Laurent Hugues Emmanuel Ruquier (; born 24 February 1963) is a French television presenter, radio host and comedian. He is also a lyricist, writer, columnist and impresario; he has been co-owner and general manager of

Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau is a theater located at 14 boulevard de Strasbourg in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. The 800-seat Italian Style theater was built in the year 1866. It functioned under a variety of names through the years, op ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

since 2011. He is best known for hosting the ''

On n'est pas couché ''On n'est pas couché'' was a French talk show broadcast on France 2 on Saturdays at 11 p.m. and hosted by Laurent Ruquier. It was produced by Ruquier and Catherine Barma. It first aired on 16 September 2006; after fourteen seasons, it ended on ...

'' show 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 ...

every Saturday evening from 2006 to 2020.

Early years

Ruquier grew up in a large family of modest means, the second of five siblings. His father, Roger Ruquier, now deceased, was a

boilermaker A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dep ...

at construction sites in

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

and his mother, Raymonde Ruquier (1924-September 2015), was a housewife.Biography
from Laurent Ruquier's official website In high school, Laurent entertained his friends by publishing his first

satires Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

in the school newspaper. At first he studied accounting (he obtained a DEUG in Economic and Social Administration (AES) at the Le Havre site of the

University of Rouen The University of Rouen Normandy (''Université de Rouen Normandie'') is a French university, in the Academy of Rouen. History and demographics Located not in Rouen, but in the suburb of Mont-Saint-Aignan (a "township" in the Normandy region), th ...

and a Diploma from the

Institute of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

(DUT) in Business Management and Training administration (GEA). He also attended a course in Constitutional Law given by

Patrice Gélard Patrice Gélard (3 August 1938 – 25 June 2020) was a French politician who served as a member of the Senate of France. He represented the Seine-Maritime constituency and was a member of the Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Pop ...

. Upon the advice of the latter, he finally turned to humour. In 1986, he did 21 months of military service as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

at the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs. His mentor was

Pierre Doris Pierre Doris (1919–2009) was a French actor and humorist. Selected filmography * ''Comme un cheveu sur la soupe'' (1957) - Le chasseur du 'Néant' * ''Love Is at Stake'' (1957) - Le publiciste * ''Le triporteur'' (1957) - Le voyageur à la de ...

, whose black humour he was particularly fond of.

Career

Debut on radio and television (1983-1990)

Between 1983 and 1986, he made his debut on the local radio stations in

: ''Radio Force 7'', ''Ocean Gate Radio'', and ''Radio FMR'' in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

. At first, he mainly presented the show "''The Little Heads''", using the concept of the show "''The Big Heads''" on RTL with local comedians and other entertainers from the station. In 1987, encouraged by his aunt, he contacted the radio presenter and journalist Jacques Mailhot, then host of ''Ear in the Area'' broadcast on

France Inter France Inter () is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, li ...

, who was captivated by his texts. Thanks to Mailhot, Laurent Ruquier had his first experience of television on the show "''Paris Kiosk''" that Jacques Mailhot presented for three months on FR3

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

, and he was offered the opportunity to perform in

in a scene of the show "''Vault of the Republic''", a golden opportunity for the humourist to make himself known beyond the limits of his native region. Soon after, in 1988, and for two years he wrote irreverent stories for Jean Amadou and

Maryse Maryse is a given name. Notable persons with this name include: *Maryse Alberti, cinematographer *Maryse Condé, author *Maryse Dauvray, actress *Maryse Lassonde, neuropsychologist *Maryse Liburdi (formerly Maryse Thomas), CEO *Maryse Marpsat, soci ...

, as part of their daily morning show on

Europe 1 Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio station created in 1955. Owned and operated by Lagardère Active, a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group, it is one of the leading radio broadcasting stations in France and its pro ...

. In 1989, he proposed his candidacy to Jacques Martin who had put forward an idea for a program in the style of the "Newshound", a satirical news show that ran from 1975 to 1976 on TF1. Jacques Martin accepted and took him on as a writer on "''So do, do, do ...''" which was released in 1989 on

. In 1990, he was hired by

to collaborate on the "True-False Journal" show presented by Claude Villers.

Radio host

France Inter (1991–1997)

In 1991, Laurent Ruquier became host of the summer radio show ''Close the window for mosquitoes''. This appeared to be a conclusive test because the program was repeated at the start of September with the same format but called ''Nothing Polished''. This ran successfully on

and featured young comedians such as Pascal Brunner,

Anne Roumanoff Anne Roumanoff (born 25 September 1965 in Paris) is a French comedian and actress. Early life Anne Leila Roumanoff was born on 25 September 1965 in Paris, France. Her grandparents on one side were Ashkenazi Jews from Russia, and on the other side ...

