- The thirteenth season of "Beijing Express" begins this Tuesday at 9:05 pm on M6.
- The adventure game having been launched in 2006, this new season is the occasion to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the program by inviting former emblematic candidates to set off on the course of the first season.
- Device, countries crossed, candidates… “20 Minutes” looks back at what has changed or not since the shooting of the first season in 2005.
It is a “Return on the mythical road”. As this title suggests, the thirteenth and new season of Beijing Express , launched this Tuesday, at 9:05 p.m. on M6 will return to a course well known to the faithful of the show. On the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the adventure game - created in France in 2006 - the chain invited former emblematic candidates to compete on the same route (or almost) that of the first edition, from Moscow (Russia) in Beijing (China) via Inner Mongolia.
20 Minutes look in the rear view mirror to see what has changed or not in the meantime.
- The “Beijing Express” brand
Beijing Express is an adaptation of Peking Express , a Dutch-Belgian concept developed in 2004. “This program had hit the headlines in Belgium and had collapsed in Germany. We were only the third country to shoot it. It was not easy at all, ”remembers Stéphane Rotenberg, the unbeatable host of the tricolor version. For M6 and production, the project was large and represented a leap into the unknown.
“I remember very well the arrival of the first stage, on Red Square [in Moscow], remembers the presenter. The candidates arrived and then I saw a cameraman put his camera and say to me: "What I have just experienced is crazy. It is the most significant experience of my life." All the cameramen have told me the same thing. I figured something was going on. "
The good impression was reinforced once arrived around Beijing, when the first returns of the postproduction teams arrived in Paris. "We were told that this program was crazy," says Stéphane Rotenberg.
The first episode of this first season, entitled La Route du Transsibérien , was broadcast on January 15, 2006. It was a Sunday at 7 p.m. A day and a broadcast schedule reflecting the caution of the sixth channel, which preferred to shelter from a possible prime time flop. The final, however, was broadcast at 8:50 p.m. on a Saturday, April 1.
The public was there and, from the second season, Beijing Express found a place in the M6 grid during the week, in prime time. The success continued until 2014, when the game was put to sleep. His return in 2018 was a success and revived the brand.
- The device
When Stéphane Rotenberg recounts the filming of the first season, one has the impression that a century has passed. At the time, the D system prevailed. "15 years ago, at the arrival of the very first stage, in Moscow, I did not know which pairs were going to cross the finish line, or even if they were going to arrive," he slips. We had put watchmen all around Red Square so that I was warned. »A concern that is definitely a thing of the past thanks to GPS beacons which make it possible to locate candidates in real time and therefore anticipate their arrival. “Today, we have greater ease of communication. We can reach candidates more easily, ”says Stéphane Rotenberg.
- The countries crossed
In Russia, the clash of cultures is still there 15 years later. "The candidates were surprised by the attitude of the population who could say no in an authoritarian manner," says Stéphane Rotenberg. And to qualify: "The Russians remain austere at first but, if they decide to indulge, can be very warm. ". Other than that, the country "has not changed, at least deep Russia," continues the host. On the other hand, he claims to have "taken a slap in the face" with China. "In 2005, I was marked by all these elderly people in mouse gray clothes and caps," said the presenter. Today, it is no longer that. It's super modern and it's impressive to see. However, when you enter the deep country, the traditions and ways of being have not changed. "
- The candidates
"It's interesting to see how the pairs have changed," smiles Stéphane Rotenberg. Cécilia and Mathieu, for example, were in a relationship when they participated in season 5 in 2010. They have since separated. "When we asked them to come back, they hadn't seen each other for several years," said the host. He continues: “Pauline and Aurélie [the Lille sisters] were young girls twelve or thirteen years ago. Today, they are mothers. The participants of the "oldest" seasons had to find their automatisms. “I really felt the difference, on the first day. In the first season I participated [the ninth, in 2013], there were huge gaps between the first and the last pair. It was counted in hours, whereas there, not at all. We feel that everyone is experienced, for some pairs the adventure was still fresh, "says Julie.
- The tests
Over the seasons, the rules have evolved regularly. During the last editions, “prohibited cars” signs appeared, forcing the pairs to continue their journey with another means of transport. "What I feared the most was the final duel, especially since we had been warned that all the stages were eliminatory", advises Julie, who during her first participation with her partner Denis, didn’t had not been subject to this regulation. From now on, the pair in last position can choose any other non-immune duo to face it in a final test in which the losers will leave the game. Previously, only the couple in red lantern risked elimination. Immunity tests will have a bit of deja vu. "We have reused those that we liked the most in previous editions," says Stéphane Rotenberg.
- Social networks
What has changed in fifteen years is also the nuisance capacity of social networks. "It scares me a little," admits Julie. Already in our time, it was starting, and it was already hot. We have suffered a lot of comments and judgments. We know we're going to grill everything. "His partner Denis continues:" I received as many love tweets - women and men combined - as messages from people who hated me. I received "flames", letters of insults. You have to take this with hindsight ”. However, he recognizes that "it's not the same time" and does not know what sauce he may be eaten on Twitter and company.
“What scares me the most is that I have teenagers now, a little one in sixth and a big fourth and they are all in it. I'm trying to get into Snapchat, Whatsapp… To protect them, I have to be on it, but I'm having trouble, ”says Pauline. Aurélie's sister would be almost less connected than their grandmother. "At 92, she is fully on social networks," she laughs. For my birthday, she doesn't call me, she sends me a message on Facebook. What if Granny was the best bulwark against trolls?
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