White dwarf

The death of a telly icon

Jacques Martin died on Thursday.

His is not a name that will ring many bells outside of the Francophone world, but he was a giant of the small screen here in France. Not only that, he was also a journalist, raconteur, crooner, animateur, comédien (in the French sense of the word) and comedian (in the English)….in fact a general all round bon vivant, immensely and multi-talented and a huge influence on today’s telly presenters and much beloved by the viewing public. And he still managed to squeeze in time for three marriages and eight children from four different women. You do the maths.

His death on Thursday brought glowing tributes from all quarters, reflecting how important a figure he was on the French cultural scene. Yep, that’s right. Even though France may often wish to view itself a civilised notch or two above the rest of the world, it can be as grubbily lowbrow as the best. Telly rools. OK!

Martin shot to fame as the host of a series of hit comedy shows on French television, including the satirical "Le Petit Rapporteur," It was a spoof newscast that ran from 1975-1976 and is often cited as the forerunner of the critically acclaimed “Les Guignols – a Spitting Image-type satire which wickedly continues to lampoon politicians on a daily basis. Both Martin’s programmes and his humour shaped the futures of a host of presenters who currently dominate the airwaves of French telly.

Rather sadly perhaps, younger generations will remember him more for his “L’ecole des fans” – a sickly sweet nonsensical Sunday afternoon institution in which he gently cajoled children into singing in front of a live audience. It drew “oohs” and “ahs” all round (especially from the proud parents sitting in the public) but was light years away from the groundbreaking and trendsetting work of the 70s and 80s

For over 30 years Martin’s face was familiar to millions, popping up frequently on the television in a series of programmes until a stroke ended his career in 1998, forcing him to leave his last show, "Sous vos applaudissements" (With Your Applause), abruptly.

On the news of his death, the tributes started pouring in – in a manner normally reserved for the greats of cinema, literature and art. Even the Culture Minister, Christine Albanel, chipped in with her two penny worth, calling Martin a "free spirit, an impertinent spirit, very funny, full of talent."

Television and radio re-jigged their Friday evening schedules (apart from TF1 which broadcast live England’s crushing humiliation at the feet of South Africa – aie, aie, aie) to honour him.

But there remained one voice noticeably absent from the roll call. There was not a squeak from the Elysees Palace, usually so hot in paying homage to the passing of an important national figure. Just last month the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, interrupted his US vacation to fly back for the funeral of a former Archbishop of Paris.

All right, all right so a journalist/television presenter cannot perhaps be compared to a man of the cloth. But there is one delicate issue here that cannot be neglected.

Back in 1984 when Sarkozy, was mayor of the Paris suburb of Neuilly, he officiated at Martin’s second marriage to a certain Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz. The couple had two children before divorcing. So what’s the big deal? Well Cecilia is now married to Sarkozy and safely ensconced at the Elysees Palace with those two teenage blonde beauties, Judith and Jeanne-Marie.

The silence is deafening.