Solène Delinger 11:40 a.m., November 06, 2023

Marc-Olivier Fogiel defends his new recruit. In an interview with "La Tribune du Dimanche" this weekend, the head of BFMTV renewed his confidence in Laurent Ruquier, who joined the private channel at the end of September. As planned, the PAF star will continue the season, but with a new sidekick: Alice Darfeuille.

Marc-Olivier Fogiel steps up to the plate. A week after being the target of attacks by Jean-Jacques Bourdin, who has been a vocal critic of BFMTV, the head of the private channel responded in an interview with La Tribune du Dimanche.

"A historic second start to the school year"

"Bourdin totally rewrites history. The reality is less glorious for him. I remind you that he was fired from BFMTV following a complaint of sexual assault, and an internal audit during which 35 people testified," he said before defending his home. "We have achieved our second historic start to the school year in terms of audience," he said.

"This hoax is crazy!"

The arrival of Laurent Ruquier, who has caused a lot of talk, would not have affected the start of the season at all, according to Marc-Olivier Fogiel. "It doubled the audience of the box," he said.

The boss of BFMTV has thus completely swept away the rumours of the eviction of the PAF star. "When Laurent read articles that claimed it was going to stop, he called me and said, 'We're friends, tell me if you'd like to stop.' This hoax is crazy!" he exclaimed. "We'll see in June if we've found the right formula, but there's no question of stopping this program after two months."

Marc-Olivier Fogiel is waiting for Laurent Ruquier to add his own touch to the show: "For the moment, the show doesn't differentiate itself enough from our other segments. I'd like to see a program that looks more like Laurent Ruquier. Whether it's in the choice of subjects, its tone or its form." The PAF star will soon have a new accomplice, Alice Darfeuille, who will replace Julie Hammett next January.