Fans of the program all know his name, sometimes even since childhood. William Pinville alias William de “Questions for a champion“, the voiceover of Julien Lepers, is dead.
It was the TV Conseil agency which manages the communication of the show which announced it to BFMTV. According to media journalist Clément Garin, he died on November 19, 2024 from a heart attack. And he was in his sixties.
A star of “Questions for a Champion”
He had officiated alongside the host between 1992 to 2016on France 3. In addition, he had been a radio presenter, notably on TSF and Latina. He has lent his voice to documentaries, radio and TV commercials.
In 2011, an article in Le Parisien explained that “if William is on the air every day, 'Questions for a Champion' only represents 25 to 50% of his working time”. And to add that he was dreaming “dubbing in the cinema or, why not, going on stage”.
When France Télévisions parted ways with Julien Lepers, the star of the program, almost 10 years ago, the dubbing actor was also forced to leave the ship.
Samuel Etienne period, it is therefore Clotilde Donna who continued the work of William Pinville between 2016 and 2024. Since the last school year, it is once again a female voice, Francine Baudelot, who has officiated in her place.
And the voiceover of “Questions for a Champion” is of capital importance in the show. She is the one who announces the arrival of the candidates and the host, on set. According to Jean-Michel Maire, moreover, William Pinville had the habit of “engrave the small texts himself of 5 or 6 seconds which are used to present the candidates“.
He had exchanged places with Julien Lepers
The voiceover is also responsible for revealing the amount of the prize pool. Finally, it is she who reveals the list of gifts won by the champions.
During Julien Lepers' time, we had the pleasure of discovering the face of William Pinville during a broadcast. In 2015, host and voice-over had fun exchanging placesat the start of the program. And on set, it was indeed William Pinville who welcomed Julien Lepers, always a customer of his friendly moments on air.