, Chraz, Sophie Forte,

Virginie Lemoine Virginie Lemoine (born 26 February 1961) is a French actress and comedian. By her marriage with actor Alexandre Bonstein, she also has Swiss nationality. Career Virginie Lemoine attended acting school at the Conservatory in Rouen. From 1982 to 1 ...

, Jean-Jacques Vanier, Patrick Font, Didier Porte,

Laurence Boccolini Laurence Boccolini (born 8 May 1963) is a French radio and television host. Career Radio Her career began in the early 1980s on the RTY radio. In 1987, she joined Europe 1 where she hosted many programs, including ''Lenoir'', ''Les Inconnus de ...

, Christophe Alévêque, Frédéric Lebon, Patrick Adler and Laurent Gerra. In 1996, he founded his own production company RUQ Productions and hosted the show ''Nothing Polished'' on

. When it ended, Laurent Ruquier took on ''Change Management''. In 1997, he hosted the show ''In Every Sense'' on

Europe 1 (1999–present)

In 1999, Laurent Ruquier appeared on

with two daily programmes: a morning chronicle with

Julie Leclerc Julie Leclerc (born Chantal Séloron, 11 July 1945) is a French radio and television host. Career Leclerc was born in Saint-Étienne. Her father was an engineer and her mother a housewife. She studied in Lyon where she obtained a degree in art hi ...

and ''Get in the way'' (''On va s'gener'') which he directed daily from 4:30p.m. to 6p.m., changing to 4p.m. from 2006, then 4p.m. to 6:30p.m. from 2009 and 3:30p.m. to 6p.m. from September 2010. He commented on the news with a group of commentators including, Gérard Miller, Isabel Alonso,

Pierre Bénichou Pierre Bénichou, Commandeur, (1 March 1938 – 31 March 2020) was a French journalist. Early life Pierre Bénichou was born on 1 March 1938 in Oran, French Algeria. His father, André Bénichou, a philosophy professor, opened a private school a ...

, Claude Sarraute, Fabrice Eboué, Christophe Alévêque, Steevy Boulay, Jérémy Michalak,

Jean-Luc Lemoine Jean-Luc Marie Lemoine (born 6 March 1970) is a French humourist, media personality and stand-up comedian. Early life A native of Paris, Lemoine grew up in Morangis, Essonne. His first scene was on his high school stage, in front of 800 fellow s ...

, François Renucci,

Olivier de Kersauson Olivier de Kersauson de Pennendreff (born 20 July 1944) is a French sailor and sailing champion. Kersauson was the seventh child in a family of eight. While he was the only Kersauson not to have been born in Brittany, he was born on 20 July 1944 ...

, Christine Bravo,

Patrice Leconte Patrice Leconte (; born 12 November 1947) is a French film director, actor, comic strip writer, and screenwriter. Life and career Leconte grew up in Tours, and began making little amateur films at 15. He went to Paris in 1967 and studied at Insti ...

Jean-Marie Bigard Jean-Marie Bigard (; born 17 May 1954) is a French comedian and actor. Known for his often controversial humour, he has performed at some of the largest entertainment facilities in France, including the Paris-Bercy Arena and Stade de France. Big ...

, Titoff, Motrot Isabelle, Monique Pantel for the cinema section, Serge Llado for the "Eternal Music" section, as well as Paul Wermus for the enquiry section. The following also made appearances: Arno Klarsfeld, Valérie Payet,

Bernard Rapp Bernard Rapp (17 February 1945 – 17 August 2006) was a French film director and television news presenter. Rapp was born in Paris. After graduating from university, he worked as a freelance journalist. In 1976, he joined Antenne 2 (now France ...

, Jacques Martin,

Jean Yanne Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

Philippe Bouvard Philippe Bouvard (; born 6 December 1929 in Coulommiers) is a French television and radio presenter. From 1977 to 2014 he hosted the French radio program ''Les Grosses Têtes'' on Radio Luxemburg RTL, from 1982 to 1986 he hosted the television ...

himself between his dismissal and reinstatement at RTL,

Pierre Palmade Pierre Palmade (born 23 March 1968) is a French actor, comedian, stage director and playwright. Biography Pierre Palmade began his career in sketch comedy shows on stage and on television in the late 1980s, and in the 1990s he wrote and played ...

among others. On 4 May 2007,

Jean-Marc Morandini Jean-Marc Morandini (; born 5 August 1965) is a French television host. Morandini was born in Marseille. In 1985, aged 20, he became the youngest TV announcer in France. He worked for channel ''La Cinq'', before creating and animating the program ...

announced on his blog that Laurent Ruquier would stop his daily broadcast on

at the end of the 2006–2007 season 2006. The host was to "take a break" in his radio activities to focus on television: he was hosting a daily radio show and a weekly show on

. Laurent Ruquier also wanted to spend more time in theatre and in writing.

