When we were told that France Télévisions was preparing a big concert on the occasion of the “Month without tobacco”, we were initially struck by the incomprehension. How can a program bringing together singers and comedians contribute to the fight against smoking in France? Commissioned by Santé Publique France, the public service has nevertheless managed to create an original concept for this weaning month, to encourage participants to continue their efforts or those who hesitate to try the challenge.
Since 2006, smokers have been asked to put away their pack of cigarettes every November, and even more if they wish. With To breathe, public televisions and radios are committed to giving a pat on the back to smokers who participate in the challenge. Already broadcast on Culturebox and France Bleu, the show will be broadcast on France 3 this Friday and will remain available on the France Télévisions platform at least until the end of the month.
But then how do public broadcasters try to boost the health event with a music programme, away from the annual fundraisers of Restos du Coeur or Sidaction? 20 minutes met with the various stakeholders who have participated in the development of this project, which is a world first.
Focus on the “collective aspect”
“This entertainment program format is the first in public health,” rejoices Justine Avenel, project manager of Mois Sans Tabac at Public Health France. It was the national public health agency that brought this format to public broadcasting.
Its goal is “to make the collective aspect of tobacco-free month concrete”. In short, the show is above all a boost for the participants in these 30 days of weaning, to show them that they are not alone and that others have been there before them. “Operation Tobacco Free Month is spread over a long period of time. We start in October to encourage smokers to register and then throughout November we have to support each other to hold on. That’s why the show only came in mid-November, ”justifies Justine Avenel. It is for this reason that the broadcast of the program is organized on several channels, on television and on the radio and on different dates.
Together with traditional advertising campaigns and awareness actions, the program is an “extra lever” to “inject something new after the Covid-19 pandemic”. “If we can quit smoking for a month, we are five times more likely to quit completely,” adds Églantine Éméyé, chosen to host this special evening. He is therefore proud to be able to participate in this momentum when Santé Publique France still estimates that 75,000 people still die each year in France from smoking, elevating cigarettes to the rank of “first cause of preventable mortality” in France.
The “complicated relationship” of artists with cigarettes
The show sees artists from all walks of life alternate on the stages such as Patrick Bruel, Garou, Mentissa, Suzane, Mickey 3D or the groups Louise Attaque and Hyphen Hyphen. Their musical performances are interspersed with funny interludes in which celebrities from the world of entertainment reveal the risks associated with smoking, but also their secrets about cigarettes. “The show shows that the stars of music or humor engage in the challenge,” explains Alexandra Redde-Amiel, director of games, entertainment and variety at France Télévisions.
It is for this reason that she went to talk to the artists before starting the recording. “Some people came into the limelight when they were young and didn’t mean ‘smoke’,” she comments. Many of them have already made many attempts to quit. Finally, the show allows you to play down and tell yourself that we are really all in the same boat…”
