Les Grosses Têtes (; ("The Big Heads" or "The Big Brains" in English) is a daily comedy radio programme on the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

RTL radio network. Broadcast since 1 April 1977, the current host since 2014 has been

Laurent Ruquier 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 Be ...

. Presently broadcast from 15:30 to 18:00 in France and Belgium (on

Bel RTL Bel RTL is a commercial radio network broadcasting in Brussels and Wallonia (French-speaking Belgium). The station is owned by the Radio H holding company, which is part of the Luxembourg-based RTL Group. It is now owned by DPG Media and Groupe ...

) this show has several regular segments. The first quarter of the show is hard-hitting news and the next quarter deals with cultural issues. Then, for the next 30 minutes the host takes phone calls from listeners. Finally, guests are interviewed and joked about (these jokes are called ''gauloises'' on the show). Part of the format is when guests are asked questions sent in by the listeners, the most famous being Mme Leprieur.

History

In 2000, station managers thought that they could do without the services of their aging top host (''animateur de référence'') and replaced him with

Christophe Dechavanne Christophe Dechavanne (; born 23 January 1958), is a French television and radio host and program producer. Biography Dechavanne attended the Cours Hattemer, a private school. He started working as a radio host in the early 1980s. In 1985, he pr ...

. The rapid loss of listeners showed that the program's success was due as much to the audience's attachment to the hosts as to its formula, which led to the return of

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 ...

as host and producer of the show the following season. Since then, the show has been hosted by

On television

A TV version aired in 1985 on

Antenne 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 Ap ...

to celebrate its 2500th show, followed by another in 1992 for the 5000th show on TF1. A regular TV version aired on TF1 from 1992 to 1997 on Saturday evenings, with the same principles as the radio show. It attracted 11.2 million viewers. ''Les Grosses Tetes'' has had many more special TV shows since then 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 ...

Reception and criticism

''Les Grosses Tetes'' is the most popular show on RTL. Nevertheless it has been criticised for its crude humour with elements of racism, sexism and homophobia. On 27 March 1996, Philippe Bouvard,

Vincent Perrot Vincent Perrot (born 3 August 1965, in Confolens) is a French journalist, radio and television presenter and drag racing driver. Biography Perrot's father was the Mayor of the town and died when Vincent was 11. His mother Marina decided to ...

, and the president of TF1 Patrick Le Lay were fined for having provoked racial hatred by telling a riddle comparing

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

women to robbers. The Association of LGBT Journalists investigated the show in 2020, noting homophobic and sexist humour as well as jokes about

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

and

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

being thieves, and Asian people being responsible for the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Notable past members

Léon Zitrone Léon Zitrone (25 November 1914 – 25 November 1995) was a Russian-born French journalist and television presenter. Biography Zitrone was born in Petrograd, Russia. He arrived in France with his family fleeing communism at the age of six. H ...

* Carlos *

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 ...

Jackie Sardou Jackie Sardou (7 April 1919 – 2 April 1998) was a French actress. Personal life She was born Jacqueline Labbé in Paris, and married Fernand Sardou, a singer. She was the mother of singer Michel Sardou; and grandmother of author Romain Sardou ...

Jean-Pierre Foucault Jean-Pierre Foucault (; born 23 November 1947 in Marseille) is a French television and radio host. He was born in Marseille, his mother was Jewish. He was the host of '' Qui Veut Gagner des Millions ?'', the French version of ''Who Wants to Be a ...

Jean Dutourd Jean Gwenaël Dutourd (; 14 January 192017 January 2011) was a French novelist. Biography Dutourd was born in Paris. His mother died when he was seven years old. At the age of twenty, he was taken prisoner fifteen days after Germany's invasion ...

Alice Sapritch Alice Sapritch (29 July 1916 – 24 March 1990) was a French film actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1950 and 1989. Partial filmography * ''Le tampon du capiston'' (1950) - La pharmacienne * ''Le crime du Bouif'' (1952) * ''If Pari ...

Michel Galabru Michel Louis Edmond Galabru (27 October 19224 January 2016) was a French actor. Career Galabru appeared in more than 250 films and worked with directors such as Bertrand Blier, Costa-Gavras, Luc Besson (for '' Subway''), and Jean-Luc Godard. ...

* Jacques Martin *

Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director. Early life Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland ...

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 ...

* Sim *

Thierry Roland Thierry José Roland (; 4 August 1937 – 16 June 2012) was a French sports commentator who was France's leading football commentator for 59 years. He began his career as a radio journalist for the ORTF when he was just 16 years old. Roland the ...

Pierre Bellemare Pierre Bellemare (21 October 1929 – 26 May 2018) was a French writer, novelist, radio personality, television presenter, TV producer, director, and actor. Television * ''La Tête et les Jambes'' * '' La Caméra invisible'' * '' J'ai un Secre ...

* Philippe Chevallier *

Amanda Lear Amanda Lear (; born 1939) is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model. She began her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s, and went on to model for Paco Rabanne, Ossie Clark, and ...

Macha Méril Macha Méril (; born Princess Maria-Magdalena Vladimirovna Gagarina on 3 September 1940) is a French actress and writer. Biography Méril is descended by her father from the Russian princely house Gagarin and by her mother from a Ukrainian nob ...

Liane Foly Liane Foly (born 16 December 1962, in Lyon) is a popular French blues and jazz singer, actress, presenter and impressionist. Early years Foly was born 16 December 1962Interview in the magazine '' VSD'', p. 98, no 1477, 14–20 December 2005 in ...