Jean-Pierre Elkabbach Jean-Pierre Elkabbach (born 29 September 1937) is a French journalist. Biography Elkabbach was born to an Algerian Jewish family in Oran in 1937, then the prefecture of the ''département d'Oran'' in French Algeria. He began his journalisti ...

, President of

, reacted by saying: "I regret the personal decision of Laurent Ruquier. I understand that his many activities have given him the desire to dominate his field. I wish to thank Laurent for his eight years of successful collaboration with

." According to the blog of Jean-Marc Morandini, Laurent Ruquier was going to join RTL at the beginning of September 2007 to host a weekly show every weekend. The presenter was also in contact with

, and RMC. Laurent Ruquier went finally to

: he announced to Axel Duroux, that the President of RTL would allow him to retain his slot from 4pm – 6pm on

, after discussions with

, the president of the station. The latter expressed his satisfaction: "I am above all happy for ''

'' and for the Group. For me, Laurent can not be elsewhere. He lives in Rue François 1^er. ! This is a child of ''

''." In September 2010, as he had now returned to his daily show on

, ''Get in the Way'' now started at 3:30pm and finished at 6pm. At the start of 2011, Laurent Ruquier retained his program ''Get in the Way''. In addition to this daily program, he joined the station's morning show, replacing Guy Carlier, to broadcast a humour section at 7:55am and calling himself the "Clipboard". This novelty in the program schedule reflected the fact that the presenter must be present during the presidential year, according to the agreement with the President of the station, Denis Olivennes. So he returned to the station's morning show as it was a few years ago. In early December 2011 his schedule was overloaded, the host was tired and decided to leave ''Europe 1 Morning''. On 25 April 2012, Laurent Ruquier announced in an interview in Paris that he had re-enlisted for (at least) two years in

. As for each year, some minor changes are in preparation for the show. In September 2013, Get in the Way now started at 4p.m. and finished at 6:30p.m. In September 2014, Laurent Ruquier replaced

on RTL's radio program ''

Les Grosses Têtes Les Grosses Têtes (; ("The Big Heads" or "The Big Brains" in English) is a daily comedy radio programme on the French language RTL radio network. Broadcast since 1 April 1977, the current host since 2014 has been Laurent Ruquier. Presently bro ...

''.

Programmes on France 2, TF1 and Canal+ (1994–2000)

His first experience as a television host was catastrophic. The television adaptation of ''Nothing Polished'' in 1994 on

did not attract viewers and ''Les Niouzes'' in 1995 on TF1 survived only five days. These programmes included Mergault Isabelle, Isabelle Motrot, Frédéric Lebon, Jacques Ramade and Christophe Alévêque alongside Ruquier. In 1998, he attempted a return to television with the show ''Tout le monde en parle'', produced and co-hosted with

Thierry Ardisson Thierry Ardisson (; born 6 January 1949, Bourganeuf, Creuse), is a French television producer and host and a movie producer. Many of his shows have some of the longest run times on French television, such as ''Paris Dernière'', ''Tout le mo ...

. This time, the public was won over, but Laurent Ruquier changed his employer next season to rejoin the ranks of

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

. He co-hosted ''Un an de plus'' with

Marc-Olivier Fogiel Marc-Olivier Fogiel (born July 5, 1969) is a French television and radio presenter and producer. Early life Marc-Olivier Fogiel was born on July 5, 1969 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. His father is a dentist; his mother was an estate agent who reti ...

where he brought his sense of humour.

Regular broadcasts on France 2 (2000–present)

In September 2000,

and

Catherine Barma Catherine Simone Barma (born 26 October 1945) is a French television producer. She is of Italian origin, and the daughter of director Claude Barma. She is known for the comedy series ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'', which she produces, presented b ...

proposed that he host ''On a tout essayé'' on

in the late evening every second Tuesday. As a result of the programme's success, in September 2001

offered him a daily spot between 7p.m. and 8p.m. With him, there were his commentator friends from

, especially:

Philippe Geluck Philippe Geluck (born 7 May 1954 in Belgium) is a Belgian comedian, humorist, television writer and cartoonist, who sold more than 14 million albums worldwide. He studied at the INSAS (''Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle'', N ...

