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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

It's not just the naming of cats

that can cause trouble in telly-land. In a development that, admittedly, you may well have missed, French breakfast TV presenter/producer William Leymergie has been suspended* for a fortnight by France2. As I read the AFP press release, it's all to do with a physical attack (allegedly attempted strangulation) on the theatre critic of the programme, Telematin, which left said critic in need of emergency first-aid. (I am treading carefully here). The french text is here .

I am rather gobsmacked by this news: Leymergie struck me as the most relaxed and good-humoured presenter I've seen on the TV. The nearest UK equivalent is for Terry Wogan to have thrown a punch at a sports reporter. Now there's an idea for BBC3.

*the French phrase is 'mis a pied' which Babelfish unhelpfully translates as putting at foot.