Some 4.4 million 麻豆传媒映画 tuned to TF1 in January for Merci Doroth茅e!, a four-hour long tribute to the former TV presenter, singer and actress known simply as Doroth茅e.
Viewers, mostly in their 50s, did not care that Doroth茅e, 71, had aged somewhat since her TV heyday, that her porcelain-like face was faintly lined or that her clothing was more sober.
It was as if she had never left their screens.
鈥淵ou are a singer, a comedian, a TV presenter, a producer, a pioneer in many sectors. More than that, you are our 鈥�Madeleine de Proust,鈥欌€� said Nikos Aliagas, the show鈥檚 presenter, over the roaring of her fans.
It was not the first time that Doroth茅e had been the subject of a nostalgic career review, but the reception remained the same 鈥� a testament to her legacy and her impact on 麻豆传媒映画.
Doroth茅e's iconic TV shows
Doroth茅e has been the substitute mother, sister, nanny, and best friend of a generation of French children born between the early 1970s and 鈥�80s thanks to R茅cr茅 A2 and Club Doroth茅e, two children's TV programmes that aired on France 2 and TF1.
These shows and the subsequent 1,000-plus hours of primetime TV she occupied each year from the late 1970s to the late 鈥�90s helped her build an empire in the entertainment business.
Children born during these years often refer to themselves as 鈥楪eneration Doroth茅e鈥�.
When Club Doroth茅e stopped suddenly in 1997 and she disappeared from the public eye, she left a void in many fans鈥� hearts.
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鈥淲e all share, in ourselves, a small part of you. Because you were there during our first baby steps, tantrums, kisses 鈥� failed, most of the time 鈥� heartbreaks. More than a TV presenter, you shouldered us during childhood, holding our hands and those of our parents. And then you left鈥︹€� tearful journalist Faustine Bollaert told her in 2010.
鈥淚 think a lot of people share the same emotion,鈥� she said, trying to regain her composure.
Fr茅d茅rique Hosched茅 was born on July 14, 1953 in Paris, the daughter of an engineer father, Maurice Hosched茅, and housewife mother, Jacqueline Hosched茅.
She had an older brother, Jean-Fran莽ois, who died in 2009, and is a descendant of the painter Claude Monet.
What they say about her
鈥淪he was like a second mother鈥t times, the first [laughs]. She was there 24/7. Younger generations cannot imagine what it was like to have ONE kids鈥� show. Before school, she was there. You came home, she was there.鈥�
Fr茅d茅ric Molas, aged 42, co-founder of YouTube channels Joueur du Grenier and Bazar du Grenier, on growing up watching Club Doroth茅e.
Imagine what Doroth茅e could have done, with the audience ratings she enjoyed, the popularity she enjoyed, the credit she retained with children, to entertain, to pass on, to amaze, to teach... credit she is now losing because of her commercial excesses, which are beginning to shock even her 鈥榝ans鈥�.鈥�
Extract from Le ras-le-bol des b茅b茅s zappeurs by S茅gol猫ne Royal, who waged a war on Club Doroth茅e and Japanese shows deemed too gory and violent.
鈥淪hould Doroth茅e be burned?鈥�
A headline from VSD magazine on February 5, 1993, depicting Doroth茅e as Joan Of Arc, and questioning why Doroth茅e was the subject of so much hatred by Canal +
A fascination with British and US culture was born on a school trip to England when she was 13, where she discovered pop music, musicals and movies. She graduated with a degree in English in 1972.
She was spotted in 1971 by TV producer Jacqueline Joubert while performing one of Alfred de Musset鈥檚 novels, which she had adapted and starred in herself.
She subsequently landed several appearances on TV shows in the 1970s, both as an announcer and presenter, and played three minor cinema roles.鈥�
Ms Hosched茅 garnered mainstream popularity when Ms Joubert moved into directing France 2鈥檚 children鈥檚 schedule and gave her a job presenting R茅cr茅 A2, initially a summer-only show. Ms Joubert advised her to choose a new stage name, as Fr茅d茅rique was considered too androgynous.
The show was soon expanded to air every weekday, ultimately becoming a decade-long success story, with children tuning in for the compilation of sketches, songs, and games.
In that time, Doroth茅e was convinced by producers to start making children鈥檚 songs.
She released 10 albums between 1980 and 1985, with several songs becoming hits. As of today she has sold 20 million albums, according to Quotidien, and she toured around France with sold-out shows.
Doroth茅e was hired by TF1 in 1987 when the government opened TV channels to privatisation. She moved with most of the crew, performers and workers, changing the name of the show from R茅cr茅 A2 to Club Doroth茅e.
It was with this show that Doroth茅e reached nationwide stardom and left a lasting impact on generations of French children (see box).
Similar to R茅cr茅 A2, what was initially meant as a weekly live show on Wednesdays turned into a daily show with Doroth茅e and her fellow presenters shooting 20 hours of content per week with six hours live on Wednesdays. Some 2,000 hours of content was shot each year.
Club Doroth茅e vacances, 1987Credit: Photo 12 / Alamy Stock Photo
The show had a 55% audience share for viewers aged four to 14. Indeed, it was so popular that artists such as Ray Charles, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis performed with her on stage in 1993 during the Doroth茅e Rock鈥檔鈥檙oll Show.
Children could also claim a free Club Doroth茅e membership card that gave them special deals, coupons or autographs. More than 700,000 had been distributed by the summer of 1997.
Club Doroth茅e was also innovative in introducing French children to a number of Japanese shows, such as Dragon-Ball Z (see box below). It has also been credited with popularising French sitcoms, thanks to the mainstream success of H茅l猫ne et les Gar莽ons.
Doroth茅e toured in China with a singing show, and shot small cameos for the Japanese show Bioman and the BBC鈥檚 The Wild Bunch.
鈥淚 have not had a lot of private life. About 99.9% of my time was taken up by TV, stage shows, recordings etc. But I do not regret it,鈥� she said on 鈥�Il 茅tait une fois鈥oroth茅e鈥� (Once Upon A Time鈥oroth茅e), a TMC documentary about her in 2010.
TF1 pulled the plug on the show in August 1997, afraid that AB Productions, the company that produced it, would turn into too big a rival.
The termination of Club Doroth茅e affected its star immensely, colleagues have suggested in documentaries and interviews. In an unfortunate coincidence, Doroth茅e鈥檚 mother died on the evening of the final episode.
Doroth茅e subsequently spent 13 years out of the spotlight, sharing no details about her private life in that time.
She attempted painting but said that, despite Claude Monet鈥檚 genes, she lacks the talent for it.
She also made a brief return to stage at the Olympia in 2010, but ticket sales were only half the venue鈥檚 capacity.
However, as well as the tribute show earlier this year, it has been announced that she will voice-over a character in the upcoming French version of Smurf, the movie, to be released on July 16.
Of the place she still holds in many viewers鈥� hearts, she said: 鈥淭he term 鈥�grande famille鈥� (big family) may seem stupid but there is truth to it. I have seen people get married, children born, growing up and eventually getting married themselves. We knew each other very well.鈥�
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