, Peri Cochin, Isabelle Alonso, Caroline Diament, Christophe Alévêque, Elsa Fayer, Annie Lemoine, Steevy Boulay, Pierre Bénichou, and

Florence Foresti Florence Foresti (; born 8 November 1973 in Vénissieux) is a French comedian and actress. Life and career Following her high school studies in literature, theatre and dramatic expression at Saint-Just de Lyon, Florence Foresti entered a scho ...

among others. In 2001, this talk show received a Golden 7 in the Best comedy show category. In 2006, ''On a tout essayé'' was given a new look with more intimate tones and less garish colours than before. New writers made their appearance: Jérémy Michalak, Mustapha El Atrassi, Virginia Clausade, Roger Zabel and

Mamane ''Sophora chrysophylla'', known as ''māmane'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of ...

. On 16 September 2006, Laurent Ruquier resumed his Saturday night slot in the late evening, replacing the programme ''All the World Talking'' by

with a talk show entitled ''

'', still produced by Catherine Barma and directed by Serge Khalfon. Jonathan Lambert and Jean-Luc Lemoine would do the humour section with ''The Mediator'' and ''The Childhood Friend''. Critics

Éric Zemmour Éric Justin Léon Zemmour (; born 31 August 1958) is a French far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political ...

and at first Michel Polac then

Éric Naulleau Éric Naulleau (born 11 March 1961) is a French literary critic, editor, essayist and columnist. He is best known for his appearances on television shows such as '' On n'est pas couché'' (2007–2011), hosted by Laurent Ruquier on Saturdays at 11 ...

would do the political and literary sections respectively. In May 2011 Ruquier announced a reshuffle of his team. He decided to replace Zemmour and Naulleau with two women,

Natacha Polony Natacha Polony (born 15 April 1975) is a French journalist and essayist. She worked on the France 2 TV show '' On n'est pas couché'', presented by Laurent Ruquier from 2011 until 2014. Bibliography * ''Nos Enfants gâchés : petit traité sur ...

and

Audrey Pulvar Audrey Pulvar (; born 21 February 1972) is a French journalist, television and radio host and politician. Newsreader of the ''19/20'' on France 3 from 2005 to 2009, Pulvar has been commentator within Laurent Ruquier's show ''On n'est pas couch� ...

; soon thereafter, Zemmour and Naulleau started their own weekly programme on

Paris Première Paris Première is a French public TV channel, available on cable, satellite and the digital terrestrial service, Télévision Numérique Terrestre. It was launched on 15 December 1986 and is now wholly owned by the Groupe M6. Programming Ta ...

, ''Zemmour et Naulleau''. In addition to this change, Jonathan Lambert decides to stop work with the program. On 28 July 2011, Arnaud Tsamere and Jérémy Ferrari (two comedians from the show ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'') announced on their Facebook account that they will participate in a humour sketch together on the show. Two episodes later, the comedy duo preferred to withdraw to focus on their respective solo careers. They are replaced by Florian Gazan, taking the role of mentalist. Preferring to remain on

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 ...

who impose an exclusivity clause, in 2006 he left the presentation of the magazine he hosted on

called ''Ça balance à Paris'' leaving his place to Pierre Lescure. On 21 October 2006, Christine Bravo recovered "her" slot on Saturday primetime for a version of ''On a tout essayé'' without Laurent Ruquier who was too busy with all of his other activities: ''On a tout essayé... sans le patron''. During the week from 18 to 22 December 2006,

replaced Laurent Ruquier, who was absent for personal reasons. From September 2007 to July 2008, he presented ''On n'a pas tout dit'', a daily talk show which replaced ''On a tout essayé''. He then stopped his daily program to focus on ''On n'est pas couché''. In December 2009, he resurrected ''On a tout essayé'' with a show called ''On a tout révisé'', with that show's crew. By February 2010, Laurent Ruquier was presenting a monthly television adaptation of his show on

, ''Get in the Way'' (On va s'gêner), broadcast on

France 4 France 4 () is a French free-to-air television channel owned by France Télévisions, focused on children's programming. The colour of France 4 is purple. Originally launched as Festival in 1996, the channel took its current name in 2005 when it ...

