On January 17, 2015, Vincent Veillon and Vincent Kucholl made their television debut, on RTS. The show was called “26 Minutes.” Then, there was “120 minutes” in 2018 and “52 minutes” in 2020. The format and frequency changed, not the tandem at the controls. At least in its composition, because in its way of working many things have evolved.
Vincent Veillon looks back on this decade spent in front of the cameras, before a new number of “52 minutes”, Saturday at 8:10 p.m. at Studio 4 in Geneva.
Is ten years of television a lot or a little?
Nowadays, that could be considered an achievement, given the longevity of content and the attention of people in front of their screens. My feeling is that it passed relatively quickly. That’s a pretty good sign. And then, in Switzerland, the media landscape is particular. We don’t have private channels that put enormous pressure on producers. That doesn’t mean that we’re sitting back and twiddling our thumbs either: our audiences have been stable for ten years.
Who needs the other more? The RTS of you? Or you from RTS?
For us, it is both desire and need. We always have fun doing what we do. So yes, we need RTS to continue to laugh with people, even if we could do more of a scene. It’s a healthy collaboration that lasts because the trust is there. I can’t answer for RTS, but “52 minutes” plays, in a way, a public service role. We talk about French-speaking Switzerland, the shows we do outdoors attract lots of people, there are exchanges with the spectators. It’s certain that if this stops tomorrow, it will change our lives!
Is it because you do humor with French-speaking characters that your show is so successful?
It contributes to the success, to the extent that there are no other entertainment shows that do that. Basically, we French-speaking people are afraid of ambition, we are so influenced by the media by France and we don’t want to be too much in the spotlight. And when you’re there, it’s ultimately a pleasure. In recent years, we’ve noticed that there are a lot of people on social networks who play with regionalisms, and that’s cool. We feel that it meets a need.
Between your first television broadcast ten years ago and today, your association with Vincent Kucholl has become a real business. Tell us about it.
From the start, we wanted to be independent. But, actually, in 2015, there were four of us, I was filming, it was DIY to be able to deliver 26 minutes per week. One thing leading to another, our team has grown. Not the budget envelope… Well, I don’t know, it’s not me who takes care of the accounts, it’s rather my wife, in the person of Vincent Kucholl. (Laughs.) Today, we have around fifteen people who work regularly for our production company. It was officially inaugurated in 2024 and is called Pain Fromage. Outside of the show, we have external mandates, for advertising, in particular.
Do you see an evolution in the way of making television between 2015 and today?
I have the impression that we were able to maintain the same agility and freshness. Even if it’s difficult to be original when the news is sometimes poor. What I observed was that, during the first years, we benefited from the novelty aspect. Since Covid, there has been more polarization in the comments. When people aren’t happy, they really aren’t happy. At the same time, there is the issue of royalty, with those who are not comfortable paying for content that does not interest them.
Why did you choose Pierre-Yves Maillard as your guest on Saturday?
-Because he was our first guest in 2015 and he’s still in the news ten years later. We found it funny to bring him in to show a few extracts from his visit and see what has changed or not.
Will the rest of the show be a retrospective?
No, we didn’t want a self-celebration, with a best of. There is just Thomas (editor’s note: Wiesel, the comedian) who’s going to do something special, but he hasn’t told us what yet.
What keeps your bond intact between you and Vincent Kucholl?
We do a lot of things besides “52 minutes”. Even if the show still occupies our minds quite a bit. Also, we do not rest on our laurels, we are constantly evolving. Besides, our relationship has evolved a lot in ten years. We butted heads maybe five times in total. It also comes down to the basic formula: we are not a duo of comedians who do the same thing and compare themselves. We talk a lot, and then we’re both in therapy, like everyone else.
“We want to do a special event that could be both a show and a broadcast”
Your role, Vincent Veillon, has changed quite a bit in ten years: you are no longer the presenter who does a few sketches, you are almost as much of an actor as Vincent Kucholl is…
It’s true, and I’m very happy about it. I didn’t go to comedy school, but. before meeting Vincent, I was making music, lots of things. It simply took time for Vincent to make some space for me. He has such an ego, you have. (Laughs.)
Last summer, we were able to see “52 minutes” in a show at the Paléo. Is another one a project?
We have ideas. Having everyone gathered on stage, highlighting all the beautiful feathers, the beautiful voices, the beautiful brains made us really enjoy Paléo. We want to do something else, a special event that could be both a show and a broadcast. Maybe for next year.
And a touring show like “Le fric”, with Vincent Kucholl?
It’s not on the agenda, we’re waiting for the right idea and we also want to do things separately.
