Twenty years after its last broadcast, “Bigdil” returns to the air this Thursday, January 2 on RMC Story, with Vincent Lagaf' but also with Bill, the blue alien in computer-generated images emblematic of the show. His interpreter, Gilles Vautier, tells us.
Bill is back on our screens. After more than twenty years of absence, The Bigdil is reborn this Thursday, January 2. The famous game show, which marked the years 1998 to 2004 on TF1, returns to prime-time on RMC Story, a channel of the RMC-BFM group, with Vincent Lagaf' as host.
But the presenter will also be accompanied for this return by Bill, the blue alien in computer-generated images emblematic of the show, who has been played behind the scenes by Gilles Vautier since the beginning of the program adapted from the American game called Let’s make a deal.
“I am in the process of becoming one again and I have long been the most famous unknown in France,” jokes Gilles Vautier, in the Featured titlethe daily BFMTV podcast.
“Le Bigdil”: the cult game from the 2000s is making a comeback on RMC Story
“Vincent told me: ‘if you don’t come, I won’t do it again’”
Long announced, the return of bigdil on air was made official last June by RMC Story. Contacted by Ah! Production in order to relaunch the show, Gilles Vautier, now a photographer, confides that he was “very surprised” to be asked to take on the role of Bill.
“For 20 years I heard a lot of times ‘we’re going to take the Bigdil again’ so at first I didn’t think it was serious,” he confides.
“Afterwards it was confirmed. Vincent (Lagaf', Editor's note) called me and said: 'if you don't come, I won't do it again'. That touched me a lot”, continues Gilles Vautier .
“Innovative technology”
But in twenty years, Bill's character has evolved a lot. Gilles Vautier remembers the puppeteers, David and Pascal, who helped him at the time to synchronize his gestures with those of the blue alien. Today the system is much more modern. “I have sensors on my body which mean that when I move, Bill has exactly the same expressions as me,” says Gilles Vautier.
“As for facial expressions, (…) we went with a technology which is very innovative thanks to an iPhone and a program which allows the reconstruction of the expressions of my face: the raising of the eyebrows, pulling the language, smile…”, he explains.
“Afterwards, there was still a little effort to be made on the gaze. I had to be careful that Bill's gaze adhered to the axis of the camera, in relation to the position of Vincent, the candidates or the Gaffettes “That was a hell of a job,” adds Gilles Vautier.
Viewers will be able to find this new version of Bill, more modern, from this Thursday January 2 at 9:10 p.m. and every Friday evening in prime time on RMC Story, alongside Vincent Lagaf'.