. In November 2010, France 4 decided to stop broadcasting the show following the wish of France Télévisions to prevent presenters from working on multiple channels in the group. The last episode was broadcast on 1 December 2010. From 6 September 2010, he presented a new program ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'', from Monday to Friday at 5:55pm to 6:50pm on

. The program is recorded every Monday and Tuesday at the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (P ...

in Paris. During the program, comedians (solos, duoes, trios, etc.) virtually unknown to the general public appear in the episodes. Every sketch is written by the candidate (with or without authors) based on a chosen topic a few days before the recording of the program, among a list of subjects. Since 15 March 2011, comedians (who have made more than 10 appearances) have not chosen the topic, as they are chosen for them by Laurent Ruquier. At the beginning, the jury was composed of Laurent Ruquier, two guests having cultural knowledge and a member of "Ruquier's Band", the last three jurors changed every day. As of October 18, 2010, the juror

Chantal Goya Chantal de Guerre (; born 10 June 1942), known as Chantal Goya (), is a French singer and actress. Goya started her career as a ''yé-yé'' girl, singing a catchy mid-1960s hybrid of girl-group pop and French ''chanson''. She also enjoyed a car ...

was eliminated as according to Ruquier, she "did not play the game", Laurent Ruquier decided to replace this "temporary" jury with a "recurrent" jury consisting of himself and three specialists of the world of show business. Now there are:

Jean Benguigui Jean Benguigui (born 8 April 1944 in Oran) is a French actor. He is of Jewish-Algerian descent. In 2006 and 2007 he played the role of impresario Cartoni in a new adaptation of the operetta Le Chanteur de Mexico at the Théâtre du Châtelet ...

Isabelle Mergault Isabelle Mergault (born 11 May 1958) is a French actress, director, writer and television/radio personality. Personal life Isabelle Mergault was born in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis near Paris Paris () is the capital and most populou ...

, Catherine Barma,

, Michèle Bernier, Eric Metayer, Jean-Luc Moreau, Philippe Gildas, and

. The program has been compared to the Petit Théâtre de Bouvard, because it also allowed unknown artists to quickly get a "name". The 100th episode of the show was broadcast on 16 February 2011. During the summer of 2011, the program was broadcast weekly on Saturdays from 7pm to 8pm. In April 2012, he announced his intention not to host this program next season: it is now hosted by Jérémy Michalak since September 2012.

France 4

In February 2010, he hosted a television adaptation of his monthly radio program. He stopped this program in December 2011.

Other programs

Laurent Ruquier commented live on

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 ...

on the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

with

in 2003, then again with Elsa Fayer in 2004. In 2005, he presented the French preselection for Eurovision with Elsa Fayer but the duo did not comment on the final selection. On 6 June 2006, Laurent Ruquier presented a variety show, ''36 songs'' in the early evening on

. This program was followed by ''1967 the sexual revolution in song'' presented by Michèle Bernier on 13 February 2007 and "The Presidential Elections in Songs" presented by

Christophe Hondelatte Christophe Hondelatte (born 17 December 1962) is a French television and radio host who has worked for BFMTV since fall 2014.

on 26 March 2007. On 27 December 2008, he presented on

in the early evening ''Stars and Comedy'', a show in which eight people mount the stage of the Palace for their first show. Since 2008, he also presented ''All at the theatre''. On 26 September 2009, he presented ''Vos chanteurs préférés'' in the early evening on

with Michael Gregorio who imitated the singers' favorite personalities, sometimes in duets with them. On 29 December 2009, he presented ''On a tout révisé'' in prime time on

with all the "band" that accompanied all these different programs for many years. In that evening, the former writers revisited the news for the 2009 year through games. Four teams of four writers. A second episode was scheduled for 13 July 2010, and a third for late September. His radio show ''Get in the Way'' celebrated its tenth anniversary on 21 October 2009 during a special evening and three hours free at the Olympia and aired Wednesday 25 November and 2 December on

. All the writers who participated in the program since its inception were present. On 31 May 2011, a fourth edition of ''On a tout révisé'' was broadcast. During this program, in addition to regular commentators, Laurent Ruquier decided to integrate his new comedians from the show ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'', who make "song gags" or who had passed the "office assistant" test. In June 2011, a survey by PureMédias, with more than 120,000 voters, voted Laurent Ruquier second class in the "presenter of the year" category behind

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 swi ...

who remained first by a large margin. His programs ''On n'est pas couché'' and ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'' also took the second and third place in the category "Entertainment of the Year". On 8 February 2013, he presented the 2013 ''Victoires de la musique'' live with

Virginie Guilhaume Virginie Guilhaume (born 30 November 1977) is a French television presenter. Television career Education and beginnings on France 2 Virginie Guilhaume graduated from the École supérieure de journalisme de Paris. She began her career as a pr ...

