RIP Thierry Ardisson, late-night language lover

I could count on the fingers of one hand those French television personalities that have induced in me a real sense of admiration and affection over the years.

This is not only because my exposure to this particular gene pool was limited, not having grown up in France and thus being a relative arriviste when to comes to watching la télé. 

Rather it was because, even with my imperfect linguistic talents, I could still recognise someone whose personality combined warmth, eloquence, culture, a hint of non-conformism and my most prized human trait, humour.

Anyone equally at ease with high brow and low brow is my cup of tea (ma tasse de thé), which is why my top three are Antoine de Caunes (yes, a Eurotrash presenter with a big profile in the UK in the 90s but so much more); the talk show host and radio presenter Laurent Ruquier; and Thierry Ardisson, host and producer who died in July – provoking widespread sadness in France.

A great talker and humorist, Ardisson was best known for his talk shows Tout le monde en parle and Salut les Terriens. 

Among the raft of obituary pieces written following his passing, one eulogy stood out. The Aix-en-Provence based association l’Atelier de la langue française, known for organising France’s largest Festival de l’éloquence (Eloquence festival), had welcomed Ardisson for a visit in 2023. 

In their guest book after the talk, he noted his favourite word (“Love”), the place where he felt best (“My bed with a series on my computer”), a figure to put on a new banknote (Jean Gabin) and his favourite insult (“Connard!”).