In November 1982, viewers of Little Bouvard Theatera young comedian then aged 25: Michèle Mathywhich will very quickly become Mimie Mathy. The young woman, suffering from achondroplasia, a rare form of dwarfism, quickly caught the eye of the program’s host-producer, Philippe Bouvard, who decided to create a trio with Michèle Bernier and Isabelle de Botton, called Les girls. For several years, the three women were a hit, and formed a true friendship that has lasted for more than forty years. This Monday, December 25, 2023, TF1 offered a special evening celebrating the 40-year career of his favorite guardian angel. In the first part of the evening, the channel broadcast the unpublished 104th episode of Joséphine, guardian angeland in the second part of the evening, a report called Mimie Mathy life size returned to the complicated beginnings of the young woman, who almost did not have a career.
Indeed, as revealed by Philippe Bouvardthe programmers and major executives of the time did not appreciate seeing it appear on their screen a young woman measuring 1.32 meters. Despite all the pressure he received, and the orders calling on him to fire Mimie Mathy, the nonagenarian will continue to place his trust in her, convinced of having found a rare gem: “One morning she arrives, so naturally, its size still poses a bit of a problem. I’m like, what kind of character can she play?” remembers the strong man, as feared as he is respected. But quickly, Philippe Bouvard understands that he must do everything to keep the young woman, and goes against his big bosses.
Mimie Mathy and the Throne Fair
“She’s a spontaneous girl. She doesn’t have all the affectations of actors who already have years of career. She’s raw. So, I’m scheduling her for the day after tomorrow” remembers the host. But for the higher levels of the chain, its achondroplasia poses a problem: “The next morning, the director of the channel called me: Mr. Bouvard, last night I saw your latest recruit. Should I tell you that you should not take an international television channel for the Throne Fair ? So, it’s petty and completely beside the point!” An opinion shared by Michel Drucker, who remembers very well the time when Mimie Mathy was hated by the channel bosses: “I remember very well the time when they were gnashing their teeth, and making very derogatory comments. It’s grotesque!”
“I don’t give a damn!”
In the end, Philippe Bouvard will hold on, and will continue to trust Mimie Mathy: “I don’t care what the program director thinks! What matters is the audience rate, it’s the satisfaction indices, and they are enormous!” Mimie Mathy remembers this time very well, and will never thank Philippe Bouvard enough for protecting her: “It hurts, but I feel stronger from the moment the boss supports me, and the boss is Bouvard, not the other one from the programming who knows nothing about it. say: I am right to continue”. A niac who won’t leave her side: in 1994, Mimie Mathy brought together more than 12.5 million viewers with the TV movie A nanny like no other ; the sequel, a year later, was just as successful with 11.8 million followers. The channels changed their minds and saw her as a goose that laid golden eggs: in 1997 the character of Joséphine, guardian angel on TF1, which will allow the actress to enter the hearts of the French… forever.