Remember, Vincent Lagaf was at the helm of this game that has become cult from February 2, 1998 on TF1. Titled The Bigdil, the show had a whole team of happy troublemakers around the host. With Ramuncho, Dj Aspé, les Gafettes and also and above all the unforgettable Bill the Extraterrestrial. This colorful character was the centerpiece of the show. Indeed, the whole game was based on his story and his link with Vincent Lagaf, who seduced the viewers present in their millions every evening at dinner time. Twenty years after the show ended, it is back on RMC Story from Thursday January 2, 2025 with a new version similar to the original and above all with the same characters including the indescribable Bill.
The Bigdil : how was Gilles Vautier chosen by Vincent Lagaf to play Bill, the extraterrestrial?
After 1395 broadcasts, The Bigdil bowed out on July 23, 2004 on TF1. Since this stoppage, many rumors have circulated each year about a possible return of the program. Cyril Hanouna was even interested in broadcasting it on C8. But the fans were still waiting! 2025 therefore brings viewers good news, that of the return of the program. On this occasion Gilles Vautier, the interpreter of the famous Bill, talks about his meeting with Vincent Lagaf. A few years ago, the actor described to Telepro the way he landed on the show… after having known the host well when they both frequented the Le Carré blanc café-theater in Paris: “I have known Vincent Lagaf for around thirty years, we must have known each other in 87-88. We loved working together, we loved clowning together” he explained. More recently at the end of 2024, he told us: “We’ve known each other for a very, very, very, very long time. It’s like a first couple, that is to say we adore each other, we argue with each other, we tell each other our truthsbut we have a real attachment to each other.“
Gilles Vautier, the interpreter of Bill in The Bigdilexhibited in New York and wrote a book!
And so it was very natural that the host immediately thought of his friend when it came to finding an interpreter for the animated character for his new game on TF1! “You are the only one who knows how to improvise the way I like“, Vincent Lagaf would have assured his comrade. But during the twenty years of break between the end of the bigdil and on the way back, how did Gilles Vautier spend his time? Far from television and comedy, Gilles Vautier has become a recognized photographer for his original work: “Myself is the art of multi-exposure. For example, I make lunch. Everyone drinks, eats, makes merguez, toasts, a classic thing. Except that all the actors at lunch are the same person“. And added, full of pride: “During confinement, it was the time when everyone took photos inspired by large paintings. So, I was inspired by the world of Edward Hopper who is an immense master for me that everyone understands because his theme of waiting is universal. So, I made a whole series of photos based on the world of Edward Hopper. It was half fake, half photo and it was such a hit that the Edward Hopper Foundation contacted me and referenced me and I was exhibited in New York“. In the list of projects of the photographer there are also incredible trips that he takes with his wife Lulu. Latest project on the program, a book on the Nationale 7 by scooter for which he signs the texts and photos. A completely different life for the interpreter of Bill.