TV programs

*1994: ''Rien à cirer'' (France 2), a television adaptation of his radio show *1995: ''Les Niouzes'' (TF1) *1998: ''Tout le monde en parle'' with Thierry Ardisson (France 2) *1999-2000: ''Un an de plus'' (Canal+) *2000-2007: ''On a tout essayé'' (France 2) *2001: ''7 d'or'' (France 2) *2002-2005: ''La nuit des Molières'' (France 2) *2002-2005: ''Juste pur rire'' (France 2) *2003:

Eurovision Song Contest 2003 The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the 48th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Riga, Latvia, following the country's victory at the with the song " I Wanna" by Marie N. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) a ...

(France 3) with Isabelle Mergault *2003: ''Drôles de dames'' (France 3) *2004:

Eurovision Song Contest 2004 The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European Broa ...

(France 3) with Elsa Fayer *2004: ''Ruquier allume la télé'' (France 2) *2005: French preselection for Eurovision Song Contest 2005 (France 3) with Elsa Fayer *2005-2006: ''Ça balance à Paris'' (Paris Première) *2005-2006: ''Vos imitations préférées'' (France 2) *Since 2006: ''On n'est pas couché'' (France 2) *2006: ''36 songs'' (France 3) *2007-2008: ''On n'a pas tout dit'' (France 2) *2008: ''Stars et Comédie'' (France 2) *2008: ''Tous au théâtre'' (France 2) *2009: ''Merci d'être venu!'' (France 2) *2009: ''Vos chanteurs préférés'' (France 2) *2009: ''On va s'gêner'', 10 years (France 4) television adaptation of his radio show *2009-2011: ''On a tout révisé'' (four episodes to date) (France 2) *2010-2012: ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'' (presenter) (France 2) *Since 2012: ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'' (Jury) (France 2) *2013: ''Victoires de la musique'' with Guilhaume Virginia (France 2) *2013: Season 3 of ''On n’demande qu’à en rire'', producer (France 2) *2013: ''C à vous'' (France 5) *2014: ''L'émission pour tous'', producer (France 2)

Co-producer

*Since 2006: ''On n'est pas couché'' (France 2) *Since 2010: ''On n'demande qu'à en rire'' (France 2)

One-man shows and theatre

From 1997 to 2000, he took to the stage with two performances written by

Pascal Légitimus Pascal Légitimus (born 13 March 1959) is a French actor, comedian and theatre director. He is a member of the famous French humour band Les Inconnus Les Inconnus ("The Unknowns") are a French trio of humourists consisting of Didier Bourdon, ...

and produced by ''Just for Laughs'': ''Finally Sweet'' and ''Sweet Again''. At this occasion, he made a "coming out" and revealed his homosexuality. Laurent Ruquier is the author of several works: *2003 : ''The press is unanimous'' (La presse est unanime) staged by Agnes Boury, with

(later

Marie Laforêt Marie Laforêt (born Maïtena Marie Brigitte Doumenach; 5 October 1939 – 2 November 2019) was a French singer and actress, particularly well known for her work during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, she moved to Geneva, and acquired Swiss citize ...

), Gérard Miller (then Jean-François Derec) Steevy Boulay, Raphaël Mezrahi (later Julien Cafaro), Claude Sarraute (later Annie Lemoine), and Isabelle Alonso. *2004 : Heat Wave (Grosse Chaleur) staged by

, with Pierre Benichou (later

Gérard Hernandez Julio Gerardo "Gérard" Hernandez (born 20 January 1933) is a Spanish-born French actor. Biography Hernandez was born in Valladolid, Spain and was naturalized French only in 1975. He is mostly famous for his mustache and for having voiced seve ...

Brigitte Fossey Brigitte Florence Fossey (; born 15 June 1946) is a French actress. Early years The daughter of a schoolteacher, Fossey was five years old when she was cast by director René Clément to star in his film, ''Jeux interdits, Forbidden Games''.

(later Danièle Evenou), Catherine Arditi,

Annick Alane Annick Alane (5 September 1925 – 28 October 2019) was a French film, television, and theatre actress from Carnac. Filmography *1957: ''Les Truands'' (directed by Carlo Rim) *1965: ''Les Pieds dans le plâtre'' (directed by Jacques Fabbri a ...

