Secrets d'Histoire is a historical television program presented by Stéphane Bern.
Each episode retraces the life of a major historical figure, and highlights highly emblematic sites in France and other major countries.
It was broadcast on France 2 from 2007 to 2019, and on France 3 from 2019.
Journalist and producer came up with the original idea for the program.
History A tricky start (2007–2011) Secrets d'Histoire was broadcast for the first time on France 2 on September 30, 2007.
At the time of the show's launch, the channel indicated that its aim was to introduce viewers to famous historical figures, but also to decipher some of history's unexplained, and sometimes inexplicable, mysteries.
The first issue is devoted to the death of Emperor Napoleon I, and the theories that have circulated concerning his possible poisoning.
For the first two seasons, the program was broadcast on Sunday afternoons on France 2. Each issue featured a variety of reports, interspersed with on-stage debates with various specialists, including historians, writers, and researchers.
In July 2008, the channel's management decided to discontinue the show. Stéphane Bern stated at the time that he had denounced "France Télévisions' lack of editorial audacity when it came to culture and heritage". Thanks to good ratings and "the mobilization of viewers on the France 2 website", the show continued throughout the summer of 2008. During this period, four new hour-and-a-half episodes were broadcast in the first half of the evening.
In September 2008, however, the program was dropped from the schedule to make way for L'Objet du scandale, presented by Guillaume Durand. In 2009 and 2010, the show returned to the broadcast schedule, but only in August for a few hour-and-a-half episodes in the first half of the evening.
In the summer of 2011, France 2 broadcast seven new episodes in the first half of the evening. In the same year, the show's editorial line evolved: "This season, we've taken a new turn with the issue devoted to Claude Monet, which will be broadcast on August 30. I'm also thinking of devoting one to Victor Hugo. In short, Secrets d'Histoire will open up to artists whose dimension is not only cultural," explains Stéphane Bern.
At the same time, the show's audience has grown from an average of three million viewers in 2008 to 3.6 million in summer 2011.
Increasing success (2012–2018)
In the summer of 2012, France 2 broadcast ten new episodes in the first half of the evening, several of which met with notable success. The episode devoted to Louis XIV, entitled (Louis XIV, the passions of the Sun King), set a new audience record, with nearly five million viewers and a 21.2% audience share. This was the best audience in the show's history.
From 2014 onwards, the show was broadcast more randomly and on varying days of the week (either Tuesdays or Thursdays). In an interview with Le Figaro, Stéphane Bern explains that he was unhappy at the time, regretting that the show acted as a "filler" on France 2.
Despite random broadcasts, the show has met with growing success, including abroad. Interviewed on the occasion of the eleventh season in 2017, Stéphane Bern said: "The main thing that's changed is that people abroad are starting to get to know Secrets d'Histoire better. We've been approached by the Swedes, for example." According to him, this new notoriety had "opened doors" for the show.
In the same year, the film extracts were removed and replaced by scenes of historical re-enactments with actors, filmed especially for the show. The actors were dressed in period costumes, but did not speak any of the text, with commentary provided by historians Stéphane Bern and .
The decision to shoot re-enactment sequences was due to the refusal of some directors, such as Luc Besson with his film Jeanne d'Arc (The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc), to have their films cut in the editing process, but also because the production of Secrets d'Histoire sometimes needed scenes that didn't exist in the films.
According to the show's producer, Jean-Louis Remilleux, the issue of broadcasting rights also led the production team to opt for re-enactments. In fact, even if reenactment scenes cost significantly more than scenes from films or TV movies (10,000 euros for a reenactment compared with 4,000 to 6,000 euros for a film), this avoids the production having to pay rights again if the episodes are rebroadcast.
In June 2018, a party was organized at the Château de Versailles to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary. On this occasion, patrons of the château were invited, as well as viewers who had registered on the show's Facebook page. "Ten years ago, we were told that a history show was just for old ladies doing macramé in Southern Brittany. The network didn't believe in Stéphane either. And have you seen our ratings?" enthuses the show's producer Jean-Louis Remilleux.
In August 2019, the show was mourned by the death of writer and columnist , who had collaborated on numerous issues. On hearing of his death, Stéphane Bern paid tribute to him: "I owe him a lot, and the show owes him a lot. He made the show great for over ten years. He was very attached to the show."
New life on France 3 (since 2019) In October 2019, the show was switched to the France 3 channel. This choice is explained by the France Télévisions group's desire to maintain editorial consistency between its two channels, France 2 and France 3. As France 3 focuses on promoting France's heritage and regions, through programs such as (French Favourite Village) and Des racines et des ailes (Roots and wings), France Télévisions management decided to broadcast the program Secrets d'Histoire on this channel.
In an interview with Le Parisien, France Télévisions''' second-in-command, Takis Candilis, said that the group wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to offer viewers "more prime-time episodes", without specifying whether these would be new or reruns.
