It was a bold gamble in 2004 to launch a daily soap opera on a national channel. A bet by Vincent Meslet, then deputy program director of France 3, and an idea chosen from several projects: telling the life of the inhabitants of a popular district of Marseille. An idea signed Hubert Besson, the director of Telfrance at the time.
On franceinfo, the one who is today general manager of Newen, a production company bought by TF1 which produces this series but also tomorrow belongs to us and Here it all begins, recalls that this was particularly in response to the success of reality TV and loft story : “We were in this period two years later Amelie Poulain, so there was a certain idea of a slightly mythical but Marseille district, whose history we wanted to tell a little, the Panier. It is true that the arrival of reality TV had made the executives of France Télévisions think at the time, on how to seduce a younger audience. And reality TV was a form of putting characters on the air. It was also a desire to put people from all French minorities on the air”, comments Vincent Meslet.
“We had the idea of launching a daily soap opera, but with real scenarios. There were only real actors.”
Vincent Mesleton franceinfo
He learned on Thursday May 5 that France television was ending the 18-year-old adventure. And thethe end of the soap opera makes him nostalgic: “There is a moment of nostalgia in that moment. And afterwards, there is a spirit of responsibility. I’m quite happy to be where I am to accompany all the teams in the next six months. To finish as well gloriously that we launched the program”he confides on franceinfo.
Plus Belle la vie belongs to the Newen group and therefore to TF1, and Vincent Meslet does not refrain from continuing this adventure: “It’s much too early, too early to talk about this. Our priority is to go all the way. Clearly, it’s a strong brand that has a very involved audience beyond its audience. It has marked many generations of viewers. For example, when we take 25-34 year olds, they say that one in two say that they have at one time been faithful to More beautiful life in their life. So yes, there is a brand with an audience, a resonance of strong values, proximity, popularity, which a popular France can embody. We do not forbid ourselves anything for the future. We even have a mission to study all the possibilities. But it’s far too early to talk about that.” concludes Vincent Meslet.