, and

Benoît Petitjean Benoît Petitjean (born in 1982), is a French actor and a horse rider. He is a theatre and cinema actor, he initially trained under René Simon and completed several internships with director Jean Périmony to develop his acting skills. In 2005, ...

. A French adaptation of the musical ''Chicago'' with, among others,

Stéphane Rousseau Stéphane Rousseau (; born September 17, 1966) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He starred in the Academy Award-winning film ''The Barbarian Invasions''. He has also been in ''Asterix at the Olympic Games'' (2008). His latest movies is ...

(later

Anthony Kavanagh Anthony Kavanagh (born September 26, 1969) is a Canadian stand up comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter. After a successful career on the francophone stand-up scene in Quebec, he became a major star in France and is now a popular television h ...

) in the role of the lawyer Billy Flynn. *2005-2006 : ''If it is to be redone'' (Si c'était à refaire) from September 2005 to April 2006, Variety Theatre, staged by Jean-Luc Moreau, with

, Claire Nadeau, and Laurence Badie. *''Landru'', from December 2005 to April 2006 at the

Théâtre Marigny The Théâtre Marigny is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier for the display of a panoram ...

, staged by Jean-Luc Tardieu with Regis Laspalès (available on DVD from September 2006, dir. Roberto Maria Grassi) *2006 : repeat of the play ''If it is to be redone'' from September, Théâtre de la Renaissance, with

Francis Perrin Francis Perrin may refer to: * Francis Perrin (actor) (born 1947), French actor, screenwriter and director * Francis Perrin (physicist) (1901–1992), French physicist See also

* Perrin (disambiguation) {{hndis, Perrin, Francis ...

, and

Bernadette Lafont Bernadette Lafont (28 October 1938 – 25 July 2013) was a French actress who appeared in more than 120 feature films. She has been considered "the face of French New Wave". In 1999 she told ''The New York Times'' her work was "the motor of my e ...

. *2008 : ''Open Bed'' by David Serrano, staged by

Charlotte de Turckheim Anne-Charlotte de Turckheim (born 5 April 1955) is a French actress, screenwriter, comedian and film producer. Born in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, Seine-et-Marne, France, the daughter of Françoise Husson and Arnaud de Turckheim, a member of a noble ...

, adaptation of Laurent Ruquier with Titoff,

Elisa Tovati Elisa Tovati born Elisa Touati is a French singer, actress and television personality. Early years Elisa Tovati was born in 1976 to parents of Russo-Moroccan Jewish origins in Paris, France. She showed interest in theatre early in her life, an ...

, Bouffes-Parisiens Theatre in February 2008. *2008-2009 : ''I already see myself'' (J'me voyais déjà) from 2 October 2008 to 4 January 2009 at the Theatre Gymnasium in Paris, staged by Alain Sachs, with

Diane Tell Diane Tell (born December 24, 1959) is a Canadian musician who was born in Quebec City, Quebec. She entered the Val d’Or conservatory at the age of six. She continued her studies at the Montréal conservatory and then at CEGEP Saint-Laurent and ...

and a troupe of young actors including the

Jonatan Cerrada Jonatan Cerrada Moreno (born 12 September 1985) is a Belgian singer. He won the first season of ''Nouvelle Star'' (the French edition of ''Pop Idol'') in 2003 and represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. Personal life Jonatan ...

, Arno Diem, and Pablo Villafranca. Comedy musical based on the songs of

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

. *2011 : ''Because I fly it well!'' (Parce que je la vole bien), staged by Jean-Luc Moreau, with

Ariel Wizman Ariel Wizman (born 19 May 1962) is a French musician, DJ, journalist and actor born in Casablanca, Morocco.de Chamberet, Georgia (1999) ''XCiTés: The Flamingo Book of Fresh French Writing'', Flamingo, , p. 209 Patrice Leconte Patrice Leconte (; born 12 November 1947) is a French film director, actor, comic strip writer, and screenwriter. Life and career Leconte grew up in Tours, and began making little amateur films at 15. He went to Paris in 1967 and studied at Insti ...

, in June, at the Theatre Tete d'Or with Danièle Evenou,

Julien Boisselier Julien Boisselier (born 26 May 1970) is a French actor. Life and career Boisselier was born and raised in Nantes before moving to Paris to study comedy at Le Cours Florent. He dated acclaimed French actress Mélanie Laurent, though the two ...

, and Virginie Hocq.

Documentaries

''Do not Ask what is known'', directed by Gérard Miller (broadcast 27 December 2012)

Theatre management

On 28 July 2011, Ruquier acquired a 50% stake in the management company of the Théâtre Antoine located in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. He became director-general alongside managing director Jean-Marc Dumontet. For the playwright, it was a "childhood dream" come true. For their first choice of actress, the organiser offered

Line Renaud Line Renaud (born 2 July 1928) is a French singer, actress and AIDS activist. Early life Line Renaud was born Jacqueline Ente in Pont-de-Nieppe on 2 July 1928. Her mother Simone was a shorthand typist; her father was a truck driver during the we ...

. She agreed to play one of the title roles in the play ''Harold and Maude'', written by Jean-Claude Carrière in 1970. According to

Fabrice Luchini Fabrice Luchini (; born Robert Luchini; 1 November 1951) is a French stage and film actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Potiche'', ''The Women on the 6th Floor'', and '' In the House''. For his role in the 2015 film '' Courted'' he won th ...

, then promoting his film "In the house" in October 2012, Ruquier invested 5 million euros in the acquisition of his theatre.

Production of shows

In 2005, Laurent Ruquier launched into producing shows. He managed to persuade

to sing again after more than 30 years of absence from the stage. "The Girl with Golden Eyes" was first produced in Montreal, then in Paris (sold out) and later toured the provinces. Laurent Ruquier also managed a return to the stage by Véronique Rivière and

Pauline Ester Pauline Ester (born Sabrina Ocon; 18 December 1963, Toulouse, France) is a French singer. Biography Ester's album, "Le Monde est fou", certified Gold disc,Pauline Ester's certifications, by SNEChartsinfrance.net Retrieved 18 February 2008. me ...

in 2006. Since 2006, he has produced the singer-impersonator Michael Gregorio. Since 2010, he has produced the comedian Gaspard Proust.

Political positioning

He has stated many times that he is "left" and "socialist", mainly because of "family tradition". He supported

Ségolène Royal Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election. Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 2014 ...

during the Socialist primary for the 2007 French presidential election. In 2012, he also voted for

Jean-Luc Mélenchon Jean-Luc Antoine Pierre Mélenchon (; born 19 August 1951) is a French politician who was a member of the National Assembly for the 4th constituency of Bouches-du-Rhône from 2017 to 2022. He led the ''La France Insoumise'' group in the Nation ...

at the first round and for

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...

at the second round of the French presidential elections, although he revealed he was disappointed by the latter's first two years at the helm of the country.

Bibliography

*1994: ''Nothing Polished'' (Rien à cirer), Calmann Levy. *1995: ''All the Good in Laurent Ruquier'' (Le Tout Bon de Laurent Ruquier), Michel Lafon. *1996: ''Nothing Polished: five years'' (Rien à cirer : les cinq ans) in collaboration with Jean-François Recreated, Michel Lafon. *1997: ''Le Mois par moi. Le Débloque notes'', Volumes 1 and 2, Michel Lafon. *1998: ::- ''Delighted to welcome you'' (Ravi de vous recevoir), Michel Lafon. ::- ''Faces of €uros'' (Gueules d'€uros), drawings by Eleouet Gerard, L'Archipel. *1999: ''One must know how to change certainties'' (Il faut savoir changer de certitudes), Plon. *2000: ''I will not be in my way'' (Je ne vais pas me gêner), Plon. *2001: ::- ''Seen on radio'' (Vu à la radio), Plon. ::- ''Faces of €uros'' (Gueules d'€uros), new edition, L'Archipel. *2002: ::- ''My Best of'' (Mon Best of), Plon. ::- ''It is chronic'' (C'est Chronique), Plon. *2003: ''Insolent Chronicles'' (Chroniques insolentes), Hors collection. *2004: ''Do not harm health'' (Ne nuit pas à la santé), Plon. *2005: ''Get in the Way. The best moments'' (On va s'gêner. Les meilleurs moments), Plon. *2009: ''Before you forget everything!'' (Avant que t'oublies tout!), in collaboration with Claude Sarraute, Plon.

Personal life

Laurent Ruquier announced openly his homosexuality in the late 1990s. He entered into a civil union on 28 January 2012 with the actor

, whose life he has shared since 2002.Laurent Ruquier: he said yes to Benoît!
Yahoo, 3 February 2012

Notes

External links

Site of the Bande à Ruquier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruquier, Laurent 1963 births Living people French television presenters French radio presenters French satirists French gay writers French LGBT broadcasters 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 21st-century French dramatists and playwrights French LGBT dramatists and playwrights People from Le Havre