Current members of the panel

Jacques Balutin Jacques Balutin is a French actor.Jacques Mailhot (1983, since 1997) * Bernard Mabille (1985 / 1991-1992, since 2001) *

Chantal Ladesou Chantal Ladesou (born 5 May 1948) is a French actress and comedian. Personal life Ladesou met her husband Michel Ansault and with whom she had three children, two boys, Alix (who died in a car accident), Julien and a daughter, the actress Cl� ...

(since 2010) * Jean-Jacques Peroni (since 1998) *

Laurent Baffie Laurent Baffie (born 18 April 1958 in Montreuil) is a French author, short film director and humorist. Baffie (often only called by his last name ‘ugly frenchman’) is famous for his funny hidden cameras, sense of repartee, biting humour a ...

(1992-1993 / 1998-1999, since 2013) *

Isabelle Alonso Isabelle Alonso is a French writer of Spanish extraction. Her parents were exiled Spanish Republicans, and Alonso became a naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may a ...

(1996-2000, since 2014) *

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 ...

(1999-2000, 2014-2020) * Michèle Bernier (1984, since 2014) *

Jean-Pierre Coffe Jean-Pierre Coffe (; 24 March 1938 – 29 March 2016) was a French radio and television presenter, food critic, and author. Early life and education Jean-Pierre Coffe spent a major part of his childhood in the town where he was born, Lunévill ...

(1986-2010, 2014-2016) *

(2000, since 2015) *

Arielle Dombasle Arielle Dombasle (born April 27, 1953)Dombasle's year of birth has been a subject of much debate, and various sources have given dates ranging from 1953 to 1958. is an American-born French singer, actress, director and model. Her breakthrough ro ...

(since January 2016) *

Michel Drucker Michel Drucker, CQ (born 12 September 1942 in Vire) is a popular French journalist and TV host. He has been on screen for so long on various shows and different networks, both public and private, that he once said that some people joked that h ...

(since 2014) * Danièle Évenou (since 2014) * Fabrice (2001-2002, since 2014) *

Sophie Garel Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

(1982, since 2014) *

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 ...

(1990, since 2014) *

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 ...

(1988-2000, since 2014) * Claude Sarraute (1984-1995, since 2014) * Roger Zabel (80') (since 2014) *

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 ...

(since 2014) *

Guy Carlier Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unincorpo ...

(since 2014) * Caroline Diament (since 2014) * Fabrice Eboué (since 2014) * Florian Gazan (since 2014) *

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 ...

(since 2014) *

Franz-Olivier Giesbert Franz-Olivier Giesbert (born January 18, 1949, in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American-born French journalist, author, and television presenter. Giesbert worked for ''Le Figaro'' from 1988 to 2000 and for '' Le Point'' starting in 2000. In 2013 ...

(since 2014) * Marcela Iacub (since 2014) *

Amanda Sthers Amanda Queffélec-Maruani (born 18 April 1978), known professionally as Amanda Sthers, is a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker. Biography Sthers is of Tunisian Sefardi and Breton origins. She has written ten novels which ha ...

(since 2014) * Titoff (since 2014) *

Christophe Beaugrand Christophe Beaugrand (born January 2, 1977) is a French television presenter and journalist. Early life and education Christophe Beaugrand was born in Massy, Essonne, Massy in the department of Essonne. During his adolescence, he wrote for tel ...

(since 2014) * Steevy Boulay (since 2014) *

Christine Bravo Christine Bravo (born 13 May 1956) is a French television presenter, journalist, columnist and author. Biography Christine Bravo was born in Paris, her father Antonio Bravo was a Spanish mason from Toledo.François-Henri Désérable (since 2014) *

Yann Moix Yann Moix (, ; born 31 March 1968) is a French author, film director and television presenter. He is the author of ten novels and the recipient of several literary prizes. He has directed three films. He was a columnist on '' On n'est pas couch� ...

(since 2014) * Cristiana Reali (since 2014) * Paul Wermus (since 2014) *

Baptiste Lecaplain Baptiste Lecaplain (born 23 May 1985 in Mortain) is a French comedian and actor. He does stand-up comedy and has appeared in some films. Early life In 2004, he got his baccalauréat. After that, he was a youth leader at Levallois-Perret but he q ...

(since 2014) * Arnaud Ducret (since 2014) *

Karine Lemarchand Karine is a feminine French given name. Notable people with the name include: * Karine Bakhoum, Egyptian American chef * Karine Baste (born 1982), French journalist and news presenter * Karine Beauchard (born 1978), French mathematician *Karine B ...

(since 2014) *

Bérengère Krief Bérengère Krief (born 16 April 1983) is a French actress and comedian. Filmography Theater References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Krief, Berengere French film actresses 1983 births Living people 21st-century French actress ...

(since 2014) *

Jean-Luc Moreau Jean-Luc may refer to: In politics: * Jean-Luc Bennahmias (born 1954), a French politician and Member of the European Parliament * Jean-Luc Dehaene (1940–2014), a Flemish politician * Jean-Luc Laurent (born 1957), a French politician * Jean-Luc ...

(since 2014) *

Christine Ockrent Christine Ockrent (born 24 April 1944) is a Belgian journalist whose career has principally centered on French television. She interviewed Amir Abbas Hoveyda, the former Iranian prime minister, in Evin prison after the Islamic revolution in 197 ...

(since 2015) * Mustapha El Atrassi (since 2015) * Norbert Tarayre (since 2015) *

Éric Thomas Éric eʁikis a French masculine given name, the equivalent of English Eric. In French-speaking Canada and Belgium it is also sometimes unaccented, and pronounced "Eric" as English with the stress on the "i". A notable French exception is Erik Sa ...

(since 2015) * Gérard Louvin (since 2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grosses Tetes, Les Grosses Tetes, Les 1977 radio programme debuts French news radio programs Radio programs adapted into television shows