"If we don't have fun, we've missed everything": the show "Intervilles" returns this Thursday on France 2 with Nagui at the helm

This isn't just another TV game show; it's a slice of France, a summer packed with laughter, memorable falls, and custard pies.

The show Intervilles returns to France 2 this Thursday, July 3, and with it, Nagui, a familiar face on the small screen, who this time takes on two roles: presenter and producer.

For this grand return, forget the cows, swept away by an awakened animal consciousness. The new version of the show promises a joyful and resolutely contemporary reinvention of the program created in 1962.

Alongside Nagui to host the competition between French cities, you will find a colorful group made up of Bruno Guillon, Magali Ripoll, Camille Cerf, Valérie Bègue and Yoann Riou.

The last host to present the show gives us a behind-the-scenes look at this new version.

You're returning to Intervilles almost ten years after hosting it. What does this show mean to you today?

Intervilles is a program that allowed me to return to the air at a time when I had a lot of doubts. It was a fragile period. Thanks to this show, I was able to bounce back and continue with Tout le monde veut prendre sa place and N'oubliez pas les paroles . So yes, it reminds me of something important, even if, at the time, I wasn't a producer, I was only doing what I was told to do.

This time, you're also the producer. How does that change your approach to the show?

I get to choose the five other hosts I co-host with, but most importantly, I make sure they're listened to, respected, and feel comfortable. I've been in their shoes, I know what it's like. We decide together, we talk. I want to be the best boss possible for them.

This new version brings together two unexpected figures: Zep, Titeuf's father, and Dorian Lux, Guy Lux's grandson. How did these collaborations come about?

Dorian is part of the Ofenbach duo that I had already received on the set of Taratata . When we started preparing the return of the show, I called him to ask him how he would imagine the opening credits of Intervilles . He replied: "I always looked for a way to pay tribute to my grandfather" . As for Zep, we know each other well. I spoke to him about the absence of the cows in this new version, and he drew Topa in 24 hours. A funny, tender mascot, with a blond streak. It's a nice nod.

So the famous cows have disappeared. Is that something that seems obvious to you?

I saw a cow die on the set of Intervilles , and that's an image you never forget. I couldn't pretend it wasn't happening. I'm a vegetarian, but I don't force it on anyone. Today, you can laugh without hurting anyone.

Despite all these changes, will the show continue to be good-natured?

If we're not having fun, we've missed the whole thing. We want viewers to feel that pleasure. Whether it's slipping on soap or getting a cream pie. The goal isn't to win a check, it's to have fun together. Like a game of ping-pong with friends after a good meal.

In an audiovisual landscape where streaming dominates, how will this new version of Intervilles succeed in standing out?

Today, I don't know of any shows that bring people together just to have fun, laugh, and share a moment with the family. Maybe at the end of the four shows, we'll say that it's no longer in the spirit of the times. I believe that children, parents, grandparents can laugh at the same things. We need lightness and a pressure relief valve in a world that's too heavy. And Intervilles is exactly that.

First live broadcast this Thursday, starting at 9:10 p.m. on France 2. Next broadcasts on July 10 and 17, before the final on July 24.