humor and cinema, literature… “My credo is that we must popularize culture. What's interesting is playing an opera aria in an entertainment program. When I was little, there were Mozart symphonies on ''Stop ou encore'' on RTL! I am constantly reminded of where I come from. I know how the majority of French people live, I know that for some people, “reading” means reading a magazine. My obsession is to address everyone, without being a demagogue. »
“Society affairs, I hate”
The day before this exchange, for the first time, he attended a fashion show. “There was a cocktail afterwards. I left very quickly. I hate social events. Something in me makes me always feel uncomfortable there, at a distance,” he says. Perhaps this thing is loyalty to the son of a worker who grew up in a public housing project in Le Havre? He doesn't say no but doesn't open up.
How long does he plan to be in charge of the “Big Heads”? “Until the age of 50 in 2027, and even one or two seasons after that. » He ensures that the battalion of the show's pillars, around forty personalities, is regularly renewed. “The number one rule, to impose yourself on the ''Big Heads'', is to overcome your shyness. » He speaks from experience, describing himself as “very shy.” “This job allows us to overcome certain obstacles. It allows you to be who you want to be, even if you don't achieve it every day in real life. »
(1) The host resold his shares.