From October 2019, the show was broadcast regularly on Monday evenings on France 3, a choice that satisfied Stéphane Bern, for whom it was important for the program to have a fixed weekday slot.
Since its broadcast on France 3, the show has recorded encouraging audience figures. The first three episodes broadcast from October 2019 averaged 2.4 million viewers (10.5% market share). Following these good results, the Secrets d'Histoire team has indicated that nine further issues have been commissioned for 2020, with a budget of 400,000 euros for each program.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and health measures taken by various European countries disrupted the filming of certain programs. As a result, some shoots scheduled outside France were either cancelled or entrusted to local crews. This was the case for the program dedicated to Mary of Burgundy, part of which took place at the Château de Grandson in Switzerland. As museum curator Camille Verdier explains it was a local team that took charge of filming at the castle: "We were contacted and everything fell into place very quickly. Because of the confinement and border closures, a team from Geneva took care of the shooting, in the presence of the director".
The filming of a program on Napoleon I, to mark the bicentenary of his death, was also disrupted. "We were supposed to do all the sets on St. Helena, but we would have had to endure a quarantine on location. So we shot at Fontainebleau and Les Invalides," explains Stéphane Bern.
The same year saw the launch of a spin-off of the show, based on the same principle and devoted to famous places: Si les murs pouvaient parler (If the walls could talk), on France 2.
On January 25, 2021, the show announced the launch on March 8 of secretsdhistoire.tv, a pay-per-view video platform on the Internet, allowing viewers to watch all issues of Secrets d'Histoire, as well as other types of programs related to history and heritage. In an interview with La Nouvelle République newspaper, platform manager Baptiste Mathon explains:All 150 episodes of Secrets d'Histoire will be featured, as well as previously unpublished documents and new multidisciplinary programs. History will be told through the prism of sports, cooking, make-up, fashion, decoration, gardening... [...] All interviews with historians will be available to subscribers worldwide. It's the same way Netflix works.From January 2023 onwards, the show was moved from Monday to Wednesday evenings, where it is regularly broadcast.
Program description Choice of topics In an interview with Télérama in October 2019, Stéphane Bern explained how the subjects for the various programs were chosen: "We have lists with my producer Jean-Louis Remilleux, and after that, we go and see France Télévisions' cultural programs department. [...]" he explains.
One important criterion is the possibility of taking viewers on a tour of French heritage sites. He explains:We make lists of subjects, always bearing in mind that it has to have an impact on: What heritage site can we show the French? [...] For me, this is a requirement, because I believe that there is a geography of History. History can only be told properly in the places where it took place. With young people, that's what moves them the most. [...] It really makes history more accessible.Another criterion is the commemoration of important anniversaries, such as the centenary of the birth or death of a historical figure. In 2015, to mark the tricentenary of the death of Louis XIV, the program aired two consecutive issues on the reign of the "Sun King". The first, (Louis XIV, the man and the king), retraced the monarch's childhood, his seizure of power and his conception of absolute monarchy. The second, (Louis XIV, the king is dead, long live the king!) focuses on the end of the monarch's life, and the various deaths that created problems for the succession to the French throne. In 2020, to mark the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's birth, the show devoted a special edition to him, entitled (Beethoven, all for the music).
The existence of temporary exhibitions in certain museums is also an opportunity for the show to highlight certain characters. For example, during an exhibition on the Tudors at the Musée du Luxembourg in 2015, the show aired an issue devoted to Queen Elizabeth I of England. In 2019, on the occasion of the exhibition held at the Grande halle de la Villette in Paris, an issue on Tutankhamun and Ramesses II was broadcast.
During a shoot at Souvigny in 2018, Stéphane Bern confirmed the existence of these criteria:The selection is made on the basis of interest and historical interest. Depending on the year, there are anniversaries. Right now, there's an exhibition on Louis-Philippe. We thought it only natural to do a show about Louis-Philippe. We also celebrated Saint-Louis' birthday and Josephine's bicentenary.
History of topics covered The majority of programs feature a portrait of a historical figure. Some programs are devoted to well-known figures such as Louis XIV, François I, or Napoleon I, while others are devoted to lesser-known figures such as Thérèse de Lisieux or certain female figures of the French Revolution like Olympe de Gouges and Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt.
The choice of focusing on the lives of characters rather than on the history of ideas or social movements is assented to by presenter Stéphane Bern: "I'm among those who think it's important to know the reigns, to know those who wrote history, and not just the evolution of ideas, this global vision that prevents students from having landmarks and a certain anchoring".
The characters chosen are often from the nobility (kings, queens, emperors, empresses, etc.). Of the eighty-five subjects broadcast between January 2007 and July 2014, fifty dealt with a crowned head.