“We're not in bed” is currently going through a strong zone of turbulence. And Laurent Ruquier's team has an interest in hanging their belts, because it may shake up. And strong. "ONPC" is at the very top of the pile of burning files that Takis Candilis, the head of programs for the entire France Télévisions group, must manage.
"We are only in February, it is far too early to talk about the start of the new school year because nothing is definitively fixed, but one thing is certain: Laurent Ruquier will be present in September on our channels, with ONPC or something else", assures the big boss, who does not want to get angry with the popular host of "Big Heads", who was able to relaunch with intelligence "Children of TV" in 2017.
Laurent Ruquier did not wish to answer our questions. "Laurent has not yet made his decision," confirms his entourage. "As usual, he works a lot and does not have the attitude of someone who has given up," said a relative. Upstairs of the management of France Télévisions, however, everyone knows that the show will not pass the summer.
"We all feel that the end is approaching ..."
“They are playing on words. It is not official, obviously, but the stop in June is made with Ruquier. We are already starting to think about the future, ”we explain in the corridors. "Takis Candilis walks on eggs because he wants to keep Ruquier, to whom M 6 does the belly dance", decrypts another. At "Tout sur l'Escre", the company of Catherine Barma which has produced the show since 2006, we can feel that the tide has turned. "The subject is taboo, nobody dares to talk about it, but we all feel that the end is approaching ...", says an employee, annoyed.
In hearings, the talk show on Saturday evening has been losing altitude since September. At the point of reaching last week its historic low, with only 673,000 viewers and 11.4% market share. The new formula, inaugurated at the start of the school year, where the polemists Christine Angot and Charles Consigny have given way to different columnists each week, has not reversed the trend. After making the beautiful nights of France 2 since 2006, the show has lost half of its audience in less than four years.
That it now seems a long time ago when Laurent Ruquier argued with Cyril Hanouna for the title of "the first talk show in France". Today, "We are not lying" is largely surpassed by its evening competitors. Especially with "Quotidien", by Yann Barthès, on TMC, and "C à vous", by Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine, on France 5, which like info, debate and humor.
Less and less prestigious guests
“News has significantly accelerated. And it's complicated for ONPC to be registered on Thursday evening, 48 hours before its broadcast. When Benjamin Griveaux resigns on a Friday morning, they are cooked because they cannot be live, ”observes a competitor. What explains the disaffection of part of the public, especially the youngest? Because the average age of its viewers increased from 51.5 years at the launch in 2006, to 57 years between 2014 and 2016. It has climbed to just over 59 years since the start of 2020.
"Before, I watched every week, I watched the guests, but I lost the reflex," confirms Camille, forty-something Bagnolet (Seine-Saint-Denis), who now prefers daily talk shows. And the stars are aware of it. They opt for the same choice and are becoming rarer at Ruquier. “This Saturday, the best known guest was Bérengère Krief. Last week, our headliner was Philippe Maneuver… By their side, only strangers. This is not how we risk winning back viewers, ”plague a small hand of ONPC.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
However, the press of the theater, music or cinema press do not sulk, on the contrary. "We continue to send our artists, because the program is watched by people who buy books and go to see films," says an influential professional. "We advise our authors to go there, because there are not as many shows as that where we talk about books, confirms a publishing house, before hoping: and just for that, it deserves to be maintained. "
This is also what will play out in the coming months: imagine a new meeting on Saturday evening which continues to speak of culture to as many people as possible. And there are few who, like Laurent Ruquier, show talent there.
Regulars of the show mixed
This Thursday evening, in front of Studio Gabriel, in Paris (VIIIth), where the show is filmed every week, fans are there. The regulars who come every week, and the curious on vacation in the capital. And all have an opinion on the evolution of "We are not lying". "The atmosphere is always good, but it lacks a regular humorist, I think," said Evelyne, a former baker in Morsang-sur-Orge (Essonne).
Beside him, Paulette, a 77-year-old Parisian, sore: “Christine Angot and Charles Consigny, I supported them… I prefer that it changes every week. The last time there was Valérie Trierweiler, it was good. But the polemicists are not good every week! "Before, there was too much tension, now sometimes it's too soft!" », Agree the two pensioners, however faithful among the faithful.
This contradiction is pointed out by Gilles, 67, from La Garenne-Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine). “The tensions were sometimes tiresome, but they made the debate interesting. We have to revise the show a bit so that it is more dynamic, ”assures one who appreciates the show for“ quality guests ”.
"This is the last year in my opinion," regrets Laurence, 54, from Montmorency (Val-d'Oise), who is waiting for her son in front of the studio entrance. "I was watching all the time, less now. It depends on the guests, ”she adds. "It would be a shame if it stopped, but I will watch the program until the end, and also what will be there instead. And I will listen to the Big Heads of which my husband is a fan, ”concludes Paule, 67, from Pantin (Seine-Saint-Denis).