For more than twenty years he has made France completely addicted to news items. In 2000 was born on France 2 the program Let the accused enter, worship today. At the controls at the time, Christophe Hondelattea storyteller specializing in the most sensational criminal cases, which is in line with historical programs such as Alfred Hitchcock present or The Extraordinary Stories of Pierre Bellemare. ” In the Basque Country, where I was born and where I grew up, there was neither Europe 1 nor RTL, only France Inter and RMC, so my reference was rather Ève Ruggieri, whose narrative power captivated me», Corrects the 60-year-old journalist, now at the head of Hondelatte, says. The flagship meeting of the afternoons of Europe 1 sees its concept now declined on television on Canal + in 26-minute episodes (available on MyCanal).
On screen, he adds to his recognizable voice a comedic performance as he plays all the characters in a short and dynamic format, dealing with older cases like that of the murderer Jacques Fesch in 1954. ” In Let the accused enter, I was already a bit of an actor, which I was criticized for because, at the time, there was never a presenter for documentaries. We found the mise-en-scène putassire and, as I was doing my number, I took the piss out of it. We were innovative and we were obviously copied!“His 150 numbers in eleven years are regularly rebroadcast, currently every Sunday evening on RMC Story. ” Because the bottom is serious and unassailable“, hammers his presenter.
Lazy morning and writing
Christophe Hondelatte has not kept his famous leather jacket, offered to the lighting designer who keeps it carefully stored in a cover. One way to close this chapter. On Sunday evenings, he no longer watches his cult show. Because often at this time he writes half of his column for Europe 1, which he will finish on Monday morning. He draws the necessary material to feed his research and continuously drinks images and reports. While observing the necessary distance. “Fascination is a bad adviserhe says.That’s why I only deal with resolved cases, which have a judicial truth. No cold box which gives way to fantasy.»
He does not really observe a truce on Sundays, for which he experiences a “moderate tastesince he is partly studious. While Saturday is virgin and more conducive to outings (“We can fully invest ourselves since we will recover the next day!“), he confides that Sunday already suffers from the weight of Monday. But, before settling down to write, he lets go all the same: no plans, no imperatives, rest, letting go. “From the gland! I get up late, shave late, and dress late.»
A heavy sleeper, yes, but sleeping in has a limit: the intervention of Jacko, his dog who follows him everywhere. Moreover, he attends our interview on a terrace of Lagardère News (the media group to which belong Europe 1 and the JDD). The 8-year-old wire-haired fox terrier, the same breed as Snowy, is in adoration of his master and does not hesitate to puff out his chest during the photo shoot! A true professional, too…”He is very playful and not very obedientsmiles Christophe Hondelatte.It takes a lot of availability to take care of it, I amuse it and walk it several times a day. His main activity? Run after his ball.»
In the garden rather than in the restaurant
During the week, they come together on the radio, a quarter of an hour’s walk from his Parisian home. The weekend is spent more in Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), where he was born and where he owns a house with land that he maintains himself. In his haven of peace, he even has a small recording studio. He assures that he does not go to any public place, no cinema, theater or restaurant. Hondelatte the discreet appreciates being in total autarky. “In Bayonne, cultural life tends to take place on weekdays anyway, but if I ever have to arbitrate, then I choose a jazz or classical music concert“, declares the one who nourishes a passion for the cello, which he has been practicing since his youth.
As a child, he went to the conservatory on Saturdays. And on Sundays, he gave his parents a hand in the garden – his mother was a tradesman, his father a road and sanitation engineer. After the family meal, he therefore passed the mower, pruned the roses. The place remained his refuge. “In contact with nature, the pressure fallshe breathes.I hoe, I water, I put fertilizer. I’m there even when it rains. Then I go for a walk with Jacko by the sea. I am aware that it is a sacred privilege to be able to alternate the calm of the provinces with the vibration of the capital.»
