“Ardisson, a genius who had to be defended”

Today, the general delegate of the Angoulême Festival, Marie-France Brière was the first to produce Thierry Ardisson on television. “The Man in Black” died this morning, July 14, from cancer.

In the fall of 1985, it was Marie-France Brière – then director of variety programs at TF1 – who was responsible for the thunderous emergence of Thierry Ardisson on television. While the show "Descente de police" would not long survive the wrath of the High Authority for Audiovisual, it marked the beginning of a friendship that lasted until the disappearance of the "man in black." "Dying on July 14th, what a snub for a staunch royalist," smiles bitterly the woman who is today the general delegate of the Angoulême Film Festival.

Where did you find Ardisson?

One day, Daniel Filipacchi called me to tell me that he absolutely had to introduce me to an advertising executive with incredible language. Already dressed all in black, I discovered a guy whose arguments were all the more striking, given that at the time, social networks didn't exist, and advertising set the real tempo. It was a revelation, but also the certainty that I would be summoned every week by the High Authority. I didn't regret it; Ardisson was a genius to defend.

Did the PAF then have so few profiles capable of shaking up the ambient conformism?

There weren't any. And no one spoke like him, the interviews were so indulgent... So he did the opposite, making the exercise as uncomfortable for the guest as it was enjoyable for the viewers.

An agitator who was said to be consumed by stage fright...

As brilliant as Ardisson was in his conversations, he became paralyzed in front of the camera. I remember seeing him sweat like crazy, so much so that we had to provide a basin and sponges to keep him presentable. But I didn't have to reassure him, just make him understand that he should avoid live broadcasts. He listened to me; he'll never do one in his life.

The complete opposite of an unmanageable guy"

Was he really that unmanageable, or was he actually in control of his sense of provocation?

The complete opposite of an unmanageable guy, a formidable worker, a good listener. In addition to his interviewing style, this "ad man" used his graphic talent to also modernize the presentation of the shows. To tell you how organized he was, just before he died he had drawn up a small list of people to call to talk about him. With Thierry, it's a part of my professional life and a friend who are going to hell. I would at least like his passing to allow young people to discover this timeless style. With his talent as a journalist and the way she loved him, I have no doubt that the documentary his partner Audrey Crespo-Mara was preparing will be fantastic.

Among hundreds of interviews, sometimes on the edge of reason, which one will you remember?

That of Gainsbourg or Bécaud, Michel Rocard of course , and what about his interview with Simone Veil ? My God, when I think back, I tell myself that we could no longer do that today, even if he continued until the end in "Salut les Terriens". As a woman, I take it upon myself to tell you that the #MeToo movement has eradicated a good part of this impertinence.