''Intervilles'' is a French comedy
game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
first broadcast in 1962. The show was based on a previous Italian programme. It featured teams representing towns in France competing in a series of games, some of which involved live cows and bulls (referred to as the ''vachette''). The show was aired from July 17, 1962, on
RTF
RTF may refer to:
Organisations
* African Union Regional Task Force, the military operation of the RCI-LRA, 2011–2018.
* Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française, a broadcaster in France, 1949–1964
* Russian Tennis Federation, the national gover ...
, then on
ORTF from 1964 to 1973. After 12 years of absence, it reappeared on July 10, 1985, on
FR3, then from July 4, 1986, to September 6, 1999, on
TF1 despite allegations of cheating in 1997.
France 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews.
Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...
aired the show from July 5, 2004, then
France 3
France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info.
It is made up of a network of regional television services providing ...
from June 23, 2006, to August 26, 2009.
A special programme was broadcast on France 2 on June 29, 2013, to mark the show's 50th anniversary, and an international version was broadcast on
Gulli
Gulli (; stylised as gulli) is a French free-to-air television channel focused on kids programming for those aged 3 to 14. It was created as a result of a partnership between Lagardère Active and state-owned broadcaster France Télévisions. ...
in 2014 and 2015.
In 2019, it was announced that the programme would be revived, albeit without including the vachette.
Background
''Intervilles'' was created as an adaption of the Italian programme ', which pitted two teams representing separate towns against each other in a series of games and obstacle courses.
When the
1962 Tour de France
The 1962 Tour de France was the 49th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race consisted of 22 stages, including two split stages, starting in Nancy on 24 June and finishing at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 15 J ...
was not broadcast on French television due to a dispute over allowing commercial advertising on the Tour, ''Intervilles'' was created to fill the time.
The original rule brought in by the creator
Guy Lux
Guy Maurice Lux (21 June 1919 – 13 June 2003) was a French TV host and producer best known for his 1961 creation of the game show ''Intervilles'' and its numerous spinoffs. During his 40 year career, he produced, directed, hosted, and wrote ...
was that towns could only participate if they had 20,000 inhabitants or less to avoid big cities because of a belief they lacked local pride.
The first episode was between
Saint-Amand-les-Eaux
Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (; former nl, Sint-Amands-aan-de-Skarpe, link=no) is a commune in the Nord department, northern France. It lies on the river Scarpe, 12 km northwest of Valenciennes. In French, the town people are named ''Amandinois'' ...
and
Armentières
Armentières (; vls, Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fière'' (Poor but proud).
Geogra ...
in
Dax
Dax or DAX may refer to:
Business and organizations
* DAX, stock market index of the top 40 German companies
** DAX 100, an expanded index of 100 stocks, superseded by the HDAX
** TecDAX, stock index of the top 30 German technology firms
* Dax ...
in an open-air arena in front of 6,000 spectators.
Reportedly it became so popular that the
President of France
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
,
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
would rearrange his official schedule to watch it.
The programme inspired the British programme ''
It's a Knockout
''It's a Knockout!'' is a British game show first broadcast in 1966. It was adapted from the French show ''Intervilles'', and was part of the international ''Jeux sans frontières'' franchise.
History
The series was broadcast on BBC1 from 7 Au ...
''.
In the 1990s, claimed that the games were rigged to keep up suspense by soaping up surfaces for the team in the lead. This was after Chiabodo had been fired from the programme by
TF1 after having been accused of cheating by ''
Le Canard enchaîné
(; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris.
Founded in 1915 during World War I, it features investigative journalism a ...
'' newspaper.
Chiabodo was accused of helping
Puy du Fou
Puy du Fou () is a historical theme park in Les Epesses in the Pays de la Loire region of western France. It receives more than 2 million visitors every year, making it one of the most popular theme parks in France. In 2019 and 2020, it is the fo ...
win in 1996 and 1997 by indicating quiz answers to them using his hands. The mayor of
Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan (; Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a commune and capital of the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Population
Military installations
The French Air and Space Force operates the ''Constantin Rozan ...
which opposed Puy du Fou in the 1997 final made the allegation of cheating by stating: "''Nous ne sommes pas venus ici en culottes de chou nous faire brouter le cul par des lapins''" ("we did not come here in cabbage breeches to have our asses eaten by rabbits"). Puy du Foy sued for defamation and the losers of the previous year
Pont-Saint-Esprit
Pont-Saint-Esprit (, literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; oc, Lo Pònt Sant Esperit) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche fl ...
also sued Chiabodo, alleging that he tried to put their contestants off by making negative comments towards them. Chiabodo sued ''Le Canard enchaîné'' for 400,000
francs
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...
but was only awarded a token 1 franc in damages.
In 2013, a special anniversary programme was broadcast on
France 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews.
Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...
to celebrate 50 years of the programme. The episode included a repeat of the original final between teams representing Dax and Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. This was done in the hopes of a revival to be broadcast the next year.
Vachette
''Intervilles'' became well known for its use of horned cows and young bulls in the games, referred to as the "vachette" (cowhide). The bulls were not originally a part of the programme, but when Lux visited
Buglose
Saint-Vincent-de-Paul is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
The village was formerly called ''Pouy''. It was renamed in 1828 after Saint Vincent de Paul, who was born there. Tourists can visit his p ...
in
South West France, he was persuaded to include bulls after seeing the popularity of cattle shows.
He asked local breeder Joseph Labat to provide the bulls, an agreement that continued through three generations of the Labat family.
The bulls were adolescents and entered the ring with rubber balls on their horns for safety.
The vachette was let loose to disrupt the competitors and would often attack them by goring them. The vachettes were not trained in any way and were allowed to behave naturally. Individual cows were selected for the programme based upon their temperament.
In the 2000s, a cow called
Rosa
Rosa or De Rosa may refer to:
People
*Rosa (given name)
* Rosa (surname)
*Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose)
Places
*223 Rosa, an asteroid
*Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States
* Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, G ...
became a popular star of the programme. She appeared in every episode from her debut in 2004 to the series' end in 2009 and appeared in the 2013 anniversary special. With a black head and white body, she had a reputation for being very aggressive towards contestants but having intelligence to knock down sets when needed.
She was later given her own game called "Rosa Strike".
Even after the programme finished, fans of the programme would visit the Labat's farm to see Rosa. When she died in 2020, it made national news in France.
In 2019, it was announced by
France Télévisions
France Télévisions (; stylized since 2018 as ) is the French national public television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the integration of the public television channels France 2 (formerly Antenne 2) and France 3 (former ...
that ''Intervilles'' would be revived but that it would not include the vachette. There was a negative reaction to this from towns in
southern France
Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...
, where bullfighting is common. They accused the network of having been cowed by animal rights activists and moving towards "Anglo-Saxon customs". The former host
Nagui
Nagui Fam (; born 14 November 1961) is an Egyptian-born French TV and radio personality of Egyptian and Italian descent. In his professional life, he goes by his first name Nagui.
Biography
His television career began in 1987 on M6, and swit ...
supported the move claiming he did not like seeing how the animals were treated when he was the host. In response to that statement, Teddy Labat countered by saying that the animals were treated well and pointed out that Nagui took no interest in their well-being behind the scenes during filming. Fifty towns and cities agreed to take part in a boycott of the revival until the cows were returned. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in France
The COVID-19 pandemic in France has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths.
The virus was confirmed to have reached France on 24 January 2020, when the first COVID-19 case in both Europe and France was identified in Bordeaux. Th ...
, filming for the revival was delayed.
Hosts
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
1962 French television series debuts
2009 French television series endings
1960s French television series
1970s French television series
1980s French television series
1990s French television series
2000s French television series
French game shows