From this Monday, at 4.10 p.m., on France 3, Cyril Féraud opens the doors of his large apartment. Or almost. The decor of Duels in families, the game he created, looks like a big cozy living room. “The only thing reminiscent of a TV set are the desks. And again, to design them, we started from real furniture. I have the impression of receiving people at home, ”says the host to 20 minutes. Throughout the week, the same two families, made up of four members, will play to glean a few thousand euros and talk about their regions of origin.
A new challenge that Cyril Féraud, who also stacks up at the presentation of slam on the third channel, seems to approach with excitement and serenity.
How did you come up with the idea of “Family Duels”?
It started from a desire. We have never had, on France Télévisions, a game pitting families against each other. I was convinced that it would create a special atmosphere. One sleepless night, I started thinking about it. I wrote the concept on my iPhone and fell asleep at 5am. The program we put on the air is identical to my notes, except for a few details. Everything took shape very quickly. I said to myself that we needed three rounds, a dramaturgy and, above all, that we have these families with us all week.
Why ?
To be able to take the time to take an interest in all the members of each family, so that they can tell us about the elements of their lives. I wanted the families to really feel at home, that’s why we ask them to come with their photo frames [qui apparaissent à l’arrière-plan du décor]. Contrary to what some have written on social networks, there was no question of redoing A gold family. Here, we are really on a general culture game with quizzes based on words, images, music, knowledge of the regions…
Each family represents the region from which it comes. Was it a way of turning one’s back on Parisianism?
It’s not anti-Parisianist because Paris is part of France and the people who live there will also come to play. I’ve been on France 3 for years, telling the regions of the candidates for my shows, telling them through The treasure map. I told myself that bringing clans would be an opportunity to create a kind of “ Intercity of general culture. These families come to tell their part of France, what there is to see in their city…
Was it in the specifications requested by France 3?
No, the channel didn’t tell me: “We’re looking for a game that talks about the regions, with families”. I proposed this program. When we pitched the concept in December, France Télévisions liked it and asked me to do a pilot show [une émission test]. When I asked for which box, I was told: “We don’t know. Do it, we’ll see if it works.” We did a pilot in December without a predefined time slot and France Télés fell in love.
Has the channel set an audience target?
Honestly, no one gave me a number. I would like us to be around 10% because it’s a nice figure, which is no longer very easy to obtain.
Is it easy to find candidate families who are comfortable on TV and available for the filming of five shows?
They are not easy to find, but not only because of what you mention. We are on France 3 and there is a level requirement. This is why I insist on the differences with A gold family which is a survey-based game. We are here to learn things. Round 2, for example, is a duel in pictures, with postcards that you have to guess where they were sent from, it’s not that simple…
Two games in the afternoon on weekdays on France 3, the presentation of “The Treasure Map”, appearances as Cyril Gossbo in “Fort Boyard”, the animation of event bonuses… The public service can no longer do without you …
(Laughs) We saw a lot of people that certain channels couldn’t do without and we don’t really know what happened to them today. I’m still very… (searches for the word)
Superstitious?
Yes. What is certain is that I work a lot. Everything: my texts, my jokes… These programs require a super square schedule. I hope that my involvement in the work makes these programs successful and that my sincerity shines through. In fact, whether they love me or not, I am as I am in life. When animators present games for years, they are often mistakenly labeled in a branch and made to do just that. I have been on France Télévisions for fifteen years and I have been trusted each time for different types of programs, I measure how lucky I am.
You say “Love me or don’t love me”. Are there any reviews that affect you?
Today, I take a step back from that. The more programs you have, the more you are exposed to criticism, you have to know how to accept it. I pay attention to those that are well-founded and well-argued. If a viewer writes to me to tell me that I am cutting candidates off too much, well that makes me think. I tell myself that I may indeed be a little too dynamic. The reality is that, when we arrive at the seventh show of the day of recording, we are a little tired and, so as not to show it, we tend to be in a kind of over-energy. Those are some interesting reviews. Afterwards, the “You do too much”, “You kiss the candidates, it’s unbearable”… I can’t help it, it’s part of me, of my style of animation
You reacted with emotion to the death of Daniel Lévi, who succumbed to cancer in early August. “France Dimanche” went from there to make its front page with the headline “Cyril Féraud: A lightning cancer”, suggesting, wrongly, that you were sick. Did it affect you a lot?
Without exaggerating, I found it quite traumatic. In the morning, when I wake up, I usually look at my press review on my newspaper app. There, when I saw my head, on the cover, in huge, with the words “A lightning cancer” and “So young, so beautiful, it’s so unfair”, there was half a second where I said, “Did I miss something about me? And then there was a phase of anger and I hoped it wasn’t going to bring me the evil eye. We know the tricks of this kind of magazine, however, what we do not control is the repercussions that it can have. I have a grandmother who is 86 years old, I know very well that this type of coverage is posted on the press houses to lure the customer. I don’t want people to go see my grandmother for a week with a crestfallen expression and say to her: “We learned about Cyril’s cancer”. I reacted with a tweet and posts on social networks to say what I thought about it and, despite that, the very morning of the publication of France Sunday, I received hundreds of messages on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, from people who didn’t understand and said to me “Cyril, fight! You know, chemos today…” It’s terrible, actually. It’s weird to live. Especially since I lost my dad to cancer. It’s a delicate subject for me, it stirs up really uncool things in my family. I’m not the first one they’ve done this to, but it’s disgusting nonetheless.
Back to television. Saturday, we will find you again at the controls of the “Quiz des champions”, at 9:05 p.m. on France 2…
It’s my other baby and my other big pride because succeeding in prime time to offer viewers a match of this level was a real challenge. Watching people who have a phenomenal general culture could have tired the public, but the first two issues were huge successes with 16% audience share. So I’m very happy to be back with a third new issue. There will notably be Bruno of 12 strokes of noon or Isabelle, the last greatest reigning champion of Everyone wants to take its place…
“100% logical, the answer is in front of your eyes” will it soon be on the air?
Yes, it will happen very soon as a bonus on France 2. In front of me, a hundred candidates will try to win 100,000 euros. It will be a game that will bring the whole family together in front of the TV, everyone can play. The show does not test general culture but logic, observation and common sense. I believe in her a lot – we shot four primes – because the real challenge of television today is to succeed in bringing the family together on the sofa on Saturday evening.