It all starts with the discovery of an inscription on an old photo found in a briefcase…
“My mother's briefcase, Emma. I decided to open this briefcase ten years after its disappearance. I discovered photos of her there and this old class photo from my 3rd B. Behind this photo was this famous sentence: “Don't tell Paul”. What did she mean? First, I looked for who it was addressed to. And I assumed it was one of the six boys in this photo. So I set out on a quest to find out who it was aimed at and, above all, what I shouldn't know. I very quickly understood that this note had been made to protect me.“
Patrick Sabatier: “I declined the offer from Europe 1 for next season”
So you found your friends from back then. How did this reunion go?
“Friends for me have always been friends. I've always been quite natural both on and off TV. By the time we found them, I was no longer the guy in the present but the guy in the photo. Even if we can realize that we no longer have the same affinities, the same tastes.“
How did you go about putting your life down on paper?
“This is not an easy exercise at all. I wrote everything down in notebooks, in a very academic way. I don't consider myself a writer. I was largely inspired by my real life to write this novel. I found it easier to get Paul Saran to say things that I might not have dared to say. I have always been a very reserved person. In my career, I made others talk a lot more and that suited me very well.“
This quest is a bit like your own Wanted noticea show that you presented on TF1. In this show, which is a bit like the ancestor of Facebook, you notably invited Johnny Hallyday.
“We did an extra show with him and his adoptive mother who raised him. Fifteen days before, he had made a broadcast but the audience was not there. But with his Wanted noticewe broke records. It was a human show. We discovered the artists in their humanity.“
Patrick Sabatier is embarking on a new adventure, far from television: “I was raised in a world of silence”
In this book, you also talk about anecdotes from your career as an animator. Do you still have projects on the small screen?
“I did TV for a long time and I was very spoiled. You shouldn't ask for too much in life. I had everything successfully. I believe that at a certain point, we have to show ourselves less and ask ourselves what we can do differently. I no longer want to do TV, or radio for that matter. There are some who want to do TV all the way, but I want to do things differently. I don't see what I could do better. The time I have left, which I don't know, I would like to spend it doing other things. I am planning a trip to Africa with my family. It’s worth all the TV shows in the world.”
You presented The Truth Game from 1985 to 1986 on TF1. Was it a daring program for the time?
“Yes, completely. Thierry Ardisson has only one regret: not having invented this show! A personality was still there for an hour and a half facing questions from the public.“
In the book, you return in particular to the day when you defended Sophie Marceau.
“Respect is a very important word for me. Just because you're a public figure doesn't mean you shouldn't be respected. In complete anonymity, a man had been hateful to Sophie Marceau who was only 17 years old. He had really abused her verbally. I ask Sophie not to answer. She didn't deserve this. It was the game of truth, not the game of massacre.“
Alain Delon also participated in this show…
“I asked him in May 1984 to participate in the Truth Game and in January 1985 he asked me for 24 hours of reflection. He agreed to participate and six months later he was on set. He was a wonderful man of his word. He told me on the phone: “When Alain Delon says “yes”, Alain Delon comes!”” (laughs)
Today, personalities are experiencing the same thing but on social networks. How do you view these?
“There are pros and cons. I'm not on social media. Not because I'm not interested but because I have nothing to communicate. I made a book. It's all in there. I'm not going to start talking about my private life or sharing my opinion on any subject. I did a public job but I am a very reserved person. “
Patrick Sabatier remembers his beginnings on the radio: “I was told that with this voice, I would never have a career”
You often talk about the mark you want to leave on your family…
“I want my children and my grandchildren to be proud of me. Proud of what I do, of what I did, of the way I conducted myself. I want them to be able to draw good things from me as I was able to do with my grandparents. They instilled in me certain values like respect. I've interviewed plenty of stars. But none of them make me change sidewalks. I never betrayed them.”
You worked on C8. What do you think of its stopping next March?
“It's always disappointing when a TV channel is banned from broadcasting. I don't know the file but there must surely be something serious for this to happen. If I had been at Arcom and had to make this decision, it would have taken a big file for me to raise my hand. Cyril Hanouna has his admirers and his detractors. He does a one-man show every night. In the professional sense of the term, he is performing. But, I know that deep down, people don't like it. I am quite sympathetic about this because I know the difficulty of making a show.“
You are the one who set foot in the stirrup of a certain Marc-Olivier Fogiel…
“He came to watch my shows on RTL. He was 13 years old and he absolutely wanted to be my intern. I said to him: “You're too young. Do your parents know you're here?” (laughs) I called his dad to see if he gave me permission. And that's how it started. I really saw in him someone who wanted to have a career. I gave him a lot of responsibility early on. He had an immense work force.“
