Sans aucun doute
Encyclopedia
Sans aucun doute is a French television
show, launched on 7 September 1994 and presented by Julien Courbet until 30 May 2008 then by Christophe Moulin
since 12 September 2008. Produced by Quai Sud Télévisions, it is shown by TF1
on late Friday evenings. The presenter's mission is to help out viewers confronted with major consumer problems or with neighbours, with the help of a team of mediators
, lawyers and on the spot journalists.
outlining the problem with the help of reconstructions, controntations between the protagonists using hidden camera
s, different elements of proof etc. During the second part, the presenter attempts to contact the defendant
s by telephone with the participation of the lawyers, negotiators and other experts, and tries amicable negotiation
with them in order to find a satisfactory solution, which often leads to heated discussions. The investigation therefore often follows with telephone calls to the victim's or adversary's family, witness
es and other victims, in order to gather the most amount of evidence which are useful to challenge the "good faith
" in which most of the "confidence trick
sters" pretend to have acted. Once the situation is truly insoluble, or the incriminated party does not answer the telephone, the journalists attempt to contact them at their home or work in order to attempt negotiation between the two parties. In the rare cases where the affair cannot be settled immediately, the victim is invited to return to the show once the problem is finally resolved.
The same show is broadcast on RTL
from Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 under the name Ça peut vous arriver (That can happen to you).
There is also a weekly magazine "Stop Arnaques" (Stop scams) and the editor-in-chief
is one of the show's team of lawyers, and a series of books, "Stop aux Arnaques" (Stop the scams), each dedicated to a particular theme. The two publications are intended to help people in difficulty to resolve their problems and inform them of their rights.
The first broadcoast of the 2008 season with Christophe Moulin, on Friday 12 September 2008, was watched by 1.47 million viewers for a market share of 32.2%. This is considered a reasonable figure given the erosion of television channels with the arrival of TNT. The audience has remained stable since at around 35%. In February 2008 Sans aucun doute broadcast its 500th show.
Television in France
Television in France was introduced in 1931, making the country one of the first countries in the world to broadcast television programmes.- Terrestrial :...
show, launched on 7 September 1994 and presented by Julien Courbet until 30 May 2008 then by Christophe Moulin
Christophe Moulin
Christophe Moulin, born 1967 is a French television presenter. He presents Sans aucun doute by TF1, having taken over from Julien Courbet on 12 September 2008. He was previously a journalist and editor-in-chief with LCI, as well as the head of the Police and Justice department of LCI. He started...
since 12 September 2008. Produced by Quai Sud Télévisions, it is shown by TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
on late Friday evenings. The presenter's mission is to help out viewers confronted with major consumer problems or with neighbours, with the help of a team of mediators
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
, lawyers and on the spot journalists.
Format
The show is made up of two main parts for each problem that is treated: a reportageNews
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
outlining the problem with the help of reconstructions, controntations between the protagonists using hidden camera
Hidden camera
A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. The camera is "hidden" because it is either not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object...
s, different elements of proof etc. During the second part, the presenter attempts to contact the defendant
Defendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
s by telephone with the participation of the lawyers, negotiators and other experts, and tries amicable negotiation
Negotiation
Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties, intended to reach an understanding, resolve point of difference, or gain advantage in outcome of dialogue, to produce an agreement upon courses of action, to bargain for individual or collective advantage, to craft outcomes to satisfy...
with them in order to find a satisfactory solution, which often leads to heated discussions. The investigation therefore often follows with telephone calls to the victim's or adversary's family, witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
es and other victims, in order to gather the most amount of evidence which are useful to challenge the "good faith
Good faith
In philosophy, the concept of Good faith—Latin bona fides “good faith”, bona fide “in good faith”—denotes sincere, honest intention or belief, regardless of the outcome of an action; the opposed concepts are bad faith, mala fides and perfidy...
" in which most of the "confidence trick
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
sters" pretend to have acted. Once the situation is truly insoluble, or the incriminated party does not answer the telephone, the journalists attempt to contact them at their home or work in order to attempt negotiation between the two parties. In the rare cases where the affair cannot be settled immediately, the victim is invited to return to the show once the problem is finally resolved.
Special dossiers
Each summer, from 2006 to 2008, TF1 broadcast the "best of" the show in Les dossiers de Sans aucun doute. These special thematic episodes were shown each Friday. These dossiers were cancelled in 2009.Spin-offs
The success of the show resulted in spin-offs in different formats:- Les 7 Péchés Capitaux (The 7 sins);
- Les Voisins : Vont-ils se mettre d'accord ? (The neighbours: will they come to an agreement?), 45-minute show broadcast periodically early evening devoted to one sole case of problems often very sensitive between neighbours;
- Le Grand Frère (the Big Brother), 45-minute show broadcast, and Les Voisins (the Neighbours), where a social centre worker, upon request by the parents, to attempt to put their children back on "the right track". These two shows are produced by the "La Concepteria", Julien Courbet's production company;
- La Grande Soirée Anti-Arnaque (The big anti-scam night), formatted along the lines of a game show where the public helped by stars have to reply correctly to many series of 4 on a particular consumer subject. Reportages concerning the scandalScandalA scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
s associated with the themes covered intersperse the show where a team of lawers give details about law to the viewers; - Voisins, vont ils se mettre d 'accord (Neighbours, will they agree) the show broadcast during primetime in January 2006 was watched by more than 7 million viewers, and came back in March to 6 million, not enough at the time for the broadcaster. Now the "neighbour" reportages and mediations are integrated into Sans aucun doute, with the journalist Hervé Pouchol.
The same show is broadcast on RTL
RTL Group
RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
from Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 under the name Ça peut vous arriver (That can happen to you).
There is also a weekly magazine "Stop Arnaques" (Stop scams) and the editor-in-chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
is one of the show's team of lawyers, and a series of books, "Stop aux Arnaques" (Stop the scams), each dedicated to a particular theme. The two publications are intended to help people in difficulty to resolve their problems and inform them of their rights.
Team
The show uses many lawyers and journalists as experts in the affairs handled on set. With the arrival of Christophe Moulin, almost all of the team of lawyers, mediators and experts were replaced.- During September 1994 – June 2008:
- Maître Didier Bergès
- Maître Eric de Caumont, specialist in the automobile industryAutomotive industryThe automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
- Doctor Dominique Courtois, medical consultant
- Maître Nathalie Fellonneau, lawyer
- Maître Caroline Guesdj, lawyer
- Maître Gérard Michel, lawyer at the Bar association of Nancy
- Maître Sylvie Noachovitch, criminal lawyerCriminal defense lawyerA criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal conduct. Criminal defense lawyers can be permanently employed by the various jurisdictions with criminal courts. Such lawyers are often called public defenders. For a much more...
who left the show in April 2007 to pursue her political career - Maître Marilyne Olivié, who replaced Sylvie Noachovitch
- Maître Hervé Pouchol, mediator (also worked on Les 7 Péchés Capitaux)
- Maître Bernard Sabbat, consultant
- Maître Loïc Scornec, specialist in harassmentHarassmentHarassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and it is characteristically repetitive. In the legal sense, it is intentional behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing...
- Timothée Vienne, journalist
- From September 2008 to date:
- Ève Bartoli, journalist
- Maître Jean-Philippe Coin
- Doctor Dominique Courtois, medical consultant
- Maître Sabine Cordesse, lawyer
- Maître Denis Del-Rio, lawyer
- Joseph Elmaleh, mediator
- Maître Gérard Haas, lawyer
- Sandrine Pégand, lawer
- Maître Hervé Pouchol, mediator in neighbour conflicts
- Maître Isabelle Steyer, lawyer
Viewer numbers
Sans aucun doute was once one of the regular shows which had the largest share of the French television market, with between 40 and 55%, because of the length of the programme (2 hours 30 minutes). The number of viewers was around 2 million. Since 2007, the market share has greatly dropped to less than 30%.The first broadcoast of the 2008 season with Christophe Moulin, on Friday 12 September 2008, was watched by 1.47 million viewers for a market share of 32.2%. This is considered a reasonable figure given the erosion of television channels with the arrival of TNT. The audience has remained stable since at around 35%. In February 2008 Sans aucun doute broadcast its 500th show.
Broadcasts
Sans aucun doute has been broadcast since since 7 September 1994; initially during the second part of every Wednesday evening (September 1994 – September 1996), and since September 1995 the second part of every Friday evening.External links
- The official TF1 site (